Los Angeles herald., 1909-10-08
Will VOTE ON
CITY HALL SALE
CITIZENS TO DECIDE AT NEXT
GENERAL ELECTION
ALSO TO DISPOSE OF PRESENT
JAIL QUARTERS
oromaold objects to Method Because
He Believes the Whole Public
Does Not Understand
the Situation

AilC
IF Councilman Dromgold can make
I'm his mind to trust the people, anu
perhaps even if he can't the voters u
Los Angeles will have chance TO say
if they want to sell the city nan anu anu
nollce station. The matter propaply
will be referred to them at the neAI
general election in DECEMBER -
,This is considered the best way TO
settle the moot question of the sdle
of the city hall and the police station,
and the council yesterday instructed
CITY Attorney Hewitt to present res res,
olution to the council next Tuesday
authorizing the matter to be suplnlt'eo
at the next general election ...z
When this question was alscusseu
Yesterday Dromgold objected
1.-THE people as a whole do not know
the situation at the city hall, he sala;
''They do not fully realize how croWoeo
we are, and [ am sure sectional Ieel-
ing will enter largely into the matter
il it is submitted to vote
Afraid of South End
"The voting strength of the city is
in the south end, and all the proposals
we have had for city hall sites nave
been north of First street. The people
will feel inclined to vote against the
sale of the hall rather than let II go
north. l would much rather nave Ihe
supreme court pass on the rlght VI
the council to dispose of the city nail
property than have it decided Dy d
vote of the people when the peopIe
have not fully digested the matter
at think the people know GOOD
deal" answered Councilman Walldce'
.sThey can be trusted to express thelr
opinions pretty largely, and l 90 not
believe it will stir up sectional Ieei7
ing. The sale of the present city nan
site does not necessarily mean thaI we
will locate the new city hall building
north of First street. l personally pc
lieve it would be largely to the city
advantage to go south. But we must
sell the present city hall and ITS
grounds before we can hope to build
q new one anywhere"
First Decided on Test
The plan of the council, at first, was
to have the supreme court interpret
the new charter amendment that Tor
bids the city council to dispose OF mar
hor frontage, tidelands, "or any other
real property used for public purposes
by bringing a test suit. Ihe CITY at
torney had been instructed to prepare
an ordinance and present II 10 .a9 tne
council that would take the matter
into the courts.
Accordingly. Mr.. Hewitt yesterday
presented an ordinance declaring it the
intention of the council to.sen the city
hall property. The plan was for the
city clerk to refuse to publish the
ordinance and a mandamus suit TO De
brought against him to compel MN
to do so. This would be argued up to
the supreme court and that body would
be asked to interpret the charter
amendment that had caused the city
clerk to refuse to publish the ordl-
nance.
But Mr. Hewitt yesterday told the
council that it would probably be Wen
along in January before the supreme
court could give a decision, and this
would carry the matter over into the
term of the new council. He suggested
the people could decide the matter be-
fore that time at the next general
election. AS the council Is anxious 10
arrange for a new city hall as soon as
possible, it was decided to have the
city attorney present resolution sub
mitting the matter to the people.
VIII Test Another Case
The city attorney is anxious to have
the meaning of the charter amendment
decided by the supreme court, and an
other piece of land will be used for
the test case. The city has an engine
house site on Reno street that it pur-
chased recently and which it Is
anxious to sell because it has since
been found unsatisfactory. This lot
will be used in the suit and the city
attorney believes it better than the
city hall site, for no engine house has
been built on the lot and it never has
been used for public purposes. The
charter amendment will be found
little ineonvenient If it is necessary
tor, Of oil inc a
small parcel of land like an engine
house site to the public for vote
every time it is found necessary to
dispose of such property.
The plan of the council is to sell the
building occupied as a city hall and
the land on which it stands with the
city hall park, and, with the proceeds
build a modern office building that
will satisfy the needs of the growing
municipality. The city long ago out
grew the city hall 1t is filled with
offices from cellar to attic, and yet 1t
is necessary for the city to pay 100000
a year for rent for offices outside the
hall.
Jail Is outsrown
The city Jail also is too small for a
city the size of Los Angeles, and its
crowded condition is not much re-
leyed by the sub-stations The
crowded condition of the Jail is more
noticeable in the offices of the prose-
cutting attorney and the police Of
ficials, although it is bad enough in
the other portions. It has been found
necessary to move the receiving hos
pital out of the Jail to make more
Foom.
The council believes that both the
city hall and the jail can be sold and
that the money realized will pay for
the construction of more modern and
roomy buildings on cheaper land. 1t
proposes, if the sale is made, to re-
tain the buildings until the new struc-
lures are ready for occupancy.
To Review Taft Parade
The cnnncil vastardav a11thnriznd L.