Sometimes, the best stuff really is free. I picked up a free copy of Los Angeles: Structure of a City Government from the offices of the League of Women Voters of Los Angeles — and learned SO MUCH about how the city works reading the book while getting a really horrible haircut.

This book gives you an excellent overview of the way our city government’s organized — with enough historical context to give the reader a sense of why the city’s organized that way.

If you’ve always been confused about what the relationship of the city council is to the mayor, or wondered about why the city controller and attorney are elected while the city legislative analyst and director of finance or not, read this book. In fact, if you’re just following the money, and want to finally figure out the diff between the duties of the Controller, the Director of Finance, and the City Treasurer, pick up this free book.

Find out where our taxes go. Find out the difference between the city charter and city ordinances. Find out what the city policy on fixing potholes are — as well as the difficult decision between repairing the worst streets or those in danger of going bad.

How’d I get my copy? I wish the League did a lil more good old fashioned PR, cuz the book’s not even on Amazon or Froogle. I luckily found out about it at the last SoCaTa meeting, then dropped by the office of the League of Women Voters of Los Angeles and asked for a copy. A minute later, I had a free copy in my hand, no questions asked.

If you don’t have the time to drop in, just send a check for $5.50 with a completed application form (PDF) to the League. If you’re part of an organization and need more than one copy, just call the League office to arrange details.

League of Women Voters of Los Angeles. 3250 Wilshire Blvd, Ste. 105. Los Angeles. 9 am – 5 pm.

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