Breaking Up Los Angeles

Re “Smaller L.A. Would Benefit All,” Nov. 17.

Professor Shirley Svorny suggests that by having Los Angeles broken up into many smaller cities, the business climate would be better and the citizens of Los Angeles would enjoy more responsive government representation. What she did not tell you is that Los Angeles is already one of many cities in the metropolitan region. In fact, Los Angeles County alone is home to 89 local jurisdictions (88 cities plus Los Angeles County). This means 89 different sets of governments, each having different sets of rules and regulations, all vying for the same tax dollars, the same auto malls, etc. Meanwhile, each one is constantly trying to shift its burden of problems, such as affordable housing and traffic mitigation, onto each other.

Rather than promoting the breakup of Los Angeles, we should be advocating the consolidation of cities. This would eliminate needless duplication of regulations and excess government, promote regional planning and the coordination of services, and, most important, create unity that is badly needed in our region.

STEWART CHESLER

North Hollywood