THE STATE : LOS ANGELES : The Hi-Tech Promise: Government as a Resource, Not as an Obstacle

Of all the ideas generated by the Riordan Administration’s task forces, the most important in the long run may turn out to be the report of the mayor’s Special Advisory Committee on Technology Implementation, headed by Patricia Nettleship. It is more than a guide to the super highway; it is a guide to a different kind of governance.

For most of us, technology is a hazy future we can’t quite picture. We know its use is inevitable, but we are unclear about how to use it and we don’t know what impact it will have on our lives.

The Nettleship report catalogues the problems that a cumbersome decision-making process, limited resources and lack of vision have generated in Los Angeles city government. Revenue has been lost because there is no mechanism to identify and collect an estimated 30% of the city’s fees and taxes. Public safety is seriously jeopardized by the lack of a compatible telecommunications system connecting police, fire and 911 (further complicated by another mayoral task force currently raising $15 million to modernize the LAPD according to its own lights). City government has no single data base of the property it owns. City employees toil without computers, voice mail and effective data-retrieval systems. Without a data base, public inquiries are frequently misdirected; such basic records as building permits are inaccessible.

The report’s solutions include the creation of a comprehensive electronic guide to city services; integration of technology and continual management of its uses; training of employees, and an overhaul of the city’s management approach, emphasizing delegation of responsibility and accountability and reward for innovation.

Yet, the long-term benefits transcend hardware and software. If the Nettleship recommendations are implemented, they will change the way government does business, and the way we do business with government. The capacity to obtain information and approvals for permits--and so much more--will be significantly enlarged. Government will become a resource not an obstacle.

That would represent a radical departure from city government today, which is bogged down in a diffuse structure, complex regulations, arbitrary decision-making and a work force overwhelmed by the difficulties of changing the way it does things.

Nettleship describes the need for flexibility with an analogy about ships. “It used to be that being a leader was like being the captain of an ocean liner,” she said. The crew was trained and everyone knew what they were supposed to do in an emergency. Being a leader today is like being the captain of a white-water raft, navigating a constantly changing river shaped by unexpected turns, obstacles and raging rapids, with a crew that may not have worked together or traveled the river before. The safety of the raft depends on the ability of its crew members to react quickly--they need shared responsibilities and access to information. The tools that previously served the city must give way to those that will offer people the information they need to manage our complex future.

Still, there is an important reason governments become bureaucratic. Government needs to be fair much more than it needs to be efficient. Rules protect employees from charges of unfair delivery of public goods and services. Unfortunately, of course, if your need doesn’t quite fit into the box defined by the rules, you are likely to be stuck. If communications technology makes it possible for everyone to learn the rules, or for someone to grant reasonable leeway in their implementation, everyone will be relieved--including the public servants. Bringing L.A. government into the technology age should increase its capacity to be flexible.

Nettleship’s committee did something that will increase its chances for success: It built a constituency for change inside and outside the government. It brought the talent and experience of experts together with those who need their services--the people who work in government and the people who rely upon it. The task force grew from 20 to 200; more than 1,000 people were called on during its seven-month operation. It was messy, but their involvement laid the foundation for a consensus about committee recommendations. As the mayor’s office seeks to implement the proposals, it will find a sympathetic ear in the City Council and in the departments because the recommendations already reflect their input.