EDITORIAL : HOW DISGRACEFUL STATE NEEDS TO TAKE A MORE ACTIVE ROLE IN PROTECTING VANDALIZED VALLEY CEMETERY.

RARELY do we call for state intervention in local matters. But the disarray over who was responsible for reacting to the latest vandalism at Verdugo Hills Cemetery shows us why the state must take charge immediately.

Four teen-agers recently were arrested on suspicion of desecrating eight crypts and seven caskets at the abandoned cemetery on Parsons Trail. In a particularly disrespectful act, the mummified corpse of a woman was propped up and a cigarette was lodged in its mouth.

The vandalism that occurred around Halloween is the latest in a string of problems at the 72-year-old cemetery, also known as the Hills of Peace cemetery, which has had no caretaker since last spring and has gone unattended. Concerned residents in the area have complained repeatedly to state officials - the graveyard's conservators - about the lack of security on the grounds where more than 3,000 people are buried or entombed.

But since 1995, when legislation was enacted abolishing the state Cemetery Board and transferring duties to the state Department of Consumer Affairs, state officials have dithered and sidestepped responsibility. Even though the Department of Consumer Affairs has control of a fund set aside to maintain the property, officials have refused to help identify the bodies or secure the site, saying the department has no jurisdiction over the cemetery since it is no longer operating.

``We think this is a local problem,'' said Department of Consumer Affairs spokesman Peter Brightbill.

The state's refusal to become more involved is shameful. The state is participating in and perpetuating a fraud when it allows cemeteries to operate as businesses, charge families thousands of dollars for burial and perpetual care, and then lets owners walk away.

It is the state, not local entities, that controls the fund to maintain cemeteries. Therefore, it is logical to expect the state to honor its responsibilities and initiate action to better maintain the cemetery.

The pain and suffering that accompanies the loss of a mother or father, husband or wife, brother or sister, other relative or friend is emotionally wrenching enough. But when a family member has to endure the indignity and pain of having to rebury the remains of a loved one - that is truly an outrage.