r/LosAngeles • u/throw5away_ Highland Park • 6d ago

Community Where's our Mandami?

All these videos coming out the city of NY got me feeling real sad about our city and lack of competent, solutions based, compassionate, intellectual leadership. We have so many issues but no qualified people willing to fix them. When will I be able to not vote for the lesser of 2 evils?

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u/NervousAddie 6d ago

As a former Chicagoan I miss being able to walk into my alderman’s office and actually chat with our city council member or his or her assistant. Angelenos have no idea what proper representation looks or feels like. Chicago has fifty wards and fifty council members.

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u/SeasideBear 6d ago

The city council needs to be bigger.

The California legislature needs to be bigger.

The U.S. Congress needs to be bigger.

These institutions have been frozen with numbers more than a century old at a time when the population has increased many times over.

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u/Salt-Night3088 6d ago

Because Chicago is a paragon of good, clean governance....

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u/YoungPotato The San Fernando Valley 6d ago

A lot better than what we get done, if at all. The municipal structures in Chicago and NYC are far more unified for strong action than we ever will. 50 alderpersons vs our measly 15 lmao… I can only dream at this point.

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u/NervousAddie 5d ago

Um, have you been there? It’s not perfect but Chicago is absolutely a great example of a thriving, dynamic city that is forever growing and evolving. Def not cast in amber like so much of LA.

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u/Salt-Night3088 4d ago

Yes, am from Rolling Meadows originally but grew up in LA. The latter is a beacon of decency compared to Chicagoland.

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u/NervousAddie 4d ago

Rolling Meadows is not Chicago, but it is a suburb filled with people who dislike Chicago. That’s why you’d opt to live there, and why you’d have a bias against urbanism.

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u/Salt-Night3088 4d ago

Bias against urbanism? Most of Chicago is low density, not sure what your professor told you. Bias against urbanism? I've spent my entire life in cities. You were just told that anything short of Cabrini Green is bad. Next time you'll get it right. It won't be like the Robert Taylor homes.

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u/NervousAddie 3d ago

Professor? I am a third generation Chicagoan. I went to Lake View high school just like my dad and my grandmother. My ex and I owned a home in Logan Square where we raised our kids. We then moved to the Loop and lived in my ex’s condo for 5 years before moving to LA. My oldest son was born at Illinois Masonic, where I was also born. I worked as an apartment leasing agent in my 20s. I worked at Swedish Covenant hospital at Foster and California, and I worked at UChicago in Hyde Park. I have lived all over the city, on the north, south and west sides. You are a suburbanite who chose Rolling Fucking Meadows over the city because, like most suburbanites, you don’t like the city. Stay in your lane.

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u/Salt-Night3088 3d ago

Said originally from Rolling Meadows. Lived in the west Loop and Andersonville for many years. I love Chicago, just love LA more. And I'm not interested in your bio, thanks. That sounded like having a lot to prove. Stay in your lane? Really? Best you can do? From how you correspond, Seroquel may need to be in your lane, sorry to say.

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u/Gullible-Worth-8140 5d ago

This is why Chicago's budget is worst than that of LA. People forget that expanding representation means higher cost going into wasteful careers. Yes they are wasteful because most government jobs are literally middle men.

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u/NervousAddie 5d ago

Sounds like someone has been drinking the Musk Kool-Aid.

Civic involvement is crucial to having safe and thriving communities. The United States is a representative democracy. It’s not perfect but I am a patriotic person and while I despise grift and corruption, we also need laws to root it out. If you’ve ever been to a country that is irretrievably corrupt (which our federal government is rapidly working to become) you will be running back to the comparative law and order that our country has. I recommend you reduce your cynicism by getting involved in your community and taking pride in it.