Draiman For Mayor 2013: The challenge of Los Angeles government

The challenge of Los Angeles government

The challenge of Los Angeles government has been to build and sustain

a city government that will be efficient, effective, and responsive. In 1999,

Los Angeles voters passed a new city charter that increased the authority of the mayor

and created new institutions to enhance public participation.

The new charter has moved Los Angeles forward in the direction of greater participation.

The city is consolidating and absorbing these major changes.

But further progress is likely to be needed both within the halls of city

government and within the community.

The struggle to build the best possible governance structure for

Los Angeles will continue well into the 21st century.

What are the loose ends? What are the reform ideas of tomorrow?

An effective democracy depends on a well-designed governance

system and a well-informed and engaged citizenry. The political culture of

Los Angeles is one of limited political interest, and there are no political

party organizations to mobilize voters. Neighborhoods are hard to define

and boundaries are fuzzy. With some notable exceptions, the media provide

relatively little attention to local public affairs. How can participation

be increased and how can the connection between residents and their city

government be enhanced?

Voters have been confounded, hoodwinked, bamboozled, bluffed, duped, manipulated, seduced, beguiled, flimflammed and sandbagged by a master of deception into believing that there is “no alternative in the opposition”.