SOUNDING OFF -- Jeff Lebow
If the issue we are discussing is better representation, then I find
it hard to understand how reducing the size of our City Council to five
members makes any sense at all.
We are a city of nearly 200,000 residents. Political observers agree
that the more concentrated the executive power, the easier it is for
special interests to dictate the agenda and outcomes. Strike one.
If the issue is accountability to neighborhoods, then a district
concept offers increased localization along with the risk of infighting
between potentially disparate neighborhood needs, as Councilwoman Shirley
Dettloff has suggested. Our city already has defacto district issues that
clearly establish competing interests between the Downtown, harbor,
southeast and northern parts of our city.
District representatives would have to form coalitions to get projects
prioritized and funded. To institutionalize horse trading and back room
dealing is the last thing we need and want. Strike two.
The Newport Beach electorate votes for a representative from each of
their seven districts. On the surface this seems like a potential
solution, however, there are no rules that geographically limit the
financial support from one district to another. What would prohibit an
affluent district from bankrolling and electing their own candidate in
another district? Strike three.
Locally and nationally low voter participation is undermining our
democracy. We are turned off by a system run, essentially, by big money
purchases of visibility for and influence over selected representatives
willing to do the bidding of their benefactors.
Does Enron exemplify anything less? I am suggesting that if Huntington
Beach is truly interested in better representation and leadership, we
should concentrate on campaign finance reform combined with free media
exposure for all candidates negotiated as part of our franchise
agreements with Time Warner.
Local forums can be used to reach those who do not have cable. By
creating a level playing field through real political reform, we would
see the emergence of new leaders with new ideas and solutions.
Former Assemblyman Scott Baugh’s suggested reforms sound a bit like
rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. If adopted, it will be even
easier for the well-to-do patrons to secure their seats in the lifeboats.
* JEFF LEBOW is a Huntington Beach resident. To contribute to Sounding
Off, fax us at (714) 965-7174 or send an e-mail to hbindy@latimes.com.
All the latest on Orange County from Orange County.
Get our free TimesOC newsletter.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Daily Pilot.