The Right Style for the Westside

The two candidates battling to succeed Cindy Miscikowski on the Los Angeles City Council had the chance to engage Westside voters in a discussion of realistic solutions to area problems. Instead, the contest between Flora Gil Krisiloff and Bill Rosendahl to represent the 11th District quickly disintegrated into dreary personal attacks, a blizzard of mailers and promises that are long on generalities and disappointingly short on the how-to’s.

Credit the fact that the two candidates differ little in their assessment of the challenges facing the district, which stretches from Pacific Palisades to Westchester.

Traffic: It’s terrible and getting worse.

Development: There’s too much already.

Proposals to expand Los Angeles International Airport: Never!

That accord should have pushed Krisiloff and Rosendahl to one-up each other by fleshing out their ideas: How would each keep traffic from the neighboring city of Santa Monica from clogging district streets? They both want more police officers patrolling the Westside, but where would they get the money to hire them? Both have essentially pledged to dive in front of a 747 rather than back LAX upgrades. So how would they get federal officials and the airlines to redirect air traffic to regional airports? Absent those details, voters are left to choose between the candidates on style as much as on substance.

Krisiloff has worked with community groups and builders to forge agreements on development. Those years of experience are part of the reason The Times endorses her.

Rosendahl, who won deserved praise as the host of a cable TV public affairs show, makes up for his lack of experience with an expansive vision of the council job and a pit bull’s determination to bring home more money and city services to the district. Those qualities can be assets, but they could just as easily alienate the 14 other council members whose districts have more crime and congestion than the 11th and whose support is necessary to get anything done.

We believe Krisiloff’s more constructive style, and her ability to listen, discuss and build consensus, would produce more positive results for 11th District residents and the city as a whole.