CommentsRANTZ & RAVEZ-Shouldn’t we change the way our city is run? Or do we continue to let the City of Los Angeles fall farther into a hole of decay and darkness where we have increasing numbers of homeless people living in tents, on city sidewalks, and in cars in our neighborhoods?
Add to that the massive traffic congestion on our local roads and freeways, the exploding residential developments to house those who can afford thousands of dollars to rent an apartment or pay hundreds and thousands of dollars to purchase a condo or house in the City of LA? It’s time to rethink how Los Angeles is managed and governed.
Consider where we are as far as a “model city.”
The Mayor is facing a recall and two separate FBI Investigations are active reviewing possible criminal activities at City Hall. One is centered on elected member(s) of the city council and the other on the Office of the City Attorney in connection with the Department of Water and Power. In addition, the City of LA is known as an unresponsive government for the city’s business owners and residents.
Other associated troubling factors that cause concern for both residents and business owners include the trees not being trimmed in your neighborhoods and homeless camps continuing to spread throughout LA into more and more residential areas. We have elected officials earning nearly $200,000 a year with multi-million-dollar taxpayer office budgets and taxpayer-funded automobiles. Appointed office personnel at City Hall and all district area offices have rents paid to commercial property owners. We have a $10 billion plus ever-expanding city budget . . . yet no improvement in your quality of life.
It is reported in official city documents that LA spends: $5,180,371,443 on “A Livable and Sustainable City,” $2,745,704,048 on a “Safe City,” $1,337,395,826 on a “Well Run City,” and $798,569,616 on a “Prosperous city.” $648,036,910 is spent on “Not Categorized.” Still, our sidewalks and streets are crumbling, and alleys are falling apart. Are these facts enough for you to want to make a change in the way Los Angeles uses your hard-earned tax dollars to operate?
If you are fed up and want to see change, I have an idea for you.
Establish a part-time City Council and empower the local elected neighborhood councils to do the routine tasks currently directed and performed by direction and orders from City Hall. Provide adequate funds for the neighborhood councils and let them decide how to spend the money in their respective neighborhoods.
Where will the funds come from and what will the part-time city council do? The money will come from the $10 billion plus city budget. Money will be saved from current operations in a number of ways. The elected city councilmembers will become part-time elected officials just like they are in many cities surrounding Los Angeles and across America. Their current salary hovering around $200,000 and perks will be reduced with the funds going to the neighborhood councils to be used in the various communities of LA.
A Bit of Los Angeles History
When the Valley attempted to secede from the City of Los Angeles in 2001, voters defeated Measure F by a margin of 63% to 33%. But the measure passed in the San Fernando Valley by 50.7%. While that measure failed, it brought about some significant changes in the way Los Angeles was to be run.
The pressure to make Los Angeles government more responsive to the people resulted in the establishment of the elected and appointed Los Angeles Charter Reform Commissions. The two Commissions ultimately came up with a new Los Angeles City Charter and established neighborhood councils throughout the city, so the pressure was off for a while. I was one of the elected Charter Reform Commissioners and represented the 3rd district of the San Fernando Valley. That was in 1999.
While the Neighborhood Council System would gain support and organize within the diverse communities throughout Los Angeles, their scope of authority and funding was and remains very limited with the strings being tightly held by City Hall. They were and are still provided “crumbs” from the city council to operate in their respective 99 local neighborhoods.
So here we are today. Like I previously stated, the city is not on the right track for most residents and business owners. All the issues I mentioned are a real concern for thousands of taxpayers.
I have a reasonable solution for this situation and will present it in detail in my next and future RantZ and RaveZ. Stay tuned.
Are you interested in checking out Mulholland Drive near the Nike Missile Site?
The West Valley YMCA is hosting the Walk it, Run it, Finish it 5 and 10K Missile Run and Family Fun Run / Walk 2019 on November 16, 2019 from 7 to 11 a.m. The event will take place at the Marvin Braude Mulholland Gateway Park. The actual location is at the end of Reseda Blvd., south of Ventura Blvd. You can register at ymca/LA.org/MissileRun.
Additional information can be obtained by calling 818 774 2840. I hope to see you there. I will be helping the old folks up the hill!
Are you interested in serving on the LA County Grand Jury?
The LA County Grand Jury is looking for qualified citizens to serve on the 2020-2021 Grand Jury, a citizen body that investigates operational efficiencies of county, city and joint-power agencies. You must submit the application by November 1, 2019. For information, contact grandjury.co.la.ca.us or phone 213 473 7002.
God bless our fire fighters and police officers for all they do to keep us safe. That’s it for this edition of RantZ & RaveZ.
(Dennis P. Zine is a former and retired LAPD Supervisor, former and retired 12-year Los Angeles City Councilman and current General Manager at Bell Canyon in Ventura County. Edited for CityWatch by Linda Abrams.)
