CERDAFIED - Los Angeles is no longer vital and sustainable because she has been neglected by her former and current masters. No one was qualified to take her helm when the sea’s got rough, nor navigate by the stars. Still she carried on for many years, battered and torn and lead into financial storms. Some say her resilience may have been her undoing. It made it all the easier to neglect her.
They hardly noticed when she took on water, since they were too busy with their paper mache solutions. Though there were many opportunities to lighten her load, they had pressed ahead. Who knows the reasons why, but Los Angeles would not allow San Fernando Valley to secede.
Had they sloughed off this portion of the neglected valley, where would the San Fernando Valley be today? I think the valley would have faired far better. Her portion would have been more manageable with far less miles for Los Angeles to tend to.
The valley would have rallied around, raised her up, and restored and preserved her many treasures. Those who were in a hurry to see the valley discard her agriculture past, would no longer hold the key, or have the vote.
Perhaps gardens and orchards would thrive, and we would value this more than the developer’s renderings. We understand the balance needed between super mall and open space. Both can co-exist as it has for many years.
Today our children’s schools thrive despite the absolute neglect of the educational system as a whole. This is due to the strong support from valley families and dedicated teachers and staff who volunteer so much time and effort.
Our neglected infrastructure would have a realistic chance of being monitored and we could develop a realistic sustainable plan. The libraries would no doubt be open full time. Certainly department heads would be expected to fulfill their duties, and those duties would be far more manageable and realistic than the current attempts at management.
Any evidence to suggest otherwise would be scrutinized and just that alone would create better results.
Neglecting a large city is inherit, expected, and it shows up in the lackadaisical attitudes of officials who are called upon to remedy the situation. Instead they blame the citizenry or economy. The reality is that these areas rely now on a renaissance brought on from outside of city hall and many times despite it.
From their portholes the mayor and council members could have seen the disgruntled businesses and perpetually taxed crew fleeing the ship as she floundered. Perhaps all the lobbyists blocked their view. I suspect they already knew they could never get done what needed done. They may have hoped to buy more time, as many other bankrupt cities have done.
I think the San Fernando Valley deserves a real chance to determine her own future. Los Angeles has failed to thrive as a whole, so it is time to divvy her up into workable, sustainable units. Pruning is the only sensible thing to do. Let’s get the saw cutting!
(Lisa Cerda is a contributor to CityWatch, a community activist, Chair of Tarzana Residents Against Poorly Planned Development, and former Tarzana Neighborhood Council board member.) –cw
CityWatch
Vol 10 Issue 70
Pub: Aug 31, 2012
