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Outgoing deputy controller Rick Cole urges systemic overhaul of city government
Summary
Rick Cole, recognized at the City Council, used his farewell remarks to call for sweeping reforms — a chief operating officer, a chief financial officer, multi-year budgeting, capital planning and civil-service modernization — arguing these changes are needed to make Los Angeles government work.
Rick Cole, chief deputy controller, told the City Council on June 25 that Los Angeles needs “bold systemic reform” to meet converging crises — homelessness, fire, fiscal strain and aging infrastructure — and urged elected leaders to redesign city government to deliver cleaner, safer, and more reliable services.
Speaking in a formal council presentation recognizing his decades of public service, Cole said hope alone is not enough. “Hope is not a plan,” he told the council, and urged reforms including a chief operating officer to coordinate across department silos, a chief financial officer, a two‑year budget cycle, and a five‑year capital plan. He recommended shifting from base budgeting toward performance budgeting and modernizing an “antiquated civil service system.”
Controller Kenneth Mejia introduced Cole and praised his mentoring of younger officials and his role in persuading council and mayoral offices to adopt long‑range financial and planning tools. Councilmember Tim McOsker led the recognition and said Cole’s career exemplifies public service and practical reforms. Several councilmembers spoke in tribute, thanking Cole for decades of work across local governments in Southern California.
Cole framed his remarks with an overview of the city’s structural challenges: a population of roughly 4 million, dispersed authority in the charter, decades of underinvestment in infrastructure and personnel, and the need to free department managers from micromanagement so they can be held accountable for service delivery. He urged partnership with labor, more training and technology for frontline workers, and an end to practices that leave the city unable to maintain basic services such as streets and fire equipment.
Councilmembers across the horseshoe praised Cole’s record and said they would continue pursuing many of the reforms he proposed. The council presented a certificate and public commendations; Cole will leave to work in Pasadena. His remarks served as a policy call to action but did not include a council motion or an immediate implementation plan.
