City $$quirmish Moves Into High Gear

The Budget and Finance Committee has finalized their recommended changes to Tony Villar’s budget. The list includes some luke-warm news for departments unlucky enough not to be LAPD or LAFD (approximately 67% of the entire City budget goes into police and fire), but the biggest news is that the infamous City Surplus Property kickback will get a makeover. Previously, 50% of property sales went into the clowncilmember’s own discretionary fund. This will now go into the City’s General Fund, where clowncilmembers will no doubt find a way to spend it on their own projects anyway.

Another big one is a major City study into Departmental Mission Creep. Rec and Parks is a prefect target for this study since it has become the de facto social services provider for the entire City over the past two decades.

Some of the other bullet point recommendations include:

The Sidewalk Repair program will stay in business, and another another work crew will be added to the program.

Libraries: the book purchasing program will be funded; facilities will remain open on Sundays.

Recreation and Parks: RAP will be allowed to keep all cut Park Ranger position authorities but there will be no increase in allocated funding to actually pay for them.

Pension contributions will remain 1x annually rather than deferred per the Mayor's plan. (This saves the City $15 million annually.)

Citywide layoffs are still listed as 760; about half of these positions are vacant.

Parking validation to City facilities will be discontinued, saving some $350,000 annually.

DOT will expand advertising on buses and trains.

Instead of the annual mad money dash, there will be quarterly Budget development meetings.

And... the Mayor gets all the new LAPD officers he wants. Quel surprise.


The full City Clowncil will begin its deliberation on the Mayor’s proposed Citywide budget this Friday beginning with the public hearing at 10am sharp. Let the money squabble begin!

Deal, No Deal, or Outright $teal?

The Budget and Finance Committee's hearing on the Mayor's 2008-09 version of his rape of LA's quality of life has lifted off. As Joe M points out at Street-Hassle, department supervisors and GMs are playing 'Deal or No Deal' with Bernard P and his gaggle of geese all week long. Deal or No Deal has got to be one of the stupidest game shows ever. It takes zero skill to pick a suitcase. If there is just 1, $1 million case in the 26 you pick from, then the odds of having selected the $1 million case are 1 in 26 -- the odds on that never change no matter how many other cases remain. The audience for Deal or No Deal, much like the City Clowncil, is mainly composed of males attracted to shiny objects (and cleavage.) No harm, no fowl, I suppose.

I've recently pointed out how a major cut in Recreation and Parks could endanger millions by removing the parks' first responders to brush fires, the Park Rangers. After the Griffith Fire, LaBonge, the Mayor, and every other City official who had a forum to do so told us all that they would make sure Park Rangers were fully staffed and funded from now on. What a difference a year makes, eh? With a wave of his quill, Villaraigosa cuts more than 20 full peace officers from the City payroll. (Yes, I actually said "...cuts... peace officers...from the City payroll"). Isn't it fascinating that although Antonio treats some peace officers as sacrosanct, he doesn't mind endangering the public when those officers are not of a specific breed?

Park-going Angelenos have a great deal to lose if they don't wake up and get in the Budget game right now, not the least of which is 50% of the LA City Park Rangers. Our quality of life is being stolen out from under our very large bills. So shake a tail feather -- go downtown and speak in Public Comment. Email your City officials right away. Call LaBonge and let him know what high school you went to. As Sunland-Tujunga is proving, sometimes activism is not just a wild goose chase.