The new year begins with parades and football and last night's party hats and champagne giving way to today's firm resolutions. We have our own, plus a "to do" list for government officials, all of it possible. What's required is forthright leadership. We wish particularly for that.
Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan, L.A. Police Chief Bernard Parks and L.A. Unified School District Supt. Ruben Zacarias will face challenges in 1998. So will City Council members, county supervisors, members of the state Legislature and Gov. Pete Wilson. The people need real solutions, not politically expedient ones. Here are some areas where we wish to see progress:
City of Los Angeles. The elected and appointed charter reform commissions should reach a consensus on meaty recommendations to streamline city government. The need to modernize the 72-year-old charter is obvious. The members of the two panels certainly can do the job. What we fear are the inertia, cynicism and bickering that have too long characterized city politics and the public's profound apathy and distrust of its local leaders.
Most Angelenos know how hard it can be to make a difference in the city's bureaucracy. That frustration resulted in passage of a state bill that clears the way for the San Fernando Valley potentially to form its own city. The Times strongly opposes splitting Los Angeles, but those who call city government unresponsive, arrogant and out of touch do have a point.
The way to fix that is for City Council members to treat each other civilly and represent not only their own districts but the city as a whole. Los Angeles is not 15 fiefdoms. Charter reform may force council members to change but we urge them to take the initiative. Open doors, give change a chance.
L.A. Unified School District. We have a long way to go here. We need improved student scores and performance. That requires more certified teachers, a textbook for every pupil in every class, an increase in the number of third-graders who read at grade level and more children transferred from classes taught in their native languages to classes in English. Major progress will require cooperation from the now-obstructionist unions that represent the teachers and administrators. Supt. Zacarias and the school board must firmly hold instructors and principals accountable. This generation of students deserves school years that are a positive experience.
