Opinion: It can’t happen here

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San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom suspended a county supervisor Tuesday for alleged misconduct and immediately appointed and swore in a replacement.

So is that such a big deal? Yes. It’s further proof that San Francisco, although physically on the Pacific, is an East Coast city in spirit and law, and not even remotely in the same universe as Los Angeles. The mayor is firmly in charge up there, and can boot another elected official (although, true, only temporarily). That will never happen in L.A., at least not under the laws as they are written today. By culture, history and temperament, residents here would never allow their mayor to kick out a city council member. And that’s fine. Still, San Fran may have some lessons for this town.

First, the details: San Francisco is a city. But it’s also a county. Everything is wrapped up together. No fights between the city and the county over how to handle homelessness, housing or anything else. The mayor is in charge of the whole thing. The legislative branch is the county board of supervisors, which is also the city council.

S.F.’s city attorney began investigating Supervisor Ed Jew’s residence after evidence emerged, as it did here with Supervisor Yvonne B. Burke, that he didn’t live in the district he represents. Meanwhile, the FBI had opened a corruption probe on Jew.

Unlike here, the San Francisco mayor can start misconduct proceedings, oust the charged supervisor and appoint someone to replace him pending a final determination. The city’s ethics commission will hold a hearing and make a recommendation on whether to permanently remove Jew from office. The Board of Supervisors has the final say.

It’s different here, and supposedly less political. Only a court, the voters, term limits or the grim reaper can remove an elected official from office in L.A. (see Article II of the Los Angeles City Charter). The full City Council (but not the mayor) can suspend a member, but only pending a criminal trial. If there are no criminal charges, the best the council do is censure one of its own. If a member isn’t living in his or her district, it’s the apolitical city clerk, not (as in San Francisco) the elected city attorney, who has the task of asking the attorney general to remove the person from office.

In L.A. County, there is no mayor to suspend a supervisor. In the city of Los Angeles, the mayor can’t touch a council member. It’s less political here. More professional. Less efficient. More convoluted. In San Francisco, the mayor is in charge, and if the voters don’t like him, they kick him out. In Los Angeles, it’s, well, complicated. Better? Worse? Let’s just say it’s different.