Council Extends Contract for CRA Chief One Month

LOS ANGELES —  A divided City Council agreed Friday to extend the contract of the head of the Community Redevelopment Agency for only one month and postponed more controversial decisions over the appointment until next week.

Some council members, led by Mark Ridley-Thomas, are seeking a nationwide search before deciding if acting Administrator Jerry Scharlin is the best person for the job. But Mayor Richard Riordan, along with other council members and labor unions, wanted to give Scharlin additional time to continue his work. Councilman Nick Pacheco proposed that Scharlin receive a year’s contract, with the possibility of an additional year.

Scharlin was brought in, with Riordan’s support, on a six-month contract to lead the agency. The former administrator, John Molloy, retired under pressure.

But Ridley-Thomas and other lawmakers expressed concerns that the city would be upholding a double standard by granting Scharlin’s appointment while conducting searches for other managers of city departments.