PUBLIC FORUM : MAYOR'S BUSINESS-FRIENDLY `AGENDA' PRAISED.In their letter to the Daily News April 14, Gerald A. and Myrna L. Silver criticized 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. Mayor Richard Riordan Richard J. Riordan (born May 1, 1930) is a Republican politician from California, U.S. who served as the California Secretary of Education from 2003–2005 and as Mayor of Los Angeles from 1993–2001. Riordan ran for Governor of California unsuccessfully in 2002. for having what they called a ``pro-corporate agenda.'' They argued that there has been a severe decline in the quality of life since Riordan took office. Apparently, the Silvers are not concerned that tens of thousands of quality jobs have been lost since 1989 due to dramatic downsizing (1) Converting mainframe and mini-based systems to client/server LANs. (2) To reduce equipment and associated costs by switching to a less-expensive system. (jargon) downsizing in aerospace and construction. They also left out minor points like the bottom dropping out of the real estate market and the 1994 Northridge Earthquake The Northridge earthquake occurred on January 17, 1994 at 4:31 AM Pacific Standard Time in the city of Los Angeles, California. The earthquake had a "strong" moment magnitude of 6. . These are some of the reasons why we need to do more to solidify and renew our economic base. The economic base not only provides essential jobs, but also provides the tax base to fund public safety and the local infrastructure. The mayor's efforts at planning reform have been designed to make the process user-friendly, whether you are a homeowner adding a bedroom or a major employer like Dreamworks SKG SKG Stichting Kwaliteit Gevelbouw (Dutch) SKG Spielberg, Katzenberg,and Geffen (DreamWorks Studios) SKG Thessaloniki, Greece - Thessaloniki (Airport Code) SKG Smith and Kraus Global , bringing thousands of quality jobs to our city. The reforms do not eliminate the regulatory process: They simply eliminate expensive duplication and delay. This cuts the cost to taxpayers and makes the process more predictable. Naturally this would be unpopular with those who benefit from an abusive process - one that delays and discourages private renewal and development. One only has to look at the ``Rust Belt'' of the Northeast to see the effects that stagnation Stagnation A period of little or no growth in the economy. Economic growth of less than 2-3% is considered stagnation. Sometimes used to describe low trading volume or inactive trading in securities. Notes: A good example of stagnation was the U.S. economy in the 1970s. can have on a community's ``quality of life.'' Crafted through public input and consensus over the last several years, the Years, The the seven decades of Eleanor Pargiter’s life. [Br. Lit.: Benét, 1109] See : Time city's new General Plan Framework sets broad policies for planning and zoning. Citing Framework projections, the Silvers conclude that the mayor is somehow pushing increased density. This is an incorrect assumption. The Planning Department is required by law to use logical projections of expected growth. The projections do not represent goals, only potential scenarios. The mayor recognizes that neighborhoods and business districts cannot be renewed without a friendly, accessible and visionary municipal government. He has shown great leadership in developing a genuine market-based, rather than tax-based, renewal of our urban and suburban communities. He has supported enterprise and recognized it as the economic engine of our city. It is business, after all, that provides the average Angeleno with a relatively high standard of living. Mayor Riordan has invested massive personal time and resources in making our city a better place to live and work. He has worked to build coalitions, to improve the police force and make the city more friendly to all Angelenos. Having been involved as a volunteer in the Valley for the last 25 years, I think I can speak for a lot of Valley residents who feel the mayor is providing us with an unprecedented opportunity to participate in local government. - Bob Scott
President Los Angeles City Planning Commission Noun 1. planning commission - a commission delegated to propose plans for future activities and developments commission, committee - a special group delegated to consider some matter; "a committee is a group that keeps minutes and loses hours" - Milton Berle The letter by Gerald and Myrna Silver is a perfect example of the NIMBY NIM·BY n. pl. NIM·BYs Slang One who objects to the establishment in one's neighborhood of projects, such as incinerators, prisons, or homeless shelters, that are believed to be dangerous, unsightly, or otherwise undesirable. (not in my back yard) attitude of too many people in the 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. . The San Fernando Valley cannot thrive unless we provide a climate that is friendly to business. Witness the recent closure of all L.A.Tronics stores and the closure of many Adray's stores in the Valley. Can the Silvers identify any areas of growing business in the Valley? We doubt it. The only areas we know of are Universal City and the Media District in Burbank. We are glad Mayor Riordan is encouraging businesses to come to the Valley and we are sure VICA VICA Vocational Industrial Clubs of America VICA Video Conferencing Alliance (UK) VICA Vocational Industrial Chapters of America VICA Vision Counsel of America (the Valley Industry and Commerce Association) is, too. We are not supporting businesses that will result in pollution of our air and soil. The Silvers' campaign against an entertainment center in Sherman Oaks boarders on the ridiculous. If they want the peace and quiet of country living, they will have to move from Encino. Los Angeles is a city. For this city to thrive, it must provide all of the elements needed. That includes jobs, entertainment centers, shopping centers, and public services Public services is a term usually used to mean services provided by government to its citizens, either directly (through the public sector) or by financing private provision of services. - police, libraries, public schools, transportation, etc. If Howard Berman Howard Lawrence "Howie" Berman (born April 15 1941) has been a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives since 1983, representing the 28th District of California (map). and Tom Hayden Thomas Emmett "Tom" Hayden (born December 11, 1939) is an American social and political activist and politician, most famous for his involvement in the anti-war and civil rights movements of the 1960s. stand for saying no to new business in the Valley, then we must say no to them in any office. - Don Evans Canoga Park Ray Holm Woodland Hills What the Silvers fail to mention is that the job of mayor in this city is largely ceremonial. Over the years the City Council has appropriated power to run city affairs. Many of the problems that