EDITORIAL ANTONIO'S PEACE PIPE MAYOR HAS THE DUTY TO FIND A RESOLUTION TO FARM FIGHT.ANTONIO Villaraigosa Antonio Ramon Villaraigosa (born Antonio (Tony) Ramon Villar, Jr. on January 23, 1953) is the mayor of Los Angeles, California. He is the first Latino mayor of Los Angeles since Cristobal Aguilar in 1872. has long played the role of peacemaker in Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. politics. He famously resolved the MTA (1) (Message Transfer Agent or Mail Transfer Agent) The store and forward part of a messaging system. See messaging system. (2) See M Technology Association. 1. (messaging) MTA - Message Transfer Agent. strike in 2003, and ended a downtown squabble squab·ble intr.v. squab·bled, squab·bling, squab·bles To engage in a disagreeable argument, usually over a trivial matter; wrangle. See Synonyms at argue. n. A noisy quarrel, usually about a trivial matter. that threatened to derail de·rail intr. & tr.v. de·railed, de·rail·ing, de·rails 1. To run or cause to run off the rails. 2. the Convention Center hotel deal last year. So, naturally, the city now turns to the mayor to bring peace to the South Central Farm fight. That is, if it's not too late -- which it may well be. The squatting farmers, activists and one-time celebrities who have made preserving the farm their passion make a good point: South L.A. needs green space, and the farm is a treasured community resource. But that doesn't justify their obnoxious and unlawful protests. First, the protesters demanded that the property's owner, Ralph Horowitz, give them his land for free -- just because they'd been using it for so long. Then they filed 61 different legal challenges against him -- all of which were rejected -- tying up his time and money in court. All the while, they demonized him in their rhetoric and campaigns. When Horowitz offered to sell them the land, they failed to meet his asking price or his deadline. Then they refused to leave his property, leading to Tuesday's drama in which cops had to drag them out. No wonder, then, that when the Annenberg Foundation The Annenberg Foundation, a charitable family trust, was created on July 1, 1989 by media magnate and former Ambassador to the Court of St. James's Walter H. Annenberg. Initial funding of $1. offered $10 million at the last minute to help cover the full price for the land, Horowitz angrily declined. He said he would not do any business with the protesters or anyone who supports them. This is where conflict of this sort usually leads -- a dead end. And the only way to move forward now is to cool the passions. Again, for all their excesses, the protesters do have a good point. South L.A. needs the farm and its green space far more than it needs another commercial project, which is what Horowitz's property will likely become. So we can only hope that Villaraigosa will be the peacemaker here, that he can quiet the rhetoric, soothe soothe v. soothed, sooth·ing, soothes v.tr. 1. To calm or placate. 2. To ease or relieve (pain, for example). v.intr. To bring comfort, composure, or relief. the hurt feelings, and press upon all parties to take the high road -- if not for the good of each other, then at least for the good of all of L.A. |
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