PUBLIC FORUM : COUNCIL ASSAILED FOR VOTING TO FIGHT PROP. 218.Democracy 101, as taught by the Los Angeles City Council  The Los Angeles City Council is the governing body of the City of Los Angeles, California, United States. , consists
of:
Spending our tax dollars lobbying the state Assembly to prevent a self-determination (San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. secession) vote. Spending our tax dollars fighting the mayor and over 300,000 citizens to prevent the proposed charter reform from reaching the ballot. Spending our tax dollars to fight Proposition 218 (Daily News, Nov. 16). I assume that they will next vote to go to court against Proposition 209. On Proposition 218, this esteemed council says that there was no real majority, since there was such a low voter turnout. Maybe I missed the armed guards at the polls who were hired to keep this alleged silent majority from voting. Perhaps we should recall all of the council members whose voter turnout was below 90 percent. Councilman Richard Alarcon stated that he is ``absolutely sure most of the renters who voted for this didn't know they were giving up their right to vote.'' As a renter, I resent his calling me stupid. The fact is that renters never had a voice in the assessment district decisions. Under the pre-218 law, only property owners had the right to protest newly proposed assessment districts, but unless the obnoxious number of 50 percent of these affected property owners proactively wrote letters of protest, the tax was a done deal. Proposition 218 forces those proposing the tax to get approval from those whom they wish to tax. We renters gave up no rights with this vote. Councilman Mike Hernandez stated that 73 percent of his constituents voted against the measure. Maybe I missed the part of the democratic process that states that individual areas that vote differently than the majority get their way. Councilwoman Jackie Goldberg Jackie Goldberg (born June 16, 1937) is an American politician and teacher, and a member of the Democratic Party. She is a former member of the California State Assembly. would ``like to have (renters') voice(s) heard on this issue.'' They were. We just voted on it. The measure, closing up a Proposition 13 loophole, has now been passed by popular vote. Councilwoman Rita Walters' allusions to slavery are melodramatic and, again, off the point. I suggest that council members start listening to their constituents and stop fighting against the clear wishes of the voters. Otherwise, these voters may really get smart and vote you out. - Mike Rosenberg North Hollywood What nerve of our City Council members to vote to overturn what we taxpayers voted on: to limit our taxes. Rents will have to go up for those living in apartments to cover tax increases. Does the City Council think that the owners of rental property should absorb these tax increases? Everyone should take a good look at these council members and ask themselves if they really do represent our best interests. If not, perhaps recalls are in order or secession of the San Fernando Valley from the city. I will be glad to work on those projects. The nerve of Councilman Richard Alarcon to say that renters were giving up the right to vote. Sixty percent of the people in the Valley voted for Proposition 218, but we do not have that kind of representation in city government. If Proposition 218 were to be overturned, we could be assessed for parks, colleges and many other projects without having any say unless we write letters, and then they would be ignored, as the 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. Community College ignored them before. Some changes must be made and soon with this City Council. After 18 years, we have a mayor that wants what is good for all of the people, but a City Council just looking out for its own raises and special projects. Where will it end - secession or recall or both? - Donna Smith For the March 1985 Playboy Playmate of the Month, see . Donna Smith is a County Supervisor in Dubuque County, Iowa. A Democrat, she had run against Jim Nussle twice when he had come up for reelection. Woodland Hills The council continues to slap voters in the face. Council members think we are too dumb and don't understand what we voted for on Proposition 218. They say we didn't understand the fine print, so they are going to do us a favor and overrule The refusal by a judge to sustain an objection set forth by an attorney during a trial, such as an objection to a particular question posed to a witness. To make void, annul, supersede, or reject through a subsequent decision or action. our wishes by suing to overturn our stupid, uneducated vote. On top of that, they intend to use public funds See Fund, 3. See also: Public , namely our own money. These pompous scoundrels continue to place themselves above the citizens they represent. They don't listen to us when we vote. They don't listen to us when we write. And if you watch them at public hearings, they ignore the citizens who come forward to speak. They are a discourteous collection of characters who will do anything they please, even when we enact our wishes to the contrary by official ballot. We ought to enact legislation that holds each of these council members personally liable for any actions that are designed to undermine a vote of the people. Those council members who oppose an election outcome should be required to pay out of their own personal funds when they engage in these ``holier than thou practices.'' We need council reform all right. But we definitely don't need the council to tell us how and what to reform. Its commission of stoolies is not the answer to our critical need for major surgery. They are puppets of the council and will go in whatever direction they are yanked. Not only do we need to change the structure and activities of the council, we need also to replace arrogance with compassion, incompetence with competence, financial chaos with fiscal diligence and self-servers with team players. - Joe Schnur Encino The 8-3 vote by the City Council (Daily News, Nov. 16), to support a suit against Proposition 218, gives another cogent reason for rebellion against the downtown rajahs. All Valley voters need to exert great effort on every front to get authority and power to withdraw from the city of Los Angeles
1. One of the four categories (quadrants) in the BCG growth-share matrix that represents the division within a company that has a large market share within a mature industry. 2. , the San Fernando Valley, a brand new city beyond the council's avaricious av·a·ri·cious adj. Immoderately desirous of wealth or gain; greedy. av  a·ri reach.
