Dan Walters: Tiny Vernon sits on a pile of money
Published: Monday, Mar. 21, 2011 - 12:00 am | Page 3A
The term "rotten borough" emerged in 18th-century England to describe a town that had received royal permission to send members to Parliament but lacked sufficient population to justify representation.
That definition might fit Vernon, the state's smallest city, at least in terms of population, which lies on the southeastern border of the largest, Los Angeles.
But the alternative definition of "rotten," something decaying, could also apply to Vernon, founded 106 years ago as an enclave devoted to business, not people. It has been controlled for generations by a close-knit oligarchy that makes certain that Vernon's 112 residents toe the political line.
It's not the only such city in Los Angeles County devoted to industry and commerce. In fact, two others are named Industry and Commerce.
Nor is it Los Angeles County's only city that could fairly be called a rotten borough. Corruption is virtually a cottage industry in its dense array of smaller cities. One, Bell, has become a poster child for piratical municipal behavior.
Vernon, however, is the county's only rotten borough that has been targeted for disincorporation by the speaker of the state Assembly, John A. Pérez. He is carrying a bill that would wipe out Vernon's city government and make it an unincorporated community. That's if it's enacted despite efforts by Vernon's high-powered army of lobbyists and survives inevitable legal battles.
Why? Pérez, whose district includes Vernon, insists that good government is his only motive. He cites the city's long history of iron-fisted political rule, its lack of meaningful city elections and its history of corruption charges.
Noting that one man, Leonis Malburg, served as mayor for more than 50 years before being convicted of voter fraud and other political crimes, Pérez contends that "They act as a fiefdom, for the benefit of the handful of people that control it."
That's demonstrably true, but it's also true of Los Angeles County's other rotten boroughs. A genuine good government bill would completely reorganize the county's mishmash of local governments.
One must wonder whether there are other motives at work here.
Vernon, as noted earlier, abuts Los Angeles, whose population is 34,000 times as large. Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa happens to be Pérez's cousin and political patron. And Los Angeles has an immense budget deficit.
Tiny Vernon generates a quarter-billion-dollar stream of revenue each year, much of it from city-owned electric, gas and water utilities. It obviously doesn't need to spend much on 112 residents. It also plays host each day to 50,000 workers in its many industrial and commercial tenants.
Los Angeles city officials have already acknowledged that should Vernon cease to exist, they'd like to annex it.
You bet they would.
That definition might fit Vernon, the state's smallest city, at least in terms of population, which lies on the southeastern border of the largest, Los Angeles.
But the alternative definition of "rotten," something decaying, could also apply to Vernon, founded 106 years ago as an enclave devoted to business, not people. It has been controlled for generations by a close-knit oligarchy that makes certain that Vernon's 112 residents toe the political line.
It's not the only such city in Los Angeles County devoted to industry and commerce. In fact, two others are named Industry and Commerce.
Nor is it Los Angeles County's only city that could fairly be called a rotten borough. Corruption is virtually a cottage industry in its dense array of smaller cities. One, Bell, has become a poster child for piratical municipal behavior.
Vernon, however, is the county's only rotten borough that has been targeted for disincorporation by the speaker of the state Assembly, John A. Pérez. He is carrying a bill that would wipe out Vernon's city government and make it an unincorporated community. That's if it's enacted despite efforts by Vernon's high-powered army of lobbyists and survives inevitable legal battles.
Why? Pérez, whose district includes Vernon, insists that good government is his only motive. He cites the city's long history of iron-fisted political rule, its lack of meaningful city elections and its history of corruption charges.
Noting that one man, Leonis Malburg, served as mayor for more than 50 years before being convicted of voter fraud and other political crimes, Pérez contends that "They act as a fiefdom, for the benefit of the handful of people that control it."
That's demonstrably true, but it's also true of Los Angeles County's other rotten boroughs. A genuine good government bill would completely reorganize the county's mishmash of local governments.
One must wonder whether there are other motives at work here.
Vernon, as noted earlier, abuts Los Angeles, whose population is 34,000 times as large. Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa happens to be Pérez's cousin and political patron. And Los Angeles has an immense budget deficit.
Tiny Vernon generates a quarter-billion-dollar stream of revenue each year, much of it from city-owned electric, gas and water utilities. It obviously doesn't need to spend much on 112 residents. It also plays host each day to 50,000 workers in its many industrial and commercial tenants.
Los Angeles city officials have already acknowledged that should Vernon cease to exist, they'd like to annex it.
You bet they would.
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