Letters to the Editor: Expand the L.A. City Council or the L.A. County Board of Supervisors?

To the editor: There’s nothing positive that would come from a larger Los Angeles City Council. In my opinion, expanding it would only lead to longer delays in city business being done and even more corruption. (“Los Angeles needs a bigger City Council. Here are three ways to get it,” editorial, July 15)

However, what’s really needed is a larger L.A. County Board of Supervisors, expanded to at least seven members, maybe even nine. For only five people to have control over the most populous county in this country is absolutely absurd.

Charles L. Freeman Jr., Baldwin Hills

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To the editor: While Los Angeles studies how to make its government better serve its citizens by expanding the size of its City Council, it also needs to study how the neighborhood council system can be strengthened to serve its charter purpose to provide “increased public participation in government and working to make government more responsive to local needs.”

Five years on the board of my local council has convinced me that a significant overhaul is in order.

While decisions made by the neighborhood councils are advisory, L.A. City Council members should be mandated to proactively deal with them so the neighborhood councils can blunt the sway of deep-pocket special interests and well-organized groups advocating minority positions.

Walter Hall, North Hollywood

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To the editor: Los Angeles is overburdened with complexity in so many ways that until there are incentives for simplification, the dysfunctional bureaucracy will only get worse.

A bigger City Council should only come with or after simplification.

Alex Walter, Los Angeles