Council approves extension of taxi franchise permits after heated debate over timing

The Los Angeles City Council on July 28 approved an extension of the city’s taxi-cab franchise ordinances and directed the Department of Transportation to report back to the council on a date certain. The action followed a prolonged exchange over whether to allow a short extension timed to staff’s schedule or to extend permits through Aug. 31, 2000 to cover the Democratic National Convention.

Council members Bob Kimu and Tom Dishler of the Department of Transportation said the city’s ten operating permits were set to expire Aug. 31 and that responsibility for re-franchising had shifted to a newly created Board of Taxi Cab Commissioners. "The new taxi cab commissioners were not confirmed by the city council until toward the end of January 1999," Tom Dishler said, and the transition and briefings contributed to the delay.

Several council members pressed staff on timing and planning. Council member Holden criticized the department for the schedule and for not issuing a request for proposals earlier, at one point saying, "Sloppy, sloppy, sloppy work." Holden argued staff should have started the RFP process in 1998 to avoid last-minute extensions. Department staff responded that they believed they could complete the process by the earlier date but that they could not control how long committee or public review might take.

Councilwoman Galanter proposed a substitute amendment to extend existing franchises through Aug. 31, 2000, saying the extra time would ensure continuity and protect visitors during the Democratic National Convention. She framed the amendment as a consumer-protection and continuity measure: "What I want to avoid is any snafu that will occur at a particularly bad time... when we will have thousands upon thousands of out-of-towners who will have no way of knowing whether the taxi driver is doing the right thing or the wrong thing." Other members, including Bernson and Pier, urged moving rapidly on re-franchising and preserving the council’s ability to intervene later if needed.

Faced with competing positions, the council ultimately approved the motion as presented with a recorded roll-call vote in open session. The council also agreed to a report-back from the Department of Transportation on a date certain so members could evaluate whether further extensions would be necessary. The final roll-call for the adopted motion was recorded by the clerk.

The council’s action means existing franchise ordinances remain in effect while the re-franchising process continues; the Department of Transportation must provide the requested report to the council so members can decide whether to revisit timing before the convention period.

Next steps: the Department of Transportation will submit the report to the council as requested; the council retains the option to extend permits further if the re-franchising process does not proceed on schedule.