Valley Cityhood Effort Helps All

The landscape of Los Angeles politics was forever changed on Monday, when the county registrar validated the petition signatures requesting a study of cityhood for the San Fernando Valley. The Los Angeles city government, which has been going south for many decades, will now have to face serious reform or downsizing.

It is clear that the municipal government has been obfuscating its responsibilities to its customers--the residents and taxpayers--for years. The government, which had been of the people, by the people and for the people, is now of the bureaucrats, by the bureaucrats and for the bureaucrats. The municipal unions clearly control the City Council and what comes out of it. The City Council displays little meaningful signs of interest beyond continuing its own power base.

The Valley cityhood movement spawned reform of the city charter as a counteraction to an independent Valley city. Unfortunately, the City Council could not keep its hands off the process. The residents voted for an elected charter commission. Because of the council’s meddling, the elected charter commission lost any shot at purposeful reform by compromising with the puppet-like appointed commission. While it is understandable that the elected commission did not want voters looking at two charters in one election, its forced compromise created mush.

Though the new charter is worth voting for because it is clearly better than the old one, it did not go where this city needed to be led. At a time when all political beings are talking about leading us into the new millennium, this hardly suffices.

The residents of the Valley saw this coming and have voted with their signatures. An astounding 25% of registered Valley voters took the time to sign the petition requesting a study.

The residents of the Valley are clearly fed up with their pathetic municipal government. They are fed up with a government that is more concerned with its bureaucrats than its constituents and does not even begin to treat its taxpayers like customers.

Valley residents see their neighbors moving in droves to the east, west and north to avoid Los Angeles municipal government and the near-criminal school system.

The residents see their elected leaders spending exhorbitant funds to remodel City Hall while city streets suffer from significant deferred maintenance. They see their elected leaders floating bonds for every possible capital improvement while they bleed operating budgets for salaries that are not commensurate with services. We all sit in wonderment of where this is heading.

For all his efforts, Mayor Richard Riordan has been able to only mildly effect change within the city. He has certainly paid greater attention to the Valley than his predecessors have, but we all know that our fortunes cannot depend on the good will of one man. We need a government that will be responsive for all of the residents now and in the future.

As the study of Valley cityhood moves forward, much information will be forthcoming about the current operations of Los Angeles. The availability of this information will help improve government for all of the city’s residents. If the Valley is given the vote and decides to detach from Los Angeles, we see that as a positive opportunity for the rest of the residents to get a more responsive government.

This is not a zero sum game. Everyone can and should win from this process. This is about the cost and delivery of municipal services. It is also about more responsive government. The fact that the Valley took the lead on this matter does not mean that the remaining residents will not benefit. It is our hope and belief that we will all gain from this process.