Rebuild L. A. Will Sharpen Its Focus : Riots: Ueberroth says panel will show more purpose once all its members and projects are chosen.
Peter V. Ueberroth said Friday that Rebuild L. A., the post-riot reconstruction group he heads, will come into sharper focus next week when the remainder of the organization’s board is announced and its initial plans are outlined.
But one day after Ueberroth disclosed the first board members’ names, numerous observers warned that he faces a daunting task and needs to demonstrate some concrete results soon or the effort will lose its impetus.
“In a situation like this, timing and speed are of the essence,†said Steven Kelman, a professor of public policy at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. “The organization needs to take advantage of the brief moment in Los Angeles while people are focused and get as many commitments as they can, signed in blood, before people forget about the whole thing.â€
Ueberroth said Friday that one of Rebuild L. A.’s first initiatives might be disclosed next week and the rest of the board named Monday. He also said he was pleased with the pace of the organization’s development, despite the anxiety that has been expressed about its lack of action so far.
“The projects we’re involved in are all long-term and sustainable,†he said. “You don’t build something that is going to last in an instant. If I look back 25 working days, when there wasn’t a phone or an employee or a penny in the bank, now I see some professionals here working on a substantial number of projects, and I’m pleased with the progress.†He did not elaborate on the projects.
Tom Peters, the author of the best-selling management book “In Search of Excellence,†said the task ahead for Ueberroth is to take strong executive action while working with conflicting constituencies.
“Politics is the art of compromise,†Peters said. “But compromise is usually just giving everyone one piece of the pie. He needs to find a highest common denominator, not the lowest common denominator, if this is to be something more than just a great show of concern.
On Thursday, nearly six weeks after Mayor Tom Bradley announced that Ueberroth would head the special effort, Ueberroth disclosed the names of 21 of the board’s 63 members. The first group included Bradley, Gov. Pete Wilson, Cardinal Roger M. Mahony, actor Edward James Olmos, USC President Steven B. Sample, a number of prominent business executives and a few leaders of the Asian, black and Latino communities.
Ueberroth said the primary work of board members will be serving on task forces for a number of issues, including education, entrepreneurship, the environment, insurance, human relations, job training, land-use, law, real estate, social services and transportation.
“I want people willing to work and be part of the solution,†Ueberroth said. “If they’re good enough and strong enough, my role will diminish significantly, though my effort won’t.â€
Nine of the directors will sit on an administrative board that will oversee routine administrative functions, but not serve as a powerful executive committee, he said. In addition, 14 project managers--drawn from Rebuild L. A.’s staff of paid workers and volunteers--will play an important, though somewhat vague, role in the organization’s work, Ueberroth said.
Several board members said Friday that they are ready to start working but have not been told when their first meeting will be held. Indeed, Korean-American attorney T. S. Chung said that although he knew he was being considered for the board, he learned of his appointment from a story Friday in The Times.
With Rebuild L. A. in its infancy, some analysts wonder how directly Ueberroth--who is not known for readily sharing power--will control the agenda and actions of the organization. When he was president of the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee, Ueberroth ran a tight ship, in concert with a staff of loyalists and a passive board of directors appointed before he got the top job.
Still, considering the first round of Rebuild L. A. appointments, one local expert said she thought Ueberroth would have to share important tasks.
“He’s got high-powered people on that board,†said Jane G. Pisano, dean of the USC School of Public Administration. “My guess is those folks will not accept a role of just presiding over.â€
Rebuild L. A., meanwhile, is being watched closely by a vast range of skeptical constituencies inside and outside the city. Ueberroth has pledged repeatedly to move forward only with those plans that are approved by affected neighborhoods.
One of those skeptics is City Councilman Mike Hernandez, who represents thousands of low-income Latinos, including many recent immigrants.
“I don’t want Rebuild L. A. coming into our community and saying, ‘Here’s what is good for you,’ †Hernandez said. “If they say, ‘This is what we think you need,’ it just won’t work.â€
Hernandez has organized “community boards†in his district, which suffered significant damage during the civil disturbances. He has asked the boards to identify problems and develop plans. Those plans will be passed on to Rebuild L. A.
Already, Hernandez said, residents have told him they want “a huge job-training center built at the corner of Alvarado Street and Pico Boulevard. Rebuild L. A. has the money to buy that land.â€
Other constituencies are setting up their own organizations--to work with or parallel to Rebuild L.A.
On Wednesday, Asian-American activists formed a group called Asian Pacific Americans for a New L. A. U. S. Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles), who has expressed skepticism about Ueberroth’s role, has indicated she will form a group aimed at transforming the city.
How Rebuild L. A. will run day to day remains unclear. Thus far, Ueberroth has not named a chief operating officer. Harry Usher, an executive with a head-hunting firm who was operations chief for the 1984 Olympic committee, has been helping in the start-up of Rebuild L. A. But Usher has said he will not play that role this time.
At least two local attorneys were considered for the position, but Ueberroth decided against them, sources said.
Times staff writer Louis Sahagun contributed to this article.
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