Quality of Life and Tuesday’s Election

The city of Los Angeles is in crisis. Crime has reached the doorstep of virtually every resident. Drive-by shootings have become an everyday occurrence all over town. Trash has piled up in our canyons and soon we will be forced into a stringent recycling program. Our freeways and major streets are gridlocked. The sewage system is overloaded, and our air is the filthiest in the nation. Developers run the city. Warner Ridge and Porter Ranch are huge projects that threaten to overwhelm the Valley’s infrastructure, and continued expansion of the harbor and LAX promise to do the same to the rest of the city.

Who is at fault for allowing this to happen? These problems did not creep up on us overnight. The danger signals have been evident since the early ‘70s, and the mayor did not take heed. In fact, he has systematically made things worse. He has attended every photo opportunity and ribbon-cutting in town, while failing to confront the real issues facing the city. The mayor has been dealing with symptoms rather than the cause of our problems--overdevelopment.

The solution to our troubles lies in controlling growth and setting limits. We must preserve our neighborhoods and return control of them to the residents. Nate Holden and other challengers have been stumping the city from San Pedro to Lake View Terrace and have a good grasp of the problems as well as some solutions worth trying. There is plenty of talent ready, willing and able to make this city livable again. It is time for a housecleaning at City Hall.

GERALD A. SILVER

MYRNA L. SILVER

Encino

Gerald A. Silver is president of Homeowners of Encino .