Look for Solutions in Your Own Backyard

Can’t we get along? Ten years after the L.A. riots and the changes have been minimal. There may not be people rioting in the streets today; however, the combat rages on between whole communities, which pit themselves against one another over so-called “quality of life” issues: those in Orange County who refuse to pull their fair share in the El Toro airport matter; residents of the hills of Encino who don’t want people traversing their neighborhood; communities that overwhelmingly voted in favor of “three strikes” and yet refuse to see a prison constructed near where they live.

What is going on here? When are people going to realize that we are not warring factions but people who have the same basic values and beliefs? The love for one’s children, the safety of one’s neighborhood, the desire to get home as quickly as possible after a long day at work and the dislike of jet aircraft flying over one’s home are not determined by a person’s level of income. Why not pull your share for the benefit of all?

Jon M. Cortez

Long Beach