EDITORIAL : CHARTER REFORM ON A ROLL MAYOR'S BACKING CAN HELP PUT CITY INITIATIVE ON THE BALLOT.

IN an encouraging development for more responsive and efficient city government, Mayor Richard Riordan announced last week that he plans to actively support an independent initiative drive to seek voter approval for reforming the city charter.

The commitments which the mayor made last Thursday - saying he will back the charter reform initiative with his personal financial backing as well as provide political leadership for it - could make a big difference to the success of the campaign.

Reform of the 71-year-old city charter is overdue, and could make Los Angeles municipal government more accessible and accountable to the public.

The charter, the guiding document spelling out the structure of L.A. government, has been amended hundreds of times yet still is outdated - and it's unwieldy.

``Is it too much to ask to have a city government that works well? No, it's not,'' the mayor said, which coincides with our own view and that of many dedicated civic activists who favor reform.

The initiative proposal is to create a charter reform commission that would submit a revised charter directly to voters. But the campaign will need to collect more than 300,000 registered voters' signatures by Oct. 30 to qualify the proposal for the April ballot.

The call for such an initiative came during recent weeks as San Fernando Valley supporters of reform voiced concern that the City Council would not allow a charter reform proposal to go directly to voters without the council reserving the right to review, and revise, the proposal.

Such council meddling is inherently troubling, since the council has its own self-serving reasons for preserving its political power. But, in a democracy, the real power must, and should, rest with the people.

``The future of this city's government is not for the government to dictate to the people. It is for the people of this city to to decide for themselves - and only the people,'' said David Fleming of the Valley Economic Alliance and a city fire commissioner, and a driving force behind the charter-reform drive. Amen to that.

As we have said on this page in the past, the City Council ought to take steps to create a true citizens' charter reform commission free from the destructive political meddling of council members. But, if the council chooses to believe its advisors who insist that the council cannot relinquish the right to review - and revise - the reforms proposed by a council-appointed panel, then the people are left with no choice but to go around the council, which the people are perfectly entitled to do.

Perhaps the job will be difficult at times. But time after time, the people have shown themselves as having the drive and determination to make democracy work. Especially with the mayor's backing, there is every reason to believe that the people will show their can-do attitude once again.