Los Angeles herald., 1910-10-19
WATER QUESTION
MAY FORCE ISSUE
ONCONSOLIDATION
Mayor Takes the First Steps for
Merging City and County
Governments
ASKS COMMITTEE BE NAMED
Executive Indicates Necessity for
ACtiOn-Before LegiSIa-
ture ConVeneS
ASKS COMMITTEE BE NAMED

First steps for the consolidation of
city and county governments were
taken yesterday by Mayor Alexander,
when, In a message to the council, he
asked that body either to appoint
committee to consider the matter or
to authorize him to do so. The may
ors idea is that this committee should
consist of nine members, some of them
laymen and others lawyers, and some
to be appointed from the various civic
bodies.
Consolidation and disposal of the
surplus owens river water and power
are so correlated that one practically
depends on the other. This was
brought out at the meetings held re-
Gently to discuss the disposal of the
water and power.
Something must be done soon," said
Mayor Alexander yesterday, '1f we
are to have the necessary legislation
to enable us to perfect consolidation.
The state legislature will meet in two
months, and If action is needed by
that body to enable us to carry out
our plans we must decide very soon
what we are to ask. Any charter
amendments that might be adopted
would have to be ratified by the legis-
lature, and the legal machinery incl
dent to submitting charter amend
ments to vote Of the people requires
time.
CHANGES NECESSARY
"While a charter amendment adopt
ed by the people in February, 1909,
permits of city and county consolida-
ton, some changes may be necessary
to conform to changes in conditions.
do not know what .wousd be -eai;ired.
That must be left 20 She committee.
II have been approached by commit
tees from Covina, Azusa, San Fer
nando, Glendora and other places in
the county expressing a willingness
to become part of the city of Los An
geles in order to secure some of the
Owens river water. These commit
tees have asked to consult with some
official body which is in a position to
tell them what is necessary, but there
is no such body in existence That
would be one of the functions Of the
committee 1 expect to have appointed.
mo plan has been agreed on for the
disposal of the Owens river surplus
water. 1t was to get ideas for abe
formulation of such a plan that the
public discussions on the matter were
held. The definite proposal that came
out of these meetings was that the
city and county governments must be
consolidated If we are to dispose of
the surplus to the best advantage, and
that the territory to be included in
such q consolidated government must
be only that which the water we have
to dispose Of will provide for.
CALLS FOR ACTION
"I am not prepared to suggest the
boundary lines for our Greater Los
Angeles. That is detail that must
be carefully worked out and 1t will
take so~'o time. That is another rea-
son for quick action in selecting this
committee"
committee was appointed consisting
of members from the various civic
bodies. This committee found some
stumbling blocks In the way of con-
solidating the entire city and county,
and concentrated its energies on the
consolidation of Los Angeles with San
Pedro and Wilmington.
To effect this merger the "shoe-
string strip was first annexed, giving
Los Angeles a strip of territory reach
ing from the southern boundaries of
the old city to the lines of Wilmington
and San Pedro. A charter amendment
was then adopted and ratified by the
legislature that provided for the con-
solidation of the harbor cities.
This amendment is general in its
terms and permits a general consoli-
that the council shall assume the du-
ties of the board of supervisors and
that one set of officials shall perform
the duties of the two sets now exist
ing. 1t provides a borough system,
giving the consolidated municipalities
the right of self-government in mat
ters that affect them locally. Some
faults have been found with this pro-
vision OF the charter, and it may be
necessary to again amend 1t to meet
changed conditions.
DISCUSSES PROBLEMS
The mayors letter. which was re-
ferred to the public welfare commit
tee, follows:
October IS, 1910.
To the Honorable, the City Coun-
cil-Gentlemen:
The question of the consolida-
tion of city and county govern
ments in Los Angeles has for
number OF years past come for
ward for discussion, and the con-
siderations that have been urged
heretofore in support of such
change in our form Of government
have been mainly, first the saving
of expense of administration ana
the amount of taxation, by reduc-
ing the number of officials. and,
secondly, the absurdity Of having
two governments, one city and the
other county, exercising jurisdic-
tion over the same territory, es-
pecially In view of the great in
crease In the population of our city
and its surrounding territory.
It seems to me, however that
the project of the consolidation OF
city and county governments here
has recently taken new and more
concrete form, arising out of the
problem that now confronts this
city in devising systems for the dis