For the first time since taking office, L.A. Mayor Karen Bass, has taken out her veto pen.
She used it Monday night to reject a proposed November ballot measure, passed by Los Angeles council members, that would ask voters if a future LAPD chief should have the power to immediately fire officers for misconduct - without pay and send the matter to arbitration.
Currently, the chief can remove an officer from the force but cannot fire them, and the officer continues to receive pay while a lengthy process to determine if they should be fired is undertaken.
In a letter to the council issued Monday, Bass said the proposed measure would create "bureaucratic confusion" and result in "ambiguous direction and gaps."
"Over the past few months, I've met with hundreds of LAPD officers about the future of the Los Angeles Police Department. Police officers shared their collective frustrations about the entire LAPD discipline system, arguing the need for a more fair and better-defined process," Bass said in her letter. "Additionally, I've met with many city officials and community leaders who also want to work toward these shared goals.
"I look forward to working with each of you to do a thorough and comprehensive review with officers, the department, and other stakeholders to ensure fairness for all. The current system remains until this collaborative review is complete and can be placed before the voters," Bass continued.
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KNX News' Craig Fiegener spoke with Council Member Tim McOsker, who said he is surprised and disappointed in the mayor's decision to veto the bill.
"What the veto does, potentially, is take away from the voters the ability to consider discipline reforms that are significant," McOsker said. "This would be the first time in the history of the city that the voters could empower the chief of police to fire officers immediately for the most egregious harms that they commit on a community."
On July 2, the L.A. City Council voted 11-3 to approve the proposed ballot measure, with Councilman Marqueece Harris-Dawson absent during the vote. Council members Hugo Soto-Martinez, Nithya Raman and Eunisses Hernandez voted against it, raising similar concerns as Bass.
The question will come back for another vote on July 30, and it will take 10 votes to override the mayoral veto.
KNX News has reached out to the mayor's office for comment.
Under state law, serious law enforcement misconduct is defined as dishonesty, physical abuse, and --or--participation in a law enforcement gang.
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City News service contributed to this article.
