LIVING WAGE IS BACK AS AD HOC COMMITTEE TO "END" POVERTY (LOL!)

COMEDY MONOLOUGE
"Motion to END Poverty"
by CM Richard Alarcon
Los Angeles City Council

I THEREFORE MOVE that the City Council creates an Ad Hoc Commttee on Ending Poverty in Los Angeles, which will convene for 18 months, at which time it will present a report on its progress. [GOOD...SO MAKE SURE TO DO NOTHING FOR THE NEXT 18 MONTHS WHILE YOU WAIT FOR THE RESULTS.]

I FURTHER MOVE that said Committee will be tasked with working with local agencies, businesses and non-profit groups aimed at ending poverty as well as coordinating with the State Assembly Select Committee to Develop a Master Plan to End Poverty in California [GOOD, EVERYONE CAN BE CUT IN ON THE DEAL THROUGH THE NON-PROFITS]:

* Commssion a report that gives a over-arching look at the resources in the city that are used to combat poverty;

Ensure effciency in city programs aimed at ending poverty; [HOW ABOUT ENSURING EFFICIENCY IN ALL CITY PROGRAMS...THEN YOU MIGHT MAKE AN IMPACT!]

Determine best practices both locally and nationally; [HOW ABOUT LESS CORPORATE WELFARE, SHADY DEALS AND FRAUD, WASTE AND ABUSE -- AND MORE ETHCIS!]

Bring groups together to share resources;

Create a Poverty Task Force to bring together experts and stakeholders to draft a comprehensive, practical strategy to end Poverty in Los Angeles, taking into account available resources and priority of issues. [LOL!]

ITEM NO. (43)
07-1116
RULES AND ELECTIONS COMMITTEE REPORT relative to the creation of an Ad Hoc Committee on Ending Poverty in Los Angeles.
Recommendations for Council action, pursuant to Motion (Alarcón - Garcetti):

1. CREATE an Ad Hoc Committee on Ending Poverty in Los Angeles, which will convene for 18 months, at which time it will present a report on its progress.

2. TASK said Committee to work with local agencies, businesses and non-profit groups aimed at ending poverty as well as coordinating with the State Assembly Select Committee to Develop a Master Plan to End Poverty in California to:

a. Commission a report that gives an over-arching look at the resources in the City that are used to combat poverty. [OH GOOD...CALL CONNIE RICE, I'M SURE SHE'LL BE GLAD TO WRITE THE REPORT FOR ANOTHER $500,000 plus!!!]

b. Ensure efficiency in City programs aimed at ending poverty. [YOU CAN NEVER "END" POVERTY. PERHAPS YOU CAN REDUCE IT...BUT NOT WITH CURRENT L.A. CITY POLICY.]

c. Determine best practices both locally and nationally. [START WITH YOUR OWN ETHICS.]

d. Bring groups together to share resources. [BESIDES POLITICIANS AND THEIR NON-PROFIT PARTNERS AND SPECIAL INTERESTS.]

e. Create a Poverty Task Force to bring together experts and stakeholders to draft a
comprehensive, practical strategy to end poverty in Los Angeles, taking into account
available resources and priority issues. [LOL! HOW ABOUT NO MORE CORPORATE WELFARE AND BENDING OVER BACKWARDS TO GIVE TAX BREAKS TO THE RICHES DEVELOPERS AND CORPORATIONS WHILE YOU TAX THE MIDDLE AND LOWER CLASS OUT OF THE CITY AND INTO POVERTY.]

f. YOU BIG DUMMIES!!! You want to "end" poverty? (Even though you mean "reduce".)
You have the power to "reduce" poverty EVERY day with your legislation and by taking a more ethical approach to your postion as elected official.

CLICK "READ MORE" FOR THE RATIONALE

No matter your income or area of residence, poverty is an issue that affects all residents of Los Angeles.

Often people don't realize that they are just one, two or three paychecks away from poverty; one catastrophic illness, one family emergency, one job loss away from not being able to pay the bils. While a small portion of our city is finding incredible success and wealth, the safety net for most people is tearing apart.

There are an estimated 810,000 people living in povert in the City of Los Angeles, meaning there is a poverty rate of over 21 %, based on the Federal Povert Level.

Additionally, 1 in every 3 single-parent families is poor by FPL standards. The numbers get even worse when you consider actual cost of living.

According to the Self-Suffciency Calculator, 3 out of 10 families do not make enough to provide for basic needs. And the problem is not going away. According to the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC), the number of families in the middle class is declining while the number of "working poor" families is increasing in the City of LA.

In light of these daunting statistics, Los Angeles has made several steps to address these issues, including creating the Affordable Housing Trust Fund, creating the Ad Hoc Committee on Homelessness, supporting the proposal for the "10 Year Plan to End Homelessness in Los Angclcs," and enacting a Living Wage Ordinance for all its employees. Additionally, there are thousands of non-profit, faith-based, business and
government groups whose mission it is to reduce local poverty, though they do not all coordinate, share resources or best practices.

Even one person living in povert is detrimental to the social and economic well-being of California. Los Angeles must take an active role in taking on this challenging issue.

To fully combat the issue of povert in Los Angeles, we need an approach that is fully inclusive and deals with the problem in a holistic sense. The approach should consider the best, practical solutions and involve those who are most involved in the fight on poverty. Issues covered should include improving educational attainment, creating good-paying jobs, increasing health insurance coverage, reducing hunger, fighting gang violence and lessening the affordable housing crisis.