In the age of the global economy, does local government have any power to shape the economic climate of our cities?

Actually, yes. And contrary to the view of some, the role of public officials -- especially the mayor -- extends far beyond simply pounding the bully pulpit for business growth.

Certain observers argue that government's role is to be a cheerleader for attracting business and then to get everyone and everything out of the way. Unfortunately, failed "trickle-down" economics won't solve the declining quality of life for most Angelenos.

The fact is that our elected leaders can exert tremendous influence on a city's economic and social landscape, which are inextricably linked. Indeed, it is the responsibility of local government to promote an economy that produces good jobs, affordable housing, a clean and healthy environment and a thriving and diverse mix of businesses.

The challenge of creating an economy that meets the real needs of residents should be at the top of the priority list for any city leader. Those willing to accept this challenge have a formidable arsenal of tools.

In Los Angeles, for example, the city's redevelopment agency has nearly half a billion dollars a year to fulfill its mandate to "create jobs and housing." The city's Housing Department, Community Development Department and Industrial Development Bond Authority each disperse millions more in loans and grants to businesses for economic development purposes.

Similarly, city officials enjoy broad land-use authority. This means that local leaders have considerable power to shape development, and to involve residents in a process of deciding what kind of community we want to live in. In the past, local government has often failed to take the initiative, instead using its resources and authority to support projects proposed by large developers that failed to enhance the quality of life for residents. In the 1980s and 1990s, for example, L.A. spent millions on fast- food and retail developments, creating a proliferation of part-time, low-wage jobs.

More recently, however, the city has enacted a set of programs and policies that have emphasized the creation of affordable housing and good jobs. These policies include the city's Living Wage Ordinance, the city's Affordable Housing Trust Fund, a requirement that proposed superstores -- such as Wal-Mart -- show that they will produce a net community benefit before being approved, and the increasing use of a competitive process in awarding millions in public financing to private developers.

A good example of the city's new approach to development can be found in the Adams-La Brea district of South Los Angeles, one of the most blighted areas in L.A. For many years the city proposed demolishing the homes of 200 people in order to put up a Kmart superstore. It would have meant not only the loss of affordable housing, but the creation of poverty-wage jobs and traffic nightmares. City officials said that the proposed project was the neighborhood's "only hope" because no one else wanted to develop in South L.A.

Residents didn't believe it, so they went to the City Council and got the project delayed. Now the city has issued a set of proposal guidelines that is essentially a blueprint for what the community wants: good jobs, affordable housing, a park and a youth center. Lo and behold, there are five developments teams that have applied to develop this previously "undevelopable" site.

Naysayers like to claim that proactive policies that seek to create better-paying jobs and more affordable housing will send L.A. on a downward spiral. Anyone who sees the construction cranes amid downtown's continuing housing and commercial boom knows that the predicted catastrophe has not materialized.

The problem is not that these policies are too aggressive, but rather that they don't do enough. City leaders can and should do more, by insisting that the billions of dollars in public funds and the extensive power to regulate land use help alleviate poverty and make the lives of all residents -- and the communities in which they live -- better.

Madeline Janis-Aparicio is a member of the Board of Commissioners of the Los Angeles Community Redevelopment Agency.