Conor Friedersdorf writes that Los Angeles is made up by 88 different municipalities, 10 million residents and a lot of unincorporated territory, making it difficult to decide who controls what.
That lax regard for territorial responsibility has led to corruption, says Friedersdorf:
"In Maywood, years of financial mismanagement forced the city to dismantle its police department and lay off all city workers. The Los Angeles Times just won a Pulitzer for its coverage of corruption in Bell, where city officials paid themselves many millions in excessive salary and benefits. Something similar happened in Lynwood a few years back..."
Worst of all, says Friedersdorf, is Vernon, CA, a town of almost purely industrial uses and only 112 people, which may soon be stripped of its status as a city by the state of California.
FULL STORY: Los Angeles Is 88 Cities, Many of Them Corrupt
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