Childishness on Sewer Fee Debate

Sometimes the Los Angeles City Council is its own worst enemy. When seven members of the council stormed out of a meeting on revamping sewer fees earlier this month, they demonstrated how truly fractious, provincial and downright childish city government can be. That the walkout interrupted debate and delayed a vote on an issue dear to the hearts and wallets of San Fernando Valley residents surely will not go unnoticed by those agitating for a split from the city.

Faced with being at the losing end of a vote on adjusting the way the city calculates sewer charges, the seven members walked out of the Aug. 16 meeting, leaving the council without the required 10-member quorum and unable to continue. The issue returned to the council on Tuesday and passed on an 8-6 vote. Regardless of one’s position on the sewer charge, though, the council should be upbraided for acting like children on a playground.

The business of government is to work through tough questions, to build consensus and to find solutions that are both equitable and practical. By storming out, the council members only added credence to the complaints from many quarters that the body is ineffective and unable to deal with the problems of a city as big as Los Angeles. If the council cannot put aside its parochial interests and personal differences to settle an issue as simple as a sewer charge, then how can it possibly deal with something so complicated and wrenching as charter reform?

Those who walked out said they did so because the sewer charge debate was being railroaded through by council President John Ferraro--a charge he denied. Whatever the reason, a walkout only undermines the council’s credibility. The city faces tough decisions ahead--decisions that could very well change forever what kind of place Los Angeles is. Addressing those challenges successfully requires a City Council that is decisive, forceful and ever mindful of the metropolis it serves.