Blogs of the LA Area Chamber

“Bad officials are elected by good citizens who do not vote.” 

-  George Jean Nathan

 

“Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others.”

-   Winston Churchill

Today is the first ever National Voter Registration Day. Today we celebrate the power that fuels our democracy and has built a history of prosperity that even now, despite our recent struggles, makes us the envy of the world. Simply put, we have the power to vote. A right still denied so many in the world, a power that others are fighting and dying for around the world.

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Next week two quintessential Southern California transportation events will occur. Over the weekend, the Carmageddon sequel will occur, shuttering the San Diego Freeway (I-405) through the Sepulveda Pass as part of a $1 billion freeway improvement program. The day prior to the closure, on Friday, Sept. 28, nearly 1,000 transportation leaders from across Southern California will come together in Anaheim for Mobility 21's 11th annual summit. Business and transportation agency officials representing seven counties and 17 million residents will discuss existing and future steps to avoid a permanent Carmageddon and strengthen the Southern California economy. 

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The position of Chief Administrative Officer for the City of Los Angeles is intended to be a clarion voice. The CAO is not an elected official and reports to both the City Council and the Mayor. The CAO's performance is based on his/her independence, personal integrity and management expertise.

Unfortunately for the citizens of Los Angeles, the CAO is often faced with a mayor or city council that is more interested in politics than policy and chooses to please special interests rather than protecting the interests of the taxpayers. That was never more evident than during the recent City Council committee hearing on the issue of franchising of commercial refuse collection.

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Outside forces as far away as Oregon are suddenly concerned about future water rates in Los Angeles. If that sounds strange, well it is. Beware of long standing opponents of statewide water solutions who are now becoming self-anointed guardians of the Los Angeles water ratepayer.

State and federal administrations have made great progress on a proposal to restore in Northern California the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta’s ailing ecosystem and improve the conveyance of critical water supplies to Southern California, the Bay Area and the Central Valley. Physically separating the movement of the public water supplies from the estuary has emerged as a key part of the solution. The administrations are proposing 35-mile tunnels to transport the water from the Sacramento River to the aqueduct facilities as a way to increase reliability and reintroduce more natural flow patterns in the estuary. 

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