- Jack Schlicht North Hills I am, once again, disgusted with our City Council's blatant disregard for the people. Councilman Richard Alarcon says he's ``standing up for democracy.'' He and many of the ``public servants'' on the City Council have no regard for the will of the majority. Their own agendas are what drive them. But then they do know better than we, what is really best for us and what real democracy is, don't they. - Judy Valdesuso Woodland Hills ``Council OKs suit against Proposition 218'' (Daily News, Nov. 16), is an absolute insult to democracy. Councilmen Joel Wachs Joel Wachs served for several terms as Los Angeles City Councilman for the 2nd district. He was first elected by defeating incumbent James B. Potter. While in office, Wachs chaired the Public Works Committee and vice-chair of the Environmental Quality & Waste Management , Rudy Svorinich Rudy Svorinich (born 1960) is a Republican who served on the Los Angeles City Council representing the 15th district. A resident of San Pedro, his diverse district also includes the community of Watts. He was elected to the council in 1993 and served two full terns. Jr. and Hal Bernson Hal Bernson served as Los Angeles City Councilman for the 12th district. He was chair of the Transportation Committee. Prior to being on the City Council, he served in the Navy. Preceded by Robert M. had the courage to oppose financing a challenge to a state ballot measure approved by a 56 percent majority, Nov. 5. This is a stirring example of why we must have and do have term limits. A pity that it isn't for just one four-year term. The majority of the City Council has proven time and again its inability to manage fairly, or even know how to manage. It is hoped that with a new city charter, sterner controls will be placed on the City Council. - Gary M. Schechter Woodland Hills Contrast in the news What a contrast in news coverage on Veterans Day: accounts of veterans who as young men served our country side by side with accounts of ``student'' barbarians occupying campus buildings at the University of California, Riverside The University of California, Riverside, commonly known as UCR or UC Riverside, is a public research university and one of ten campuses of the University of California system. , to demand special privileges. Our country, to which a good part of the world wants to emigrate, was not developed by those who use violence and threats to intimidate others to make their views known. The people of California have spoken through our democratic process of voting. What we said loud and clear with Proposition 209 was that quotas and preferences based on race and gender are unfair to everyone and breed enmity. - Sonya Jason Woodland Hills New citizens Much appreciation to Arne Myggen, (``Little things make U.S. citizenship meaningful,'' Viewpoint, Nov. 17) for his poignant expression of love for our nation. It's inspiring to know that there are new Americans who take their citizenship devotedly. I am also grateful for his eye-opening critique of the soulless soul·less adj. Lacking sensitivity or the capacity for deep feeling. soul  less·ly adv. ,
``brave new world'' mind-set demonstrated at the swearing-in
ceremony. It confirms the current tendency of the Immigration and
Naturalization Service Noun 1. Immigration and Naturalization Service - an agency in the Department of Justice that enforces laws and regulations for the admission of foreign-born persons to the United StatesINS to favor quantity over quality. Unfortunately, this attitude hints at an even more pernicious trend by the elite who denigrate den·i·grate tr.v. den·i·grat·ed, den·i·grat·ing, den·i·grates 1. To attack the character or reputation of; speak ill of; defame. 2. a strict immigration policy An immigration policy is any policy of a state that affects the transit of persons across its borders, but especially those that intend to work and to remain in the country. as racist or jingoistic, while manifesting contempt for those same downtrodden down·trod·den adj. Oppressed; tyrannized. downtrodden Adjective oppressed and lacking the will to resist Adj. 1. masses it claims to champion. Welcome Mr. and Mrs. Myggen. Have a great America Great America is a name shared by two American amusement parks opened by the Marriott Corporation in 1976. Both parks are now under different ownership and are known as:
- Bobby Harwell North Hollywood Leaf-blower ban The Los Angeles City Council will be very shortly voting on a ban of the leaf blower A leaf blower is gardening tool that propels air out of a nozzle to move yard debris such as leaves. Leaf blowers are usually powered by two-stroke engine or an electric motor, but four-stroke engines were recently introduced to partially address air pollution concerns. . These facts need to be understood: The manufacturers have not been resting. There is now available a blower that does not exceed the current city limit of 65 decibels. Councilman Marvin Braude Marvin Braude (August 11, 1920—December 7, 2005)served as Los Angeles City Councilman for the 11th district from 1965 to 1997. At various times Mr. Braude (pronounced BROW-dee) served as chair of the Finance and Revenue Committee, the Environmental Quality and Waste never approached the gardening industry to say there was a problem with these machines. He was only interested in litigation An action brought in court to enforce a particular right. The act or process of bringing a lawsuit in and of itself; a judicial contest; any dispute. When a person begins a civil lawsuit, the person enters into a process called litigation. , not to mediate the problem. As chairman of the Solid Waste Management Committee, why has not Braude contacted the gardening industry about ways to reduce the 50 percent of the trash directed to landfills by the year 2000 as dictated by AB 939? We are the ones who daily put garden debris into containers for city trash pickup. To Los Angeles City Council members: Keep these factors in mind when you vote. - Roy K. Imazu Legislative analyst Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, Gardeners Federation Inc. Los Angeles Gingrich praised It is time that we realize that it was House Speaker Newt Gingrich, R-Ga., who made government change. While some of us may complain that he went too fast we are now going in the right direction. We should also acknowledge that because of his efforts and risk to his career, 66 percent of the ``Contract with America'' is now law. It is time for us to say well done and thank you to Gingrich and the 104th Congress. - F. Jansen Northridge CAPTION(S): 2 Photos Photo: (1) no caption (Leaf blower) (2) NEWT GINGRICH |
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