Russell, Broome for City Council

The Los Angeles City Council must decide how the city will grow, with grace or with the sky as the limit? How will the city pay to expand the police force and dispose tons of trash without threatening the environment? Members of the council must address problems as pervasive as traffic jams and as specific as trimming a tree.

Two seats will be filled in the runoff election on June 2. We recommend the incumbent, Pat Russell, to represent the 6th District, which covers Westchester, Venice, Mar Vista and Crenshaw.

We endorse Homer Broome, a former public works commissioner, to represent the 10th District, which covers Palms, Mid City, and parts of Crenshaw, Koreatown and the Mid-Wilshire area.

Pat Russell, the president of the council, has proven responsive to both the working-class sections and affluent communities of the district during 18 years on the council. She has pushed developers to crank down the density and scale back massive projects planned for the western areas of the district, proof that the city can rein in runaway growth. She has advocated for a $100-million expansion of the Crenshaw Shopping Center in the eastern areas of the district, proof that the city can direct projects to communities that developers often overlook. She acknowledges that the city needs more cops and should work toward that goal. Her opponent, Ruth Galanter, a Yale-trained planner and environmentalist, who is recovering from a vicious attack, has some sound proposals, but Russell has years of experience.

Homer Broome, a former member of the Los Angeles Police Department for 25 years, would put his law enforcement experience to good use on the council. He knows the problems--drugs, street-violence, prostitution, loitering, graffiti. He would push for more cops, more street patrols and more community efforts like Neighborhood Watch groups. He understands city government and would call on his contacts in the public works department to see that the district receives its fair share of basic services such as tree trimming, pothole repair, street cleaning and resurfacing. Broome helped guide the redevelopment of the Crenshaw Shopping Center and would work to duplicate that success at the MidTown Mall on Venice Boulevard. His opponent, Nate Holden, a former state senator who is an aide to the popular county Supervisor Kenny Hahn, is long on rhetoric and short on specifics. Broome is the better choice in the runoff election on June 2.