Taking a shot at fiscal responsibility?
It is Friday, more commonly referred to in political circles as "take out the trash day." This is the day government on all levels dump news they want no-one to notice. In the case of the Los Angeles City Council this is the day we force citizens to sit through hours of awards and presentations before we get the honor of having the City Council ignore us at the podium.If we were to take the day off of work, we could be ignored on an interesting subject: Fee Waivers.
In this time of fees for trash, water, power, permits and even parking (tickets) being raised there is one way to have your fees waived: Throw a party!
Every year the City of Los Angeles "waives" the fees for various companies, churches and council offices for "special events" forgoing millions of dollars a year for what can only be described as political back-scratching.
On today's agenda of the City Council is a fee waiver for a fireworks show in Sunland Tujunga being put on by the Chamber of Commerce. The very same Chamber of Commerce who held up the Sunland Tujunga Neighborhood Council for around $4,000.00 for a previous fireworks show where they minimized the Neighborhood Councils credit, thereby eliminating the outreach that could have been achieved and made a profit to boot. This time they are getting the city to pay $3, 513.00 for their advertising. But that's not all...
Over in CD 13 we have an event for the Echo Park United Methodist Church slated to cost the city $1,188.00.
We travel down to CD 14 we find a resource fair costing us $2,037.00.
In CD 4 a residents association July 4th party will bill the city $1,225.00.
In CD 3 the 10 year anniversary and signing of a Torah sponsored by a local synagogue will cost the city $1,532.00.
"Community Unity Day" in Cd 10 will unify all of us with a bill for $3,386.00.
A "Neighborhood Pride Day" in CD 10 will cost us $3,250.00.
In Cd 14 a March of Dimes event will cost us $1,038.00 and wrapping up this Fridays Christmas in June gift fest a Bar B-Q in CD 4 costing us $1,168.00.
Now, while some of these may be good causes and all this old dead City Councilman wonders how many police officers could be hired if we weren't giving away the farm on a regular bases?
This isn't free money, we all pay for it in either less services, higher taxes or higher fees.
Your thoughts?
Posted by Councilman John @ 6/09/2006 12:00:00 AM
32 Comments:
This nonsense of fee waivers costs the city tens of millions a year so the council offices can promote themselves and their contributors.
Complete bs that needs to stop.
Tens of millions? Get your facts straight, you idiot.
I am not sure about tens of millions but the number is significant. Especially at a point where the city is supposedly swimming in red ink.
As I mentioned here when this issue came up regarding the Oscars, the City waives over $12 million in fees per year in City resources used towards these events. This isn't cash laying around - it's staff time & equipment. There has been a motion to address the fee waivers for years in the Council, but no one has acted on it yet.
Thank You Mayor Sam for finally bringing this up. The Daily News did a story two years ago and the amount was $10 mil. If you look at the weekly agendas many of the fees waived are for huge corporations. Weiss sent out a press release early last year stating that the abuse needs to stop. There is a CLA report that has been sitting in the budget finance Committee since 2003 that shows how to change the abuses but no one is pushing it forward. Does anyone know how much each CD can use? Is there a total number in the budget just for special event waivers and if so how much? The media needs to jump on this issue again.
Exactly what services does the City provide in exchange for these "fees"? Excuse me, but don't we already pay taxes for police, for traffic control, etc.?
And who applies what standard to decide which citizens will pay fees on top of their taxes, and which will not?
One more reason why Government is the problem, not the solution.
Jose Huizar waived a fee for Fiesta Broadway at about $80,000 even though they had over 10 corporate sponsors like McDonalds, Beer companies and others. I can't beleive on Tuesday's agenda they have waivers for George Lopez and Winnie the Pooh who are getting stars on Hollywood Walk of Fame. This is embarrassing. What has George done to deserve a star? His show is horrible and stereotypes Latinos. George can't even make it in the film side.
Can you tell me what CD 13,14,4,3 are?
Groups or organizatios?
