A Honeymoon’s Over Letter to the Mayor : Riordan must move aggressively on a number of fronts, including fighting crime, prioritizing the budget, improving public schools and revitalizing the Valley.

Memo to Richard Riordan:

It is 101 days since you became mayor of the city of Los Angeles. Residents and businesses in the San Fernando Valley are anxiously waiting for you to “turn Los Angeles around.”

Elected officials commonly are reviewed and judged after their first 100 days in office. What has been accomplished during your first 100 days?

Chiefly, you claim credit for settling the Department of Water and Power strike. However, the 9% raises given to employees has caused dissension and calls for “me-too” raises from police officers and other city employees who have received no raises in the last 14 months. Their position is reasonable, but there is no extra money.

The scarcity of accomplishments reflects the complexity of the problems, not your lack of concern. Still, I’d like to remind you of some urgent needs in the San Fernando Valley.

As an attorney, businessman and civic leader, you realize the need to make major changes in the city to accomplish your goals.

As mayor, you need to both lead the city and the City Council. The City Charter gives control to the council--not the mayor. However, your ability to appoint city commissioners and propose changes will enable you to rebuild Los Angeles--with the help and approval of at least eight members of the City Council.

What issues must be focused on in the Valley? Those most discussed are:

* Police: The city will not be able to rebuild its economic base unless residents and businesses believe their community is safe. The image in the Valley and city is that most areas are not safe. Police statistics may indicate otherwise, but what is important is the public’s perception. Until there is greater police presence and visibility, the fear that exists in our public parks, shopping malls and even in the garages of apartment buildings will not cease.

New ideas are needed. The city spends more than $1 billion dollars a year on the Police Department. Private businesses should be encouraged to hire trained, licensed private security guards. Businesses and neighborhoods should be allowed to hire off-duty police officers to supplement the police force.

* City Budget: All city departments should be required to justify their budgets. They should each start with a zero budget and be required to prioritize all expenditures. You can then determine the spending priorities.

City agencies now fight decreases by proposing to eliminate the most popular and important programs, hoping for public outcry.

* Public Schools: I realize that you were elected mayor, not a member of the school board. However, the students in our public schools are not receiving an education to prepare them for the 21st Century.

When involuntary busing started in the 1970s, students fled to private schools. When mandatory busing ended, they did not return. Why? Parents learned that the quality of private education far surpassed that in the public schools, and they were willing to sacrifice to give their children a quality education.

Unless the public school system is rebuilt, the city and Valley will not be able to attract and retain businesses or stop the flight of parents from Los Angeles.

* Revitalization of the Valley: In the 1980s there was large growth and development within the Valley. Now businesses and people are moving out. Why?

Of course, there is a recession. However, look around. Graffiti is everywhere. Communities are deteriorating.

There must be a partnership of business, homeowners’ associations and the city to clean up the Valley. Make businesses and residents from other areas of the city want to locate in the Valley. The rebirth of the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica proves that areas can be revitalized with leadership and cooperation.

* Burbank and Van Nuys airports: The Burbank Airport wants to grow by more than 300%. Airport noise already far exceeds state limits. There are substantial safety problems because there are three airports in the San Fernando Valley.

Los Angeles must persuade the cities of Burbank, Glendale and Pasadena, which own the Burbank Airport, that the size and capacity of the new terminal must be the same as the current facility’s. The airport is located in residential areas and already causes major problems.

Van Nuys Airport is causing increasing problems. Private helicopter service (non-emergency helicopters) disturbs large areas of the south Valley as they take people on sightseeing and dinner flights. Controls must be imposed.

* City Charter: The city’s charter needs to be brought up to date. The problems of the city cannot be controlled by 15 council members, each with a separate agenda. The mayor should be chief executive officer of the city. If you are responsible for the future of Los Angeles, you must be given the authority to “turn Los Angeles around.”

More than 1 million Valley residents are relying on you and hoping you succeed. If you are successful, you could become governor of California. If successful there, you could become . . .