Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-05-05
THE NEW CHARTER.


At the request Of the City Council
4 We submit SEINE suggestions for you
consideration as to the new Charter
framed by your board Of Freeholder
OF Which Me are members, and which
will be submitted for your approval q
the election to be held next Monday
1. The most important of thu
changes proposed by the new Char
ter relate to the organization o
the City Government and thu
theory upon which it is to be con
Quoted. After careful consideration
Of the subject the Board determined
chat the only way to have the bust
ness Of the city properly attended tc
was to employ competent men to at
tend to it and pay them adequately fol
doing 30, and so far as was right and
practicable to have the heads of de-
partment appointed and subject to re-
moval BY the City Government, thus
q insuring more direct responsibility
This necessitated naturally the reduc.
ton in the number Of the Council.
men. The old system may work rea-
sonably we'll in q small town, but the
universal experience of all large OF
growing cities, including our own, is
that it is entirely unsatisfactory and
inadequate.
Ordinary business principles must
Z be carried into municipal government,
or the failure will always be marked
and disastrous. In the scheme pre-
nented for your acceptance the rights
Of the people are distinctly guarded
by leaving to their election
l. The Mayor, the Chief Executive
81 the city.
Q. The Council, the legislative
branch Of the Government.
3. The City Assessor, the Tax Col
lector, and License Collector, who
have charge OF assessing and collect
ing the taxes you pay.
A. The Auditor, the watchdog Of
the Treasury, who, as well as the
Mayor, has absolute power Of vetoing
any demand on the City Treasury.
s. The CITY Treasurer, responsible
for your public funds.
6. The City Clerk, who has charge
Of your archives aud other city p OPP
erty.
i. The City Attorney, the law
officer and adviser Of the Govern
ment.
us. The Police Judges, who admin
lister the laws and enforce your or
dinances.
These are the peoples officers and
servants, responsible directly and only
to the people.
The remaining officers and en-
ployees are more in the nature of
bureau officers, who hold Office at the
will Of the City Government, and are
30 under its control and can be held
to closer responsibility.
2. The new charter is vast i'm
provement upon the old in regard to
methods of opening, improving and
grading the public streets. Its provi-
sions on this point will, we confidently
hope, be found to be more simple, expe-
ditious, inexpensive, and, in the main,
more Just than the cumbersome, I'M
certain and tedious provisions Of the
present Charter in these respects.
In this connection an objection has
been urged to the provisions of Sec
ton 1863, that street shall not be re-
graded and improved after the grade
has once been established without
the consent Of the majority of prop
erty owners in each block fronting on
said street without compromising
such owners for any damage which is
occasioned thereby" and it Is urged
that this is unjust to the owners. This
provision was, in fact, inserted at the
instance Of owners Of property thus
affected, and for the express purpose
OF protecting them, and it is difficult
to see how that object could, with JUS
tice to the public interests, be more
effectually provided for. It is hardly
possible that . case could occur in
which the interests of the owners Of
property in any one block would be
materially divergent, and such cases
the powers Of the Council are ample to
provide for.
8. As to the limit Of taxation and
indebtedness. much objection has
been made to s'the dollar limit" as
provided in Sec ion 2, Subdivision 10.
One answer to this is that it has
been found to work admirably in San
Francisco in checking the extrava.
gance and waste Of the Council and
officers.
Again, the Assessor and the Council,
rs Board of Equalization, have it in
their power, by raising the valuation,
to increase the tax. 1t is evident that
some check should be put on the ex-
penditurcs of the city, and mature de-
liberation, after consultation with cit
liens best fitted to judge, led to the
adoption of the limit of 81 on each
500. The same reasons led to the
adoption of the $2,O00,0 limit tor
the ordinary bonded indebtedness oil
the city (See Section 222); but special
exception is made f,r raising on bonds
all the money that may be necessary
to provide the city with proper water
works and sewer &c systems. The
crying need for both Of these improve
ments is SO patent to you all that ar
gument is unnecessary.
4. A great deal has been made oui
OF the discrepancy between the pro-
vision Of Sections 6 and 116 Of the
Charter, the former providing that
four member of the Board of Health
shall be appointed by the Mayor and
confirmed by the Council, and the
latter that they shall be appointed BY
the Council. This inadvertent dis.
crepancy is, of course to, be regretted
but the mere statement of the casl
suggests the answer: ~ As lega
proposition the provisions Of the las
Section, being especially devoted d
the Board of Health, will control
(2) Inasmuch as the appointment
must in either case be acceptable t.
the Council, the Mayor can appoin
and the Council confirm, and imme
diately the Council can by separat
action appoint, thus fulfilling the lie
auirements of both Sections. (3) fifth
whole system proposed as to the Boar,
of Health should fall to the ground
the Council has power, constitution
allu and hv the Chartar to annnint