Los Angeles daily herald., 1890-02-04
THE CITY COUNCIL.
Mayor Hazard Rejects De-
mands for Supplies.
HIS REMARKS OF NO EFFECT
The Illegal Demands for Remodeling
the Old City Hall Ordered Paid.
The Hay Market.

the Old City Hall Ordered Paid.
The Hay Market.
The City Council met yesterday morn
ing, President Frankenfeld in the chair
and Messrs. Wirsching, Summerland,
McLain, Hamilton, Shafer, Brown and
Bonsall present.
City Clerk Teed reported that he had
appointed L. S. Matheson as elevator
boy, the former boy having resigned to
accept better position.
The monthly reports of.the various city
officers were read and referred to the
finance committee.
The City Attorney presented the con-
tract between the city and the City Bank
for the keeping of the city funds, the
substance Of which WAS published in the
HERALD on Sunday. Referred to the
finance committee.
The City Attorney reported that he had
fled complaints against the superinten-
dents OF the Los Angeles Gable Company
and the Main Street Railroad Company
for obstructing the street, but that the
case had been unsuccessful against the
former. Received and filed.
The City Attorney reported that W. I.
Williams had a contract with the city to
assist in the opening of Los Angeles street
by which he was to receive 81 900. AS to
whether he had rendered the services be
did not know and he thought the matter
should be investigated.
Major Bonsall moved that the claim
of Mr.. Williams be denied, as he had
not performed his part of the contract.
Carried.
The Board of Public Works reported
as published in the HERALD on Satur-
day.
An ordinance of intention to change
and establish the grade of Bellevue ave.
nue. between Alvarado and Hubbard
streets was read and adopted.
An ordinance of intention to open and
extend Griffin avenue was read and
adopted. This ordinance was drawn for
the purpose Of opening way for the Paea-
dena boulevard, which will leave the
city on the east side of the Arroyo Seco.
The following message was received
from Mayor Hazard:
1 have this day returned without my ap-
proval large number of demands that have
been incurred since January 6, 1890. in disre-
gard of the plain provisions of the charter
requiring contract or an ordinance before the
city can in any manner become liable. The
object of that provision in the charter, differ
ing as it does from the provision in the old
charter on the subject Is very manifest and
was designed to throw around the treasury of
the city every safeguard possible. Heretofore
q mere motion of the Council was sufficient to
authorize an officer of the city to incur an in
debtedness not to exceed $500 Now it can
only be done by an ordinance, which must be
approved by the Mayor, the purpose of which
was to bring before the Mayor the propriety of
incurring the Indebtedness and giving him the
power to veto such sue i. OF the ordinances as were
service, the manifest purpose OF which was to
clothe the executive with supervisory power
over the public expenditures.
have from time to time since the beginning
OF the present administration called the atten-
tion of your honorable body 10 this plain pro-
vision of the organic law, in the hope that it
orabe Sody Of eg me5od
ing officers of the city government by mere
suited in much loss to the city. The whole
purchasing patronage of the city has been
turned over to the committee on supplies to
the evident detriment of the public service,
without an ordinance, without contract,
without advertising for competitive bids, the
permit of the chairman of the committee on
supplies alone being necessary to authorize
any officer OF the city to incur any indebted
ness. Employees about the city hall are en-
ployed and salaries fixed by him and paid
without question. l have endeavored in every
manner TO prevent the countenance of this
practice, and at your meeting OF January 6
1890, called particular attention to the change
In the law, the observance of which believe
will result in benefit to the public service
took occasion in that message to state: 81
don't know OF any remedy except to insist in
the future upon a strict compliance with the
law, which does not permit the purchase of
supplies or the mourning of any Indebtedness
by an officer of the city in the absence of an or
lin ant ri m IN In N
And yet all these bill this day returned have
been incurred since that date without any Or
dinance authorizing the same; but still in
dulge the hops that the approval of them by
your honorable body did not indicate an inten-
ton to ignore the law on the subject but rather
a e sw ha been SeneS n
on the supposition that the message contain
ing it was a. "scolding message" and not in
tended to induce the Council to observe the
law. The fact that no regard was paid to that
message has resulted in the rejection of all
these demands and the delay in the payment of
worthy claims. And to ignore the contents of
their present condition, Notwithstanding my
rejection thereof will remove all doubts as to
the intention of your honorable body to Ignore
the law on the subiec5. and leave but one ulte,tr
native to me- Therefore ask that the contesnts
of this communication be considered-pot In
the light of "scolding message" (becsEse am
peculiarly gratiaed by the action of,syour hon
orable body in determining to loan out the pub
lie funds and to advertise for Competitive bids
1Or al Lne bupplleSJ, Out OF good faith en-
deavor on my, part to bave What believe to be
the law complied with, land If after a careful
consideratl OF the subject your honorable
BODY shall approve the e demands in thei
present Iorm, y2Ir right to do SO can only bt
seIste1 py rSsort to the courts
AZ al. sy.ents, provision should be made by
@ @oauln!slnte for the appointment OF all employ
ees4Tf the city, their number and salary should
.>pD3 fixed, and their tenure of Office and the
amount of their salaries should not rest on the
discretion of certain members of the Council
City Attorney Mcfarland said he
would like 10 know what had become OF
some of the demands he had presented
He had advanced costs in court amount
ing to $50 or more, and he could not af-
ford to wait a month to be reimbursed.
He therefore gave notice that he would
in the future not advance any of the
costs of court in the cases in which the
city was interested.
City Clerk Teed said that the same re.
marks applied to the money he had ad-
vanced.
Major Bonsall suggested that confer
ence committee be appointed to see il
some arrangement might not be made.
Mr.. Hamilton said that it seemed to be
the intention of the Mayor to block the
wheels of the city government. He did
not see .how any conference committee
could help matters. He thought the
Council should 60 ahead and pay it's bills