EDITORIAL L.A. VOTING RIGHTS TOP 10 ISSUES TO LET THE PEOPLE DECIDE.

THE Los Angeles City Council endorsed a plan last week to put a measure hiking the local sales tax by a half-percent before voters on the May 17 ballot.

The prevailing sentiment that carried the day was the council's newfound belief in democracy, that the issue was so important that it would be wrong not to ``let the people decide'' if they want to raise their taxes to pay for more LAPD officers. Of course, the voters of the county and the city did decide just three months ago to reject a sales-tax hike for public safety.

But since the flag of freedom is now waving so high atop City Hall - so lavishly renovated with $300 million that could have been used for more cops - we think our elected officials should ``let the people decide'' a lot of other issues.

So in the name of lifting the spirit of democracy across Los Angeles, here's our Top 10 List of issues the public could and should vote on:

1. Public relations contracts for government agencies

The city has spent millions of the public's dollars in the last five years to pay high-priced professional flacks to put a positive spin on everything from Mayor James Hahn to the Department of Water and Power's Green Power program. Worse, the millions didn't seem to do anything to help the image of either.

2. The $11 billion LAX expansion plan

If the so-called modernization plan is as great as Mayor Hahn thinks it is, then surely a majority of the voters would agree. Right?

3. Campaign finance reform

It's just common sense not to put those who benefit from campaign donations in charge of making up the rules for regulating them.

4. Breaking up the Los Angeles Unified School District

The district's $6.8 billion annual operating budget is larger than that of some third-world countries, which is helpful because the district now must spend $8 million on a computer system just to locate its library books. That could be a sign the district is too big to operate properly. But that's for the people to decide.

5. The $160 million subsidy for the proposed downtown Convention Center Hotel

Do the wealthy developers really need to soak the city for this hotel complex to be built? No, but they will because the elected officials let them. The public that foots the bill might think otherwise.

6. Empowering Neighborhood Councils

City Hall doesn't want to let go of its power, and has consistently obstructed the Los Angeles' neighborhood advisory panels from wielding real power, such as having a budget to spend on neighborhood needs. Would the public support giving neighborhood council real power and adequate funding?

7. All rate and fee increases

Rate and fee increases are a form of taxes if not directly tied to the increased cost of operations, such as when the mayor shifts revenues from the DWP to prop up overspending in the general fund. Would the public support massive increases in charges for water, sewers, trash and everything else the city provides?

8. Pay raises for employees

It's great when revenues are such that employees can be rewarded for hard work. But elected officials continue to give hundreds of millions in raises to city employees, then complain that they don't have enough money to hire new cops. Priorities?

9. All new revenues dedicated to hiring new cops.

Any new money that the city gets - from annual increase in property tax to selling off surplus paper clips - would go directly into a fund to hire new cops. Not to buy new buildings. Not to buy new hybrid cars for staff to use as their own. Not to spend on polls to find out if the public could be duped into supporting a new tax.

10. A 25 percent reduction of the salaries and benefits, and the halting of subsidized personal cars, for all elected city officials and their staffs.

It's only fair that we all do our part to make Los Angeles the safest big city in America - and the most democratic, too.