| Photo by Javier Valdez Pineda on Unsplash
Part V of “Proactive People Must Protect Own Neighborhood” Series
Some critics of this series, especially those who opposed this author’s claim that proposals to do joint ventures—especially on Public-Private Partnerships—cannot be done in the City of West Covina. Why? They claim that West Covina (WC) must work only within the city’s boundaries. Former WC Councilmember and Mayor Fredrick Sykes and this author ignore their critics.
Because there is legal precedent for a city doing business or a project in another city or county or even in a foreign country, remember how the City of Los Angeles created an agency called Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA)? Later, it relinquished control of both Ontario and Palmdale airports, even at different times.
The Ontario International Airport (ONT) takeover by LAWA in San Bernardino County started on November 1, 1967, via a joint-powers agreement, followed by full title/ownership transfer in 1985. The control ended on November 1, 2016, when ownership and management officially transferred to the Ontario International Airport Authority (OIAA) following a settlement and purchase agreement.
The Palmdale Regional Airport (PMD) takeover by the LAWA started in 1970, when the Los Angeles airport agency acquired over 17,000 acres of land in Palmdale, the sixth largest city in Los Angeles County. It planned a future regional/intercontinental airport. But the project did not succeed much, as the flow of foreign and domestic passengers and cargo was efficiently handled by the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). The LAWA control of the PMD ended in 2013.
If the City of Los Angeles could do it, then any city like WC and other cities in the San Gabriel Valley (SGV) — as members of a consortium — can also do agricultural, commercial, educational, healthcare, and sports (ACEHS, as suggested to be pronounced as “ACES”). That is, if the latter cities can find and join viable foreign ventures and their respective residents can form cooperatives (co-ops) to become shareholders of the ventures. Yes, ventures done on public-private partnerships.
On June 28, 2026, this column discussed why “Cooperative Economics and Co-ops Are Better than ‘Wealth Tax”. at this link.
The lead paragraph said: “The two candidates for governor of California, Xavier Becerra and Steve Hilton, are allegedly opposed to a ‘Wealth Tax’. Because both think that the filthy-rich taxpayers will relocate from California to avoid the new tax. And move the headquarters of their businesses as well, and eventually their factories to another state or overseas, where they could get tax breaks and tax avoidance benefits.”
If this scenario happens, then the State of California, its counties, cities, and towns must do the tenets of “Cooperative Economics” and organize their residents (read taxpayers) into shareholders of co-ops.
We respectfully suggest to the candidates for the City of WC councilmember (one each in three districts) that they work together to fashion platforms of governance and economics. All must work with common objectives and denominators. Yes, the candidates must comply with regulations such as the respective certificate of candidacy and other required forms such as signed nominations by at least 30 registered voters in their district where they are running. Said completed forms must be formally submitted and accepted on or before August 8, 2026. They can nominate a representative each to a Study Group to brainstorm, improve, and approve in principle the suggestions in this series and other fine ideas they may want to introduce.
Supposedly, the election for WC councilmembers is non-partisan. Ergo, they must not run representing a political party but must work to benefit the people of the city. Perhaps this idea of a study group will work and solve pressing financial problems of the city. And end budgetary deficits and the selling of city assets like portions of parks or using streets as collateral for loans obtained to finance the day-to-day operations of West Covina.
