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September 27, 2006
Safe living
It wasn’t that long ago that the papers were filled with stories about workers comp rates and the impending financial collapse of California. I was one of those who helped fight for the changes and was happy to see them take place.
Before that, for those who remember – and it wasn’t that long ago – crime was the topic of the day. It was thought to be unsafe to live in California and especially Los Angeles. Not a day went by that we didn’t read that crime was the number one concern of our citizens.
You don’t hear nearly as much about crime these days. Perhaps that’s because Los Angeles is now the second safest city in the country (behind New York) of cities with over 1 million in population. Combine that with Simi Valley and Thousand Oaks perennially being two of the top three safest cities in the country with populations of over 100,000 and you begin to understand.
It’s great that crime and workers comps rates have dropped and congratulations to all of us. It is also a testament to how Californians can fix problems that we focus on and how solutions for seemingly insolvable problems are out there.
Our job as citizens – and voters – is to focus the attention of OUR elected officials on the issue WE think are important.
Californians – what’s next?
Comments
You are not being unrealistic and yes, our politicians are sometimes not as interactive as we would like. It is worth noting that they cannot respond, in depth, to every idea and contact.
However, they can be held accountable through letters to the editors and other public forums that with enough collective voices, demand to be heard. Volume plays an amazing role in generating interest from our electeds.
Keep trying!
Posted by: Scott Harris at September 27, 2006 01:42 PM
"Our job as citizens – and voters – is to focus the attention of OUR elected officials on the issue WE think are important."
Scott, what do you think is the best way to let elected officials know what issues we think is important? Time and time again, I have written to elected officials regarding various issues (living wage ordinances, position on school vouchers, public safety, etc) and I would say that I don't get a response 90% of the time. And when I do get a response, it is pretty namby-pamby. Am I being unrealistic to expect an answer? Are all the voters getting blown off? And what do you think about candidates that won't participate in public forums or debates? I won't vote for them because I figure if they won't take a position when they are running, I have nothing to judge and therefore they don't deserve my vote.
Posted by: Katie Teague at September 27, 2006 08:22 AM