City hands out 11,812 cell phones

L.A. Controller Wendy Greuel, who has all but announced her candidacy for mayor, proposes a 60 percent reduction in the number of phones issued to city workers by July 1, a move that could save almost $5 million a year. Greuel said she would be turning in her own issued cell phone ("I feel it's important to lead by example," she says in a release), and called on the mayor, city council members, and other L.A, officials to do the same. "When we're closing libraries and leaving potholes unfilled, it defies comprehension that nearly 12,000 city employees need cell phones," Greuel said. Sounds good, but hey, the lady is running for mayor!! Too bad she couldn't have waited for the office's full audit, which comes out a few weeks. Her outrage would have looked a lot less calculated. That said, today's release does have several eye-poppers. Why, for example, does the mayor's office need to have 220 cell phones?

--Dept. of Building & Safety 494
--City Attorney 179
--Community Development Dept. 108
--Fire Dept. 799
--Information Technology Agency 164
--Library Dept. 28
--Mayor's Office 220
--Police Dept. 1525
--Bureau of Sanitation 324
--Bureau of Street Services 387

Proprietary Depts
Los Angeles World Airports 872
Dept. of Water and Power 3971
Harbor Department 408 77

In January, Gov. Jerry Brown ordered the collection of 48,000 state-issued cell phones - half of those now in use - by June 1. He estimated that it would save $20 million a year. "It is difficult for me to believe that 40 percent of all state employees must be equipped with taxpayer-funded cell phones," Brown said.