Council Districts (CD. CD14 is the Eastside of LA, CD13 is parts of Hollywood and so on. Each council district has a city council member who make these moronic decisions to waste our tax dollars.
Have Laura Chick do an audit on this and determine how much it costs the city and then subtract that from the DWP rate increase.
This "fee waivers" is a little game thet city plays, but not the one you're suggesting. It all about city departments shifting funds from one to another to goose their budgets.
If they didn't "waive" fees the city would still need to send cops to events- just to be safe - drive-by, close streets from time to time, etc. just to keep people from getting killed in traffic.
OR, the alternative is only RICH groups that can pay for private secuity would ever have community-building events.
And, community-building events -- in addition to giving people the opps to hit up their council staffs for services and improvements -- promote goodwill among neighbors, and keep them from being at each others throats quite as much. You can pay the cops (often retirees, or injured/reserve) to stand by during little block parties, or you can pay them to break up just that many more drunken melees on Saturday nights.
You pick!
1:43 I think you miss the point.
If they didn't waive the fees, the city would by default charge the fees or deny the street closure permits etc. Thereby making the event holder actually pay for the additional services they are using.
Otherwise, what is the point of fees in the first place?
The Sunland Tujunga Chamber of Commerce works for a full year raising money. There are no salaries paid by or supporting stipend from the City of Los Angeles with which to operate a Chamber of Commerce as in other cities.
Except for the Aministrative Assistant, the people who agree to manage and operate the Chamber do not get paid. They work like absolute crazy to do all that is required to put on such an extravaganza and still keep their doors open. They fundraise all year long and solicit donations in May from any and everyone to help pay for the fireworks which by the way delights the community. The audience pays a moderate price for seats to watch the fireworks, by the way, or there would not be enough money.
I must emphasize that these Chamber people are volunteers and give thousands of hours of free time to keep their doors open, fullfill their goals, and put on this expensive and complicated event. The first several years they went in the red, but they have persisted and are able to, at least, break even because of a little boost from the City by getting some of their fees waived.
The City needs to be commended for helping bring America's celebration to the people of Sunland Tujunga, particularly the kids.
Perhaps it would be better if the City put on the event. And how likely is that? Or perhaps the City should not waive the fees making it that much harder to produce--probably hard enough to end the annual event--and perhaps you think that is preferable.
Personally, I say thank you, City of Los Angeles!
P.S. The Sunland Tujunga Chamber of Commerce never ripped off the Sunland Tujunga Neighborhood Council. If anything, the STCoC was treated very badly by the last STNC board who tantilized the Chamber with a $2,500 gift, kept them waiting for months and then, eventually offered them absolutely nothing, which is exactly what they took even when the STNC renigged and tried to give them $500 afterall.
Personally, I say thanks to you, too, Sunland Tujunga Chamber of Commerce for all you do to put on these wonderful fireworks.
The chamber has no business soliciting funds from a Neighborhood Council. Also, the Chamber actually MAKES MONEY off of the event so cry a river somewhere else.
The councilman's point is valid, nothing is free.
Walter, you ran for Mayor?? You don't even understand the fee waivers?
It's one of the biggest scams in the city. They should never, ever be given for FOR PROFIT events.
And please don't tell me that the Oscars will just pick up and go away. It's bullshit. The Kodak was built for that. Of ALL the industries or companies - they should have to pay.
The Sunland Tujunga Chamber does not make money on the event. If they have more than they need to produce the fireworks one year, it goes to produce the fireworks the next year. Neighborhood Councils support all kinds of events all the time and it is perfectly legal. Sounds to me like some of the people posting on this blog have a horse in the race--one of the people who gave the Chamber such a horrible time! Haven't you got something productive to do? Or do you just like to spoil little kids fun?
Chambers of Commerce should never try to tap into neighborhood council money. NC's were formed because of people like the chambers who were used to getting what they wanted - - all the time.
And what kind of business people start fundraising for July 4th fireworks in May??
The time to start fundraising for fireworks is July 5th - one year before the event.
