L.A. County Government
William Fulton’s article (“County Governments Amble on Without Anyone in Charge,” Opinion, Jan. 9) makes two statements that are flat wrong. First, he stated that elected county officials have little incentive to work together, and second, that they lack cohesiveness and direction.
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors votes together more than 90% of the time despite the political differences among us. Moreover, on a number of critical issues, such as the state’s rip-off of local property tax dollars that plunged all 58 counties into crises, all five board members have worked together as a cohesive team to get the county through the crisis.
Los Angeles County does have a strong sense of direction, unlike some other large units of government in Southern California, such as the Metropolitan Transit Authority, the Los Angeles City Council and the Los Angeles Unified School District. The Board of Supervisors has worked together to provide regional leadership on issues such as transportation, trash disposal, land use, health and welfare and public safety.
It is not county government that needs to be reformed but rather the dysfunctional fiscal relationship between the state and local governments in California. Property taxes need to be spent on property-related services and other vital needs, not diverted to Sacramento to pay the state deficit.
MICHAEL D. ANTONOVICH
Los Angeles County Supervisor
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