L.A. Mayor’s Alliance

I read Kevin Starr’s “The New Power Brokers?” (Opinion, Sept. 4) with great interest, not as co-chairman of the Mayor’s Alliance for a Safer L.A., nor as a businessman, but as a citizen of this community for more than 25 years.

And this is precisely what Starr has overlooked--the 20 individuals who compose the Mayor’s Alliance are not only business and foundation leaders, but also residents of greater Los Angeles who care deeply about our future. None of us are seeking public office, nor are we looking to wield any influence on how the city, or its police force, is managed.

We are merely a group of concerned citizens looking for a way to help--to raise $15 million in record time to buy basic computer technology and training for the Los Angeles Police Department that will help keep the city safe. We’re doing this because we believe that the key to ensuring the city’s future is ensuring public safety. It’s that simple.

The Mayor’s Alliance members believe it is high time for the private sector to work hand-in-hand with members of the community to create a city that we can all be proud of. Each day the Mayor’s Alliance hot line (310-443-8444) receives pledges of $5 to $500 from citizens from San Pedro to San Fernando who feel the same way we do about the city’s need for safety and are willing to open their checkbooks to do something about it.

The Mayor’s Alliance is only a catalyst--we hope to provide a meaningful jump-start for the LAPD that can be further propelled by public funding. And next year, when this campaign has reached its goal, the Mayor’s Alliance will be disbanded, the gift will be turned over to the city, and the LAPD will be one step closer to being on-line.

By comparing the Mayor’s Alliance for a Safer L.A. to the 1950s-era Committee of Twenty-Five, Starr turns back the clock more than 30 years. The LAPD is currently operating with technology from that same era. But times have changed, and the new challenges we face call for new solutions. The Mayor’s Alliance will help bring the LAPD into the 21st Century. We all must help the city do the same.

BRUCE KARATZ, Chairman, Kaufman and Broad Home Corp., Los Angeles