Valley Representation

The big problem with the San Fernando Valley being under-represented in the City Council is not the total number of districts but how they are drawn. The Valley has 40% of the voters so we should have six council seats. We do not. There are only four districts that are entirely in the Valley, with the rest of the voters split among several districts partially in the Valley and partially in the L.A. basin. This effectively renders the Valley impotent at City Hall.

The plan to increase the number of council members also has this flaw, which means that while we may get more members, the actual ratio of representation will stay the same. The only viable solution is to redraw the districts so that the Valley has six districts entirely within its borders. Then we will have some clout. With six out of 15 members answerable only to the Valley, we could rein in the runaway downtown power brokers and get some true returns for the Valley. True charter reform should start with redrawing district boundaries, not useless sops like neighborhood councils or more council members.

DANIEL MATONAK, Canoga Park