I was the Treasurer of the STNC when the Chamber requested, at first $4,400 and then down to approx $2,500 for the fireworks show.
I have your balance sheets. The Chamber DID make a profit from the fireworks show the previous year. I was told that you wanted the money because the Chamber had diminishing membership and needed the money to keep solvent. You mentioned that you had a part timer to pay. FYI The neighborhood councils are ALL volunteers.
I can only assume that you used the same reasoning when requesting funds from the City.
Please keep in mind that a MAJORITY of the Board voted to give you $500 and you decided that it wasn't enough and refused to take the money.
You and your cohorts have done everything under the sun to discredit me for this. You choose to blame an individual for the actions of an entire Board.
I thought a Chamber of Commerce was supposed to attract "Commerce" to an area. Anyone drving down Foothill Blvd can see that you have spent your time putting on a Fireworks show and not doing the "job" you were elected to do. You have even put your fireworks banners on BOARDED UP BUSINESESS. The "children" of Sunland Tujunga need quality businesses EVERYDAY way more than they need a fireworks show for an hour once a year.
I must say that Robin has a very valid point, and speaks from a knowledgeable position, unlike most anonymous posters here.
Hope to see you back at the STNC soon Robin, we miss you.
Regarding the Sunland-Tujunga Chamber of Commerce blog.....
Someone really needs to check their facts because they have the facts really mixed up........and I
think it part of the old Sunland Tujunga Neighbor council group. who in were in fact removed from the council and are not involved at all anymore, except hiding behind the nasty blogs......and behind closed doors
Robin Meares Ripped Off the Council
Let's ask her while she in on her
roll....Where is the money you did not account for Robin????????? I mean bank roll??????????
You are a very poor excuse for a treasure...You did not do your job.. and we can not put any value on a word you said, because of all your past actions.
Please just stay out of town... and out of everyone hair....
What are you talking about?. The CITY has the control of ALL monies, not the Treasurer.
You are misinformed.
I did my job and the "books" were fine. Ask DONE is there were any REAL problems with the STNC books.... There were none..only those made up by vindictive people looking to place their own people on the STNC Board.'
Is a bank roll?????? something like a sushi roll?????? What ARE you talking about?
Perhaps the current STNC should publish your so-called books Robin, because they are a disaster.
Neither the current STNC nor DONE can figure them out.
I say publish those books STNC, and then everyone can see what a liar you are.
Unfortunately, although you publicly screamed, insulted, and cursed in front of many people and a reporter at STNC meetings, I don't think anyone recorded you or else they could publish that and let people hear your frequent use of foul, coarse and ugly language.
You ought to hide your head in the sand and shut your mouth forever.
Going back a ways to quote Robin Meares directly here.....
>> You and your cohorts have done everything under the sun to discredit me for this. You choose to blame an individual for the actions of an entire Board. <<
It is somewhat refreshing that you're at least admitting that the entire board deserves to be "blamed" for something. Up to this point, all we've heard from you people is how wonderful you all were and how you really had the support of the entire community behind you, it was just a few "nattering nabobs of NIMBYism" that stopped you. You'd think with all that support, we'd have heard from some of those supporters by now, but so far we haven't heard anyone but yourselves say that what that board did was anything they wanted, or even understood (and that includes most of the members of that board itself). I suppose we should thank you for the education, really. Now we all know that "preserving the open spaces" means "we're going to force you all into little rathole attic lofts in the middle of town so we can do something fun with the tax money like 'visioning excercises' instead of pissing it away on all that boring stuff like 'infrastructure'".
Have you realized yet that you were just dupes of the city government, put in place to shove "new urbanism" and what's now being called "vertical sprawl" down our throats with your "vision" of a Sunland/Tujunga full of bulldozers and expensive condos? It all sounded especially odd in your case since you once said you purchased the property next to yours so that you wouldn't have to live too close to anyone. So apparently this vision was fun to have (were chemical substances involved??), but you personally wouldn't really want to to live in it? You just expect everyone that can't afford (or doesn't want) a $600,000 condo to crawl happily into a 400 square-foot "squat" down on Foothill and shut up about it? Or maybe you really do want that sort of a life and just don't want anyone to know? If that's the case, why didn't you just save yourself (and everyone else) a lot of trouble and move to NoHo? It's already the high-rise hell-hole you had in mind. No hassles getting more than three other people to see your "vision" out there. They only need look out their windows.
