Lincoln Sets the Standard for City Council Members
Ask and ye shall receive. At least that’s the way it works if you’re a Los Angeles city councilman.
Veteran lawmaker Nate Holden, for example, asked for a $45,223 super-deluxe sport utility vehicle at public expense--and he got it.
The councilman, who won reelection to his final term last spring, decided he wanted to try the new Lincoln Navigator 2000, so he called the city’s General Services Department and bingo--they found exactly the vehicle.
There is no cap on the amount the city will spend on the free cars to which council members are entitled, though an unwritten policy forbids the purchase of foreign-made vehicles.
Some lawmakers prefer the old, standard-issue clunkers from the city fleet; Jackie Goldberg and Joel Wachs, drive them, for example. Others--Hal Bernson and Nick Pacheco--went for newer models. Recently elected Alex Padilla took the used Jeep Grand Cherokee that was driven by former Councilman Richard Alatorre.
But no lawmaker has ever demanded a vehicle as pricey as Holden’s Navigator. And, because city-owned cars get free gas from the city garage, the public also will foot the fuel bill for the councilman’s notorious gas-guzzler.
Randall Bacon, who oversees the General Services Department, put it simply: “It’s the most expensive and it’s the newest.”
Holden says that he had no idea how much the SUV cost but that he wanted a bigger car so he could drive staff members and others around his district.
“I never had a big car like that,” said Holden. “It’s more functional.”
It is the councilman’s fourth car in four terms. His last two cars were Buick Roadmasters, one of which he bought from the city.
If he keeps the Navigator for the next four years, Holden says, he might just buy it from the city.
“I’d keep it until the Lord calls me,” he said, smiling.
And who wouldn’t with all its features: an Alpine audio system with a CD changer, heated front seats, an auxiliary climate control.
While most other lawmakers wouldn’t comment publicly about their colleague’s flashy, slate-colored SUV, it is certainly raising eyebrows around City Hall.
“Thank you, term limits,” said one, in reference to the fact that Holden need never face the voters again.
“Everyone has to do what they think is right,” said Bernson, who got a Chrysler 300 M--which costs nearly $30,000--last spring. “I’m not going to be judgmental about it. Leave that to his constituents.”
Some City Hall environmentalist types say Holden should have showed a bit more concern for the city’s air in selecting a vehicle. The Navigator meets the state’s low-emissions standards--for a medium-duty truck--but its emissions are up to three times higher than those of a regular passenger car.
“I think it sets a bad example,” said Tim Carmichael, executive director of the Coalition for Clean Air. “I think the key phrase is that it meets air emission standards for a truck that size. . . . Yes, they’ll pass smog tests, but they’re not tested to the same emission levels as passenger cars.”
Under council policy, each member is eligible to receive a new car every two years. While some clearly take advantage of that perk, others chafe at it and the image it presents. Laura Chick promised voters years ago that she would continue driving her personal vehicle and skip the $500-a-month car allowance, for example. Mike Feuer took over a several-years-old Ford Taurus when he was first elected and still hasn’t traded it in.
Others are driving an assortment of newer Oldsmobiles, Chryslers and Fords. Council President John Ferraro has a Lincoln Towncar.
Until Holden’s Navigator, Mark Ridley-Thomas’ Oldsmobile Aurora was the most expensive car among the 15 lawmakers. It cost $37,746. In the past, council members have driven everything from Lincoln Continentals to Ruth Galanter’s $14,610 Oldsmobile Cutlass, which she drove from her election in 1987 until it was stolen in 1996.
