LA County lobbies Congress, White House

Which local government is better at lobbying Congress and landing coveted meetings at the White House? If you ask one local official, it's the second largest city in the country: Los Angeles. KPCC's Special Correspondent Kitty Felde reports.

Kitty Felde: This is L.A. County's annual week of lobbying on Capitol Hill. But the supervisors, the district attorney, and the sheriff are several weeks behind L.A. city officials who launched a full-court press back in March.

L.A. city's delegation – including business leaders – was nearly 300 strong. L.A. County Supervisor Don Knabe said this is a better time to come because Congress is making budget decisions right now. But L.A. County Sheriff Lee Baca said he doesn't like playing second fiddle.

Sheriff Lee Baca: Our budget as a county is three times larger than the city of Los Angeles and we have to come back here and not be cast in the shadow of the city alone.
Felde: Does that happen a lot? That people – in their minds at least – get the city and the county confused?
Baca: Well, there's no question that city mayors have a lot of clout in Washington. And they seem to be paraded about in a more intimate political way when it comes to White House or either congressional officials.

Felde: Baca said Washington would be wise not to ignore L.A. County.

Baca: Regional government is important to pay attention to, particularly since Los Angeles County has not overshot its budget. We do not have a budget deficit, we do manage to save some money, and in spite of our growth, we still know how to manage in bad times. And that's a good lesson for Washington to learn. Certainly a good lesson for the state of California to learn.

Felde: Washington power brokers didn't exactly brush off L.A. County officials. They met with California's top congressional leaders and White House staff members.