Los Angeles herald., 1910-11-17
MAYOR TO LEAVE
CONSOLIDATION IN
HANDS OF BOARD
Neither Alexander Nor Commis-
sion Has Formed Plan for
City and County Merger
MAY SEEK AN ENABLING ACT
Pasadena and Long Beach May
orS Come Out as Opposed
to Annexation

Mayor Alexander announced yester-
day that he would call a meeting of
the newly appointed consolidation COM
mission on the earliest date on which
full meeting of that body can be had.
The mayor realizes that the proposed
consolidation of city and county is
matter of great Importance and that
it will require a tremendous amount of
work to bring it about. In other words,
he appreciates the fact that the COM
mission has a herculean task before 1t,
and he is anxious that the commission
ers get down to work and arrive at
tentative plan as soon as practicable.
In all probability the state legisla-
ture will be asked to pass an enabling
act and it is hoped that whatever
legislation may be needed can be Sc
cured at the next session, when Leslie
r. Hewitt, a member of the commits
sion, will be in the assembly to push it.
The public meetings already held on
this question have reached no con-
clusion and Mayor Alexander himself
has no plan to urge. II am leaving all
that to the commission" he said yes
terday, land l shall have no sugges-
tions to make. The men named, be-
lieve, are we'll able to handle the prob
lem submitted to them, and l shall
neither attempt to direct them or in
fluence them in any way"
A difficult feature of the task doubt
less will be opposition to the proposed
consolidation on the part of incorpor-
ated cities within the tertiary which
it Is proposed to consolidate. 1t is
thought, however, that this objection
may be met by the adoption of the
borough system of government which
would permit Pasadena, Long Beach.
the other beach cities, and in fact all
cities within the new area, to retain
their autonomy.
WATER SALE A PROBLEM
It is pointed out that the primal pur-
pose of the consolidation will be de-
feated unless these cities come in, as
that purpose is to enable Los Angeles
to sell water, light and power which
will be available once the owens river
aqueduct is an accomplished fact. This
can only be done by a municipality
within it's own borders. Were the prob
lem merely one to consolidate city and
county governments in order to reduce
governmental expenses some such plan
as that adopted at San Francisco, In
ST. Louis and at Denver would be easy
and in every way feasible, but Los
Angeles need is different and requires
a different solution.
There is, of course, no need for I'M
mediate consolidation, but there is need
for immediate action toward consoli-
dation, and that need is keenly appre-
ciated by the men to whom the mayor
has entrusted the task of meeting it.
The state legislature of 1910 will not be
dominated by corporate influence. TWO
years hence the reverse may be true.
Therefore it behooves friends ~of the
project to secure the legislation needed
when they can get it, in the house or
their friends, rather than to tempt the
uncertainties of the future.
Opposition to consolidation was IN
dicated by statements made yesterday
by Mayor Thomas Farley Of Pasadena
and Mayor c. H. Windham of Long
Beach. Each, however, was averse to
taking a decided stand on the question
until more fully informed regarding it.
EARLY OPPOSES PLAN
Mayor Farley of Pasadena said:
1--WE want to- see Los Angeles be-
come a great city, but on account OF
my official position L prefer not to
state my views on the subject Of city
and county consolidation until l be-
come more familiar with the plans and
purposes of the Los Angeles committee.
"I feel sure, from the number or
expressions have heard from citizens,
that Pasadena will not favor consolida-
L
the way matters now stand, leaving
Pasadena as a residence city. I believe
they favor remaining in Los Angeles
county, but that they would not favor
consolidation with Los Angeles"
Mayor Windham of Long Beach,
when interview at his home, 4S5
Cedar avenue, Long Beach, said:
II am always in favor of letting the
people express themselves on any
question of big public Importance 1
have not talked with any citizens here
on the specific matter of consolidation
with Los Angeles, but have not heard
anyone speak as being dissatisfied with
our present Independent condition or
as thinking of going into Los Angeles
either as borough or otherwise.
1--WE have thousands of acres of un-
developed water lands just north of
town, and, l believe, we have enough
water here for a half million people.
We are entirely independent of the
Owens river project.
81 have not studied the details of this
borough system, but do not see how
our town would be benefited by con-
solidation, and feel sure that the de-
termination that the city shall con-
tinue to stand alone is just as firm on
the part of a majority of our citizens
as it has appeared to be when any
consolidation question has been dis
cussed heretofore"
SAN PEDRO INTERESTED
The appointment of the commission
is a topic of much interest in San
Pedro. Under the present charter of
Los Angeles there is a provision for
borough forms of government for San
Pedro and Wilmington Fear has
been expressed that unless special pro-
vision is made for San Pedro and
Wilmington boroughs under city and
county consolidation these places
might lose the right to exercise the
privilege they now have to organize
borough, even though Pasadena
and other cities might be given this
privilege, because San Pedro and Will
mington are already a part of Los
Angeles.
Following are some OF the views ex-
pressed yesterday afternoon by San
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