There’s an argument one can make involving “sustainable” solutions, from renewable energy to improved land use: they will depend on market forces. Government should also have a role in this debate. Unfortunately, government is often part of the problem. It’s not that government is “big”—though “big government” does in part evolve from policy makers who make too many decisions based on the needs of a few noisy constituencies and big business (which is always against “big government” unless the rules favor them). A larger issue in California, however, is that the state has an outdated and inefficient form of government:
the County of Los Angeles is a textbook case.
The County of Los Angeles would be a G20 country if it were independent. One quarter of the state’s population lives here, and it is more populous than 42 US states. And it is ungovernable because you have 88 cities, many unincorporated areas, and is run by a petty 5-person Board of Supervisors who each represents more people than the average-sized US congressional district. Each board member has a huge discretionary budget and is in a district that has been gerrymandered to the point that voting someone out of office is near-impossible. Oddly enough, there is no county-wide executive—that role is appointed. Why would we only vote for the supporting cast but not for the person who in the end makes the hard choices? It makes dodging accountability even more easier for those we elect—often because quite frankly, many of us just do not care.
Imagine trying to get anything done in this county. You have different cities with their own needs and agendas, a county government, and then amorphous government boards like the South Coast Air Quality Management District and the county’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority—sometimes these agencies lie within a county’s boundaries; often they do not, as in the case of school districts. Add to the mix a meddling federal office holder like
Henry Waxman, who for years resisted the expansion of public transport in LA, and you have a toxic, inefficient, sclerotic mess.
At a time when budgets are shrinking while huge, difficult decisions need to be made quickly, this outrageous web of government needs untangling. Perhaps it is time for
amalgamation. First, expand the number of supervisors on the county board so that constituencies are smaller and have a more responsive representative. To that end,
eliminate city governments,
merging the duties that are generally split between city and county functions. Follow the example of Maryland county governments such as Baltimore County: you have an elected Chief Executive and a council of seven members. The system in Texas also merits review: the state is divided up into 249 counties (more than any other state) and has elected commissioners—those county governments have less legal power than that of cities and towns—perhaps that is not such a bad idea. Nashville, TN, and surrounding Davidson County merged their governments in 1963; perhaps it is no accident that the area enjoys a high level of entrepreneurship. Three layers of government: federal, state, and local (county) are sufficient.
I realize that this could open the door to replacing one unwieldy government with another. If each city in Los Angeles had its own council representative, you are moving from what was once a council to a legislature. Perhaps, then, the leaders in the County of Los Angeles should consider breaking up the county. The desert area surrounding Lancaster and Palmdale have their needs; the San Fernando Valley could be a separate county; the port and beach towns could be separate entities; the San Gabriel Valley would be a large county by itself; and then of course central Los Angeles could have its own government. Some would cry foul, but folks in Brentwood are not obligated to pay for kids’ education in East LA—nor are they entitled to sending their garbage and any toxic waste, either.
We have a system that in my view does little but drag out the decision-making process and creates too many layers of government. Representing the largest county government and the second-largest city in the country may create bragging rights, but does not allow for reaching difficult policy decisions that citizens need. I often criticize LA’s current mayor for being more of a showman than thoughtful executive. In fairness, he is governing an ungovernable city. My experience in creating a small 2000 square foot park and dealing with far too many bureaucrats in different agencies is partly behind my conclusion. Add the fact that we wait forever to get a sidewalk repaired, tree trimmed, or traffic light also has me convinced that the city and county of LA are not working—and never mind what is happening to the schools and our infrastructure.
An improved, streamlined process is a must; not a system of government that just grooms politicians for higher office while giving them a bureaucratic fiefdom and lofty title. I do believe government has the power to do society good; but not with the system we have now. During tough times, businesses must slim down and merge departments—government has to do the same thing, and like business, can often emerge better from what is admittedly a painful process.
I realize this will affect a lot of government employees; I welcome anyone’s thoughts on this issue!
Special thanks to Preston Low for the great shot of the Washington Monument.