And while we're talking of such things, we'd like to pass along a special "Thank you!" to our City Council for the "Town Home Ordinance", a law so odious that they had to sneak it through between Christmas and New Years so nobody would notice. No boring old Friday council meeting was going to be enough to hide the stench of this one! You see, ol' Tony wants to see cranes and skyscrapers downtown, but the place is just overrun with something called "people". If he could only get rid of them (relieving them of their money and property first of course, his mama didn't raise no fools!) he'd be a happy man, and with the density the Town Home ordinance allows he can certainly do it! At 600 square feet per lot, he can pack the entire population of the city into CD2. Won't that be fun?
Hey, here's an idea! Maybe those people could themselves be called "blight". Then the city could get some CRA money (or maybe brownfields money would be more appropriate) to remove them. They could take a small percentage of the money and build some "homeless rehabilitation chambers" (maybe out in Kagel Canyon somewhere??) to make it look good, then Tony and his developer buddies could rebuild L.A. at the people's expense and live in a brand-spanking-new downtown without having to put up with all those simply awful human beings that inhabit the place now (or spend any of their own money in the process). Just think of it, Robin! You and your buddies will have been at the forefront of all of it! That select group with the vision to see it and the guts to take a proactive approach to making it happen! I bet you can hardly wait!!!
Where is big mouth Meares? She spouts off and disappears. Guess it's just too hot here for a liar.
Robin Meares attorney has told her to hold her tongue before she gets sued, again and again!
Robin took your advice. She put her head in the sand with her mouth open and she can't talk any more.
No, she just gave you enough rope to hang yourselves. The above are rantings of a madman.
This Robin must be one poweful person. She is singlehandedly resposible for the Town House Ordinance and for talking the mayor into adopting it. Her ideas were the front page of the Daily News this weekend.
She was also able to wrest money of of the City of Los Angeles for her sushi rolls or was that bank rolls or could it be Rock and Roll?. Hmmm, last time we looked the Treasurer had absolutely no way to write checks or spend money . The City writes the checks for approved expenses ONLY. Maybe she and the City of Los Angeles are in cahoots. So, not only is she powerful, she's a genius.
Also, the person trying to sue her dropped his case after he received a 12 page letter citing numerous previous legal decisions as to why she has every right to speak out against the racist local paper. If he continued his lawsuit, he would have been counter sued.
She has done all of the above without attending a single local meeting in 9 months. I think Robin should run for Mayor. No, Governor,,no, no PRESIDENT.
"Genius, you either are unaware that the NC treasurer DOESN'T WRITE THE CHECKS or you were told this and are unable to grasp the complex idea that a CITY EMPLOYEE cuts the checks and sends them to the vendors for approved NC budget items from a CITY bank account and an NC treasurer couldn't access that money if even they wanted to.
Or maybe you know this full well and you are attempting to discredit the NCs and the citizens who participate in which case I wonder, do you work for a developer, Home Depot, or one of their PR firms? Or maybe you are doing a disinformation campaign for DWP, LADBS or the Planning Dept or some other City official who feels threatened by uppity residents."
Hey, Estupidos,
Nobody could make hide nor hair of Robin's books. She never wrote any checks, and she never kept any receipts, bank statements, or records, either. Just lots of petty cash laying around everywhere.
PS
Robin could not get elected as the garbage collector in this town. You see, people do not like nasty, foul-mouthed bitches and that is Robin; and that's a lot of people!
Hey 9:08 The former NC was not "removed" as you so falsely stated. No one wanted to run. They CHOSE not to be on the NC.
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