Los Angeles herald., 1907-06-26
SAN PEDRO CAN
Be ANNEXED IF
She SEEKS UNION
Still a City Of Sixth
Class Says Hewitt
Under City Attorneys Ruling Her
Citizens May Disincorporate, as
Election of Two Years Ago
Was Irregular

That San Pedro is still a city of the
sixth class and that as such she can
disincorporate and be annexed to Los
Angeles if that is the will of the citizens
there, is the opinion of City Attorney
Leslie r. Hewitt of Los Angeles, just
made public.
This opinion grows out of the renewed
movement in the harbor city to join
that city and Los Angeles, and from the
visit of delegation of prominent resi-
dents to learn If by any loophole they
could start new movement to get
within the folds of the empire city of
the southwest
Mr.. Hewitt has carefully looked up the
law. which convinces him that annexa-
ton is entirely feasible. He told the cit
liens that there is still land available
on the harbor front to which the corpora
tions have no clear claim, and he per-
sonally is favorable to jointure.
BY Narrow Majority
1.-TWO years ago, on February q, 1905,
the city of San Pedro had special cleo
ton to determine whether it shall be a
votes were cast-291 for reducing to the
fifth class and 274 against" said Mr..
Hewitt, explaining the status.
There was but one, other way, by
which San Pedro could be annexed to
Los Angeles, and that was by first dlsin-
cooperating and then being annexed as
inhabited territory.
There is only one law on the statute
books relating to disincorporation,. and
that refers exclusively to cities of the
sixth class. Manfestly the question
a city of the sixth class to one of the
fifth class becomes important
IF San Pedro never legally became a
city of the fifth class it still remains in
the sixth class in law.
''The old city officers were holdovers
as officers of the sixth class. On April g.,
however, new officers were elected and
the city started out, as it supposed, a
fi1l pify Of the fifth class bX
electing officers on that basis.
Done at Special Election
1.-THE proceedings show that the re-
organization to the fifth class was
brought about at a special election called
for that purpose by one-ffth of the quail
fed voters in response to petition filed
with the board of trustees.
Now the law for reorganization of
cities prevailing between 1S97-99 provided
that the question of reorganization could
be submitted at a general or special cleo
ton. This applied to all cities and muni-
cipal corporations.
ION March s, 1899, a law we went Mt into to
erect pr9vlaihg d1r re3rsaIhlzaIio th o1
to be submitted at special elections.
within two weeks after passage of
this latter act another was passed pur-
porting to repeal all acts and parts OF
acts inconsistent with its provisions.
Here is the point: Manifestly this act
of March 8, 1899, could not have repealed
the law lnen III Jorge Teidllll6 W Tic re-
organization of cities, because it was
.esnly4 inconsistent with the then existing
law only so far as cities of the sixth
class are concerned.
Therefore the effect of the act of
March s, 1899, was simply to limit the
operation of the then existing law so
that it would not apply to cities of the
sixth class.
''But within twelve days after the
passage of the act of March s, 1899, and
at the same session of the legislature,
another law was passed amending the
general law for reorganizating cities and
applicable to cities of all classes proyid-
ing that the question of the reorganiza-
tfon of cities should be submitted only
at the next general election to be held in
the city after filing the petition.
Legislature Gets Tangled
'eThe acts of March 8. 1899. and of
March 90 1899 are therefore inconsistent
and undoubtedly the act of March was
repealed by the act of March %, and
since that time (the latter date elections
for reorganizing of cities in the state
could only be held at general elections
held in the cities.
1.-THE conclusion therefore would be
that very grave doubt has been cast
upon the present organization OF the city
of San Pedro as city of the fifth class
in fact. 1t could safely be said that the
city never did legally pass from the
sixth to the fifth classes.
Now then. as a city of the sixth
class San Pedro can be dsncoproated
by proceedings had therefor and be an
class San Pedro can be disincorporated
inhabited territory just as soon as distn-
corporation is completed"