Council Votes

* One important item not discussed in Harriet Bilford’s column (“Uh, Council, You’re on the Air,” Nov. 23) is how our esteemed City Council members vote.

Years ago, when a vote was taken, the “score” was displayed on a scoreboard. It displayed all council members who were present. When the vote was tallied, a red (no) or green (yes) light alongside each name let everyone in the council chambers know who voted and how they voted.

This practice has been changed. Now when a councilperson is present, unless that member votes “no,” his/her vote automatically counts as yes. Also, nowadays the red/green lights do not function. No one knows who voted and how they voted.

It is amazing that most votes are 12-0, 13-0, 14-0 or maybe 13-1. To amuse myself, I studied the process. I discovered, as stated by Bilford, that members are usually busy, away from their desks, on the phone and roaming around the chambers when votes are taken.

One time, one of the council members came to where I was sitting for a little chat. While the chat was in progress, a vote was taken. The council member said to me, “Oh, I missed that vote.” The final tally was 12-0. The council member somehow voted “yes” when she was not even close to her desk.

I would recommend that everyone in Los Angeles either attend a council meeting or tune in to L.A. CityView [Channel 35] on cable to see for themselves how their elected officials really do not care about their constituents, who elected them to represent us.

JERRY J. LINDER

Woodland Hills