concern the Silvers can be traced to the ineptness of the council. Berman and Hayden would not provide a mayoral climate different from that which currently prevails. In fact, considering their political records, they would likely be less effective than Riordan, who is trying to get some power back for the Mayor's Office. What L.A. badly needs is a complete overhaul of city government. In the last 50 years L.A. has grown from a second-tier city to a major metropolis, with a governmental structure which has not kept pace. I would suggest to the Silvers that they take their complaints to the City Council. Their attempt to blame Riordan for the city's problems is a shabby way to sell their mayoral candidates. - Sion Colvin Woodland Hills Royko rebutted Mike Royko's op-ed piece (``Even guilty, Rostenkowski deserves some respect,'' Opinions, April 14) defending former Rep. Dan Rostenkowski Daniel David "Dan" Rostenkowski (born January 2, 1928 in Chicago, Illinois) was a United States Representative from Illinois from 1959 to 1995. He was a member of the United States Democratic Party. He attended Loyola University Chicago. and attacking the judge who presided over the trial was an amusing exercise in hypocrisy. Let me get this straight: Rostenkowski is convicted of stealing from the taxpayers, he admits his guilt, gets a mild tongue-lashing from the judge, and then Royko attacks - you guessed it - the judge. Royko's main theme seems to be that, hey, it wasn't all that bad, he only pleaded guilty to stealing a little. He was really a pretty good guy. He just liked to steal now and then. Come on, your honor, chill out chill out Informal Verb to relax, esp. after energetic dancing at a rave Adjective chill-out suitable for relaxation after energetic dancing: a chill-out area . The fact is that most Americans are honest and don't steal from their employers. Rostenkowski, by contrast, was not an honest man, and did, in fact, systematically steal from the taxpayers, his employers. Rostenkowski's breach of trust, and the contempt for average Americans that it reflected, were major factors in the repudiation of Democratic machine politicians in the 1994 elections. - Roger J. Buffington Glendale Jail woes state's fault In regard to your April 13 Public Forum topic, ``L.A.'s empty jail'': When construction began in 1989, the county had money from property tax revenues to operate the jail. In 1993, the state confiscated con·fis·cate tr.v. con·fis·cat·ed, con·fis·cat·ing, con·fis·cates 1. To seize (private property) for the public treasury. 2. To seize by or as if by authority. See Synonyms at appropriate. adj. $1 billion in property taxes from the county. This action by the state Legislature A state legislature may refer to a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system. The following legislatures exist in the following political subdivisions: However, it must be noted that the opening of the new jail will decrease, not increase the number of available beds. This is because the current downtown county jail will be closed. The state Legislature could resolve the jail problem by returning the counties' property taxes to open all of our closed facilities. - Michael D. Antonovich Michael Dennis Antonovich (born 1939 in Los Angeles, California) is a member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors representing the Fifth District, which covers northern Los Angeles County, the Antelope, Santa Clarita, Pasadena, and parts of the San Fernando and San Chairman of the Board Supervisor, Fifth District Writer erred ``North Korea's non-threat by Robert Myers Robert Myers is a theoretical physicist. Myers is a professor of physics at the University of Waterloo and at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics. His research concerns string theory and quantum gravity. (Opinions, April 12) contained a very serious mistake. The article said that ``Kim Chong-pil is the son of great leader Kim II-sung.'' The son of Kim II-sung is Kim Chung-il and Kim Chong-pil is the chairman of United Free Democratic Party in South Korea. Since South Koreans hate Kim II-sung so much, this error is very serious. - Sang Rhee Chatsworth Activists target English Now the activists for illegal aliens from Mexico are criticizing the Riverside County sheriff's deputies because, in this stressful situation, they initially spoke English, their native tongue, when ordering the illegals to get down on the ground and put their hands on the ground. A few seconds later the officers did try to speak Spanish to the illegals, but they shouldn't have had to. This isn't Mexico, and these were not Mexican police officers. This is America, and these were American police officers doing their jobs in America, where it is perfectly normal to speak English. If the illegal aliens they captured had been Chinese, Egyptian, Russian or any other ethnic group, would the officers have been expected to speak those languages, too? - Carol Keeler Keel´er n. 1. One employed in managing a Newcastle keel; - called also keelman ltname>. 2. A small or shallow tub; esp., one used for holding materials for calking ships, or one used for washing dishes, etc. Sylmar I would like to respond to comments made by Gerard Montero mon·te·ro n. pl. mon·te·ros A hunter's cap with side flaps. [Spanish, hunter, from monte, mountain, from Latin m of Pacoima in Public Forum April 9: First of all, I would like to say that even though I am of Native American descent and support Proposition 187, it does not mean that I am in any way condoning brutality against illegal aliens. Like many Americans, I believe the Riverside County deputies used excessive force and should be punished. But we cannot allow ourselves to disregard or reward the fact that these individuals (the immigrants) did willfully willfully adv. referring to doing something intentionally, purposefully and stubbornly. Examples: "He drove the car willfully into the crowd on the sidewalk." "She willfully left the dangerous substances on the property." (See: willful) break the law. Secondly, to hear Hispanics boast that they should have more rights because the owned California before the United States did sickens me. It wasn't until the 18th and 19th centuries that the Hispanics stole California from the Indians and made them prisoners on their own land to build missions. - Eric Garcia North Hollywood After listening to all the remarks about the beating case involving Riverside County sheriff's, deputies, I think it is about time something is done about these so-called talk shows. I am for freedom of speech as much as the next guy, but I don't think these radio stations should allow anonymous callers to vent their racial hatreds and calls for violence. - John F. Mendez Los Angeles CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: Business booster: Riordan addresses the Pacific Stoc k Exchage Daily News |
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