D.J. Waldie
D. J. Waldie is the author of "Holy Land: A Suburban Memoir" and "Where We Are Now: Notes from Los Angeles," among other books about the social history of Southern California. He is a contributing editor for the Los Angeles Times.
Most cities in California have a city manager whose job, among many others, is to turn good ideas into workable programs.
California's cities earn overwhelming approval from voters. The Legislature has a dismal rating.
In looking for a poet laureate we may reconcile some of our past and find ways of looking at our common future.
Buckling sidewalks, decomposing streets, leaking water mains, and failing sewers add up to a city that's lost focus and is losing the faith of its residents.
What could be wrong with local self-government? If the goal is "municipal consolidation," incorporation is just one more inconvenience.