Letters to the Editor: L.A. needs more politicians? How a bigger City Council makes government smaller and less intrusive. The Times story on the council’s agenda-planners. And, a letter from a resident of the Westboro neighborhood. The Westboro letter is a classic example of how neighborhood politics, when left to the voters, can be a force for good—even in liberal L.A.
Dear City Council Member Joe Buscaino:
I am a resident of Westboro. I live in a small, quiet neighborhood that is largely Hispanic, with a few English-speaking families. I believe very strongly in the separation of church and state. I have observed the current City Council in action and the way they have chosen to use those powers under their control, to intimidate, harass and intimidate people who do not belong to their particular political party. I do not want to live next to a politician who intimidates or mistreats people, such as those who work for or who are associated with City Hall. I am disappointed that City Council President Herb Wesson and his allies, such as the mayor and others in City Hall, are not making City Council accountable to the neighborhoods that they control. They have created an atmosphere that has created an environment that is unhealthy and dangerous to anyone who decides to live in the city. A group of Westboroites did have a right to ask Mayor Richard Riordan to make these changes to improve the quality of life for our neighbors.
The fact is that when we vote on the candidates for City Council, we choose for the political parties that represent us in City Hall. There are the people who work for City Hall who have been elected by us and are subject to our will; we know what they are going to do, and we must do our part to keep them accountable to us. Why should we want to have politicians like Herb Wesson, who has been part of a small, small minority, working in our community in the same office as the mayor, and yet is allowed to make all of our decisions, and have all of our friends and family members, work for the City and be put in positions of power. This has the appearance of a situation where a
