DEAR MAYOR ANTONIO VILLARAIGOSA - I was very delighted to hear the news of your appointment to be the chair of the 2012 Democratic National Convention. I was very impressed by your video appeal upon your appointment, where you called for public input into the running of the convention, and your pledge to run the most “open and accessible convention” on record.
However, sadly I must remind you that your call for public input and openness for a convention three thousand miles away does not extend to how Los Angeles city government operates on a daily basis.
The best example of this hypocrisy is the recent actions of the Los Angeles Redistricting Commission which was run by your appointees, your political confidants and allies.
What the commission has managed to accomplish has been the following:
● Ignore public testimony on what district boundaries should look like, while doing the actual line drawing in back rooms of city hall as a result of sordid deals between politicians.
● Deliberately and systematically disenfranchise the Asian-American community, while creating districts in South Los Angeles which are islands of poverty without access to resources to improve those communities.
● Tearing apart long established communities and districts for the petty ambitions of your political allies and supporters.
While all of this time and effort is being spent by the political class in your Los Angeles city government, on a matter best left to disinterested parties and community organizations and not politicians, our city government is systematically failing the residents of Los Angeles.
Mr. Mayor, it is time for you to show leadership and veto the redistricting ordinance when it comes to your desk. Let's go back to the drawing board and redraw lines in a manner which is responsive to public input, and free of the kind of self-interested politics which is failing our city.
I hope after doing so, you will lead us through your last year in office to tackle the real issues that require our focus and attention. We need to fix our structural budget deficit, create good jobs, fight corruption in the city departments of Housing and Building and Safety and continue work to reform the Department of Water and Power.
Mr. Mayor, I look forward to hearing back from you and helping you do the work to truly make our city a better place for all.
Sincerely
Councilwoman Jan Perry
(Jan Perry is LA Councilwoman for the 9th Council District and candidate for Mayor of Los Angeles.) -cw
Tags: Jan Perry, Mayor Villaraigosa, Los Angeles redistricting
CityWatch
Vol 10 Issue 26
Pub: Mar 30, 2012