Los Angeles herald., 1907-02-05
COMPROMISE
WILL NOT Be
CONSIDERED
Butler Discusses the
Situation
Consolidation Commission viii Stand
by Bill Prepared by Law Conn
mittee and Fight In
Legislature


sion intends to stand by its guns and
make the fight I'm the legislature on the
bill prepared by it's law committee and
which has been introduced in both
houses.
Fortified by resolutions to be adopted
by the board of county supervisors and
various civic bodies of Los Angeles
and perhaps those of leading cities
the state, members of the
commission, accompanied by delega-
tion of business men of Los Angeles and
San Pedro will start for Sacramento
next Sunday, prepared to storm the
legislative halls Monday.
Senator SaVage's compromise for
bin providing for n two-thirds vote on
the question of consolidating munich
pallties will be rejected, and the COM
mission hopes that with the moral sup
port it will receive 1t will be able TO
convince the Legislature that the
measure prepared by the law committee
OF the commission is a reasonable one
and such a measure that the state of
California should have upon the statute
books in the interest not only of Los
Angeles and San Pedro but that of all
other growing cities and municipalities
throughout the commonwealth.
Two Other Courses
possible defeat of it's measure, and
members of the body express them
selves as confident that the consolida-
tion of Los Angeles and San Pedro will
take place, regardless of the action Of
the legislature.
AS previously announced, arrange
ments have been made with the chief
Justice of the supreme court by which
suit to decide whether the present
tl..ta 4. =
supreme court and an opinion rendered
within the next thirty days.
Should the court decide that the
present law is sufficient, the election
will proceed regardless of the action of
the legiSla ''-'-e on the commissions bill,
but should this measure be passed in
the meantime the provisions of the lat
ter bill will be waved.
In event. how ", that the supreme
court makes any yerse decision on the
present law and ,he legislature refuses
to pass the commissions bill the COM
mission then will fall back upon the
law, which provides that in order FOR
two municipalities to consolidate one of
them must disincorporate.
Provide for Borough System
The consolidation commission is solid
ly pledged to the borough system,
WH1Cn, Iile IIltlllDtIS say, HAS pIONtu W
be the best plan yet worked out for the
government of large cities or cities
which have become consolidated.
President Butler of the commission
said yesterday that even should it he
come necessary for San Pedro to disin-
corporate, the delay, If any, in securing
the adoption of the borough system
would be very slight, as under the law
the combined city would be compelled
to adopt a new charter, and such a
charter would provide for the borough
system, by means of which San Pedro
would not lose its identity and prac-
tically would be self-governing.
President Butler said since returning
from Sacramento he had conferred with
individual members of the commission,
and that they were unanimous in de-
claring in favor of the bill prepared by
the law committee of the commission.
A meeting of the commission will be
held tonight, at which arrangements
will be made for enlisting the aid of the
county commissioners, various civic
bodies and citizens generally of Los
Angeles and San Pedro in behalf of
the commissions bill.
Without an Amendment
President Butler said
Senator SaVage's proposal to make
the voting requirement two-thirds in
each of the communities affected, in
stead of a simple majority, does not
meet my approval, and L am confident
the commission will not indorse such a
plan. We can bring about the merging
of Los Angeles and San Pedro without
constitutional amendment, if we have
to get a two-thirds vote to make IT
good. Under existing laws, San Pedro
can disincorporate by a two-thirds vote,
and that would make feasible the join
ing of the two cities by annexation, so
we would have little to gain by con-
stitutional amendment of that kind.
II favor the passage of strong reso-
lutions of n tenor that cannot be mis-
understood by representative bodies of
this city and county, advising our men,
bers of the Legislature as to where the
people down here stand on this ques.
tion. We have seen that we cannot get
action through Senator Savage, and will
proceed, If my plan is approved by the
other members of the commission. to
let the other members of both houses
know where we stand.'