Handling Growth as a Region

In the 1990s, the seven-county region of Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, San Bernardino, Riverside, Ventura and Kern added more than 1.3 million residents. That’s the rough equivalent of dumping the populations of Seattle, Portland and Las Vegas onto the Southern California landscape. Significantly, it occurred even as the state’s image was in a rare free fall, with more people leaving than moving in. With a boom now upon us, we have to brace for a tidal wave.

By 2010, the population of the city of Los Angeles alone is expected to grow as much as 820,000. Southern California as a whole may expand over the next 20 years by 6.7 million residents. And in the midst of this unparalleled influx, there is barely a hint of the kind of regional cooperation among governments, businesses and citizens that might preserve services, living standards and conditions, if not improve them.

Oh, there’s a smattering of cooperation here and there. The 411-mile Metrolink commuter train system is perhaps the best example. There are meetings and discussions. The Southern California Assn. of Governments still struggles to be heard. But Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan received more attention from foreign governments on his recent city business trip to Asia than he gets here when he talks about regional cooperation.

Fortunately, there are several good examples of areas that have managed to set aside political and geographical rivalries and city/suburban issues of class and race.

The greater metropolitan areas of Pittsburgh and St. Louis each pool a share of local taxes to support symphonies, museums, stadiums and zoos. A similar regional tax-sharing plan exists in Minneapolis-St. Paul. A four-county, 58-city group in Wisconsin has begun to adopt regional stances on everything from business tax exemptions to gambling.

Closer to home, in Silicon Valley a joint venture of four counties and 23 cities works to create direct business and university support of local schools for good, selfish reasons: ensuring a steady cadre of future employees capable of high-technology work.

Southern California is in need of the same sort of expansive thinking. Because the search for new international airport capacity is proving controversial, for example, a look across the region for the best solutions is warranted. What about regional planning for business growth and housing? Someone has to start the ball rolling; the area’s education, transportation and other public services will be under immense strain. Southern California has the resources and the combined brain power to manage the growth, if local governments can finally learn to take regional issues seriously. It’s a big if.