Monday, 4/7/97
Citizens should draft charter
Our current city charter was drafted in 1925, four years before
the advent of talking pictures. It is due for an update. There are
more than 400 pages in the 700 page book devoted solely to
amendments. It has become a charter filled with outdated materials
and can be seen as an emblem of our bureaucratically-encumbered
city government.
Among other pressing concerns, the assignment of power and
responsibility among city officials as laid out by the existing
charter, must be re-examined. But this is not a controversial
point. Very few disagree about the need for an updated charter; the
contention is over who should be allowed to create the new
draft.
To vote yes on Proposition 8 is to advocate the election of a
citizen commission to draft a new city charter. The 15 members,
from districts throughout Los Angeles, would work for two years
without pay. At the end of those two years, the commission would
introduce the finished product for public approval.
Opponents claim that the election of a charter commission is too
risky, that it undermines the democratic process by placing the
charter in the hands of strangers who will not necessarily
represent our city’s ethnic diversity. Instead, critics of Prop 8
opt for the 21-member Ad Hoc Commission which is appointed by city
officials to look into charter reform issues.
We cannot see how a publicly-elected committee threatens the
democratic process. Further, we feel the election of a commission
is a chance for residents to participate in the charter reform
process. By researching candidates within their district, Angelenos
can offer the job to only the most qualified individuals.
Our endorsement for Charter Commissioner in District 5 (which
includes UCLA and its surrounding community) is a strong choice,
not only because of his experience in charter reform, but because
of his sensitivity to diversity issues as well.
Erwin Chemerinsky, graduate of Harvard Law and Professor of
Constitutional Law at USC, has written a lucid, highly readable
paper highlighting the negative implications behind Prop 209, the
so-called California Civil Rights Initiative. In his analysis,
Chemerinsky demonstrates to us his ability to see the long-term
effects of legislation.
As a constitutional law professor, Chemerinsky can contribute a
broad, solid understanding of governmental structure. In addition
to 17 years as a law professor, his experience includes helping
draft a national constitution for the country of Belarus, and
primary authorship of USC’s Academic Senate constitution.
Recognizing that Los Angeles is a massive city which must
empower its individual communities, he stresses the need for
elected neighborhood councils. To Chemerinsky, establishing a
present-minded "allocation of power and responsibility" within our
city’s government should be among the top priorities when revising
the charter.
Chemerinsky’s experience and vision for our city instill
confidence. If elected, we feel he will be a positive figure in
shaping Los Angeles government for the 21st century.