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Los Angeles: It needs ‘It’ |
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Voice in the Cheap Seats
By Charles Tarlow
Popular wisdom says that you've either got “it” or you don't. Most of the time we are talking about charisma. That charm and appeal that makes people attractive.
But “it” can be anything and today I am talking about “common sense.” The ability to make sound judgments based on simple facts.
Sound judgments lead to sensible laws and good public policy. Every city needs “it” and Los Angeles is no exception.
Los Angeles is challenged on many fronts. The infrastructure is screaming for money while the people are screaming for relief.
Developers want free reign to build whatever they want wherever they want while ordinary folks want to control the growth and density of their communities. Multi dwelling buildings are spreading like wildfire even as single family home owners are discouraged from building granny houses.
All the while illegal billboards are either ignored or specifically codified by sweetheart deals that ignore public protest.
The parking crisis in Los Angeles continues to get worse as the city does little or nothing to increase the inventory of public parking spaces. Instead of building public parking structures, the city chooses to raise the cost of existing public parking to, as the planning department puts it, “enhance revenue”.
And to add insult to injury, the Mayor is redirecting parking meter money away from the local communities and into the general fund.
So ... does Los Angeles have “it”?
If “it” is common sense, then the answer is clearly “NO”.
Can Los Angeles get “it”?
I sure hope so. “It” won't come from the Mayor or our current crop of City Council members. They are too invested in the status quo to get behind anything meaningful.
We need new leadership. We need a Mayor who will work for results instead of accolades. We need City Council Members that are dedicated to building a better city and not just a bigger one.
Maybe the time has come to get rid of the professional politicians and elect a common man for Mayor.
How about a common man for City Council.
If we could do that, put ordinary people in positions of leadership, perhaps we could get some common sense back in government. “It” is, after all, what we truly need. (Charles Tarlow is a community activist and served a two-year term on a neighborhood council in the mid-city area. Tarlow is a regular contributor to CityWatch. He can be reached at:
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CityWatch
Vol 6 Issue 64
Pub: Aug 8, 2008
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