Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1908-07-15
TWO NEGATIVES
DEFEAT CHARTER
MAY INVOKE INITIATIVE FOR
AMENDMENTS
ABSENCE OF coUNcILMEN FATAL
TO SPECIAL ELECTION
Members of Temporary Revision Conn
mittee Have Threatened to Discon-
tinue Labors If Action Is Re-
fused by Council

Unless invoked through the initiative.
as has been threatened, there Will be
no new charter for the city of Los
Angeles presented to the legislature at
it's next session. The council Yester-
day by a vote of four to two defeated
the ordinance for calling special
election for a board of freeholders to
frame a new charter
Six votes in the affirmative were
necessary to carry the measure and
| there were but four.
Councilman Wrenn, whose position
on the ordinance was not sure, was
granted weeks leave of absence
Monday and was not present Blan-
chard, who probably would have voted
in favor of the measure, is on his an
nual vacation to Bear valley. Presi-
dent Niles Pease of the council. who
favored the passage of the ordinance,
could not vote on the legislative act
because in the absence of Mayor Har-
per, who is in Dallas. Texas, he is
mayor pro tenn and prohibited from
casting a ballot on matters which may
come before him for his signature as
mayor.
The negative votes of Councilmen
Healy and Clampitt prevented the
passage of the ordinance yesterday.
Clampitt stated his objections were to
the expenditure of the $4,000 that
would probably be necessary for calling
the two special elections. Healy has
voiced his sentiments very Clearly in
the past and had nothing to add to his
statements yesterday. He is against
the proposed new charter solely and
only because the informal charter re-
vision committee which has the matter
in hand Is composed almost exclusively
of non-partisans. A non-partiSan, in
the estimation of the statesman from
ode Ate" is some several degrees
lower than the angels.
May Invoke Initiative
The prominent citizens now acting
as q charter revision committee deliV-
cred an ultimatum to the city council
last week that unless the ordinance
providing for the special election for
the board of freeholders was passed
this week they would discontinue their
efforts to frame a new charter and go
about their own business, which they
say has suffered severely since they
have given so much of their time to
this work for the city's interests.
They have also declared their inten-
ton to invoke the initiative in case the
council refused to pass the ordinance.
| In order to put the initiative into oper-
alton it will be necessary to secure the
signatures of 10 per cent of the total
vote polled at the last municipal cleo
ton, which means about 1900 names
must be attached to petitions and pre-
scented to the council.
This is something of a task, as the
time required by law to elapse before
elections are called would bring the
election too late for the charter to be
presented to the next session of the
legislature unless this large number of
signatures is secured within a few
days.
A sufficient number of signatures to
the petition, however. would make it
mandatory on the council to call the
election. Under the charter there could
be no backing and filling and lodging.
such as the members of the council
have displayed in the matter during
the last two weeks.
Councilman A. J. Wallace has been
most active in his efforts to bring the
measure to some kind of a vote and
either pass the ordinance calling for
the election or If it was defeated, CIV
ing more time in which to present an
| initiative petition. He was supported
yesterday by Lyon, Dromgold and
| Yonllin.