City Residents Pay County Costs

First, I want to congratulate Mayor Richard Riordan on his charter amendment victory (June 9). I voted against it. It will now permit a mayor to legally do what the scandalously corrupt Frank Shaw machine did illegally.

I appeared before the charter committee and suggested a series of changes that needed to be made to benefit the taxpayers of Los Angeles. None were adopted or even mentioned in news stories. The real problem is not only the financial burden imposed on L.A. residents by the mayor and City Council, it is also the financial burden placed on city residents by Los Angeles County when it provides municipal services at less than cost to most cities in the county, especially the “contract cities.” It does so by imposing countywide taxes on the city of L.A., as well as other cities of this county, to make up for the discount it provides some county cities.

A successful lawsuit filed by the L.A. City Council at my request against L.A. County showed L.A. city taxpayers were paying $80 million a year to L.A. County to make up for the discount the county was giving contract cities to keep them from setting up their own police departments and other regular municipal services. That unjustified cost still exists.

If Mayor Riordan wants to leave a real legacy for the people of Los Angeles, he should sponsor a change that would establish the city as a separate city and county. This is the case in San Francisco, Nashville and many other cities to avoid heavy cost duplication.

ERNANI BERNARDI

Retired L.A. Councilman

*

I disagree with the June 10 headline, “Riordan Emerges as Election’s Big Victor.” L.A. residents are at the front of this line.

Hope has been restored: Civil servant bureaucrats, obstructionist City Council members and nonprogressive union bosses had their chokehold on L.A. city government loosened significantly; LAUSD schools will now focus on quality education with the three new leaders; racially charged campaigns lost much of their emotional appeal; the interest in quality over quantity prevailed in the City Council expansion issue; and we can all look forward to new leadership in future elections now that most of the grass-roots campaigns backed by the true interests of Angelenos have prevailed over political machine-backed campaigns and career politicians. Indeed, there is much to look forward to.

SHANE McLOUD

Santa Monica

*

I worked as a clerk at the polls at the April 13 and June 8 elections at Marymount College in Palos Verdes. I received $25 for a training session, plus $55 for each day at the site from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The Election Board rents two large rooms, with a supervisor and two clerks in each room. We sat around all day reading newspapers and doing crossword puzzles. Each day only eight people voted, and that included the workers. There is no reason for two rooms and six workers. Both precincts could share one room, with two workers at each table. Let’s cut down the extravagance and waste of valuable time. Needless to say, I will not volunteer again.

JEAN DESMOND

Rancho Palos Verdes