"You're starting to see the average person start to push back," he said. "There's a lot of skepticism." -- Jack Kyser, chief economist for the L.A. Economic Development Corp. in the Daily News today.
L.A.'s best reporter Beth Barrett revealed today exactly why our electricity rates are soaring: To pay for overdevelopment of the city that's destroying our neighborhoods, to feather the nest of powerful DWP union boss Brian D'Arcy, to add bureaucrats to the bloated DWP management and to make their work space more comfortable.
And, of yeah, to spend what's left over on fixing the power grid that was allowed to rot because all the money was going to overpaid staff to buy their loyalty to support a political system that serves itself and a variety of special interests.
Even the head of the DWP Board of Commissioners is squeamish about General Manager David Nahai's plan to hire 1,000 more employees -- something the public is only now learning about with the rate hikes set to take effect July 1. And we only learn about it because of enterprisinig reporting, not because the plan was put out in public for debate.
"I think (the DWP) is gearing up too fast," said Patsaouras. "We need the dollars for infrastructure, but that doesn't give us a blank check in every part of the department to spend."
Nahai claims there was extensive review by city officials, neighborhood councils, oversight committees and others of his "overall budget." That's like his recently disclosed claim that "all" the water DWP provides meets all safety standards. All of it does on average but a lot of the water we're drinking doesn't meet those standards. So yes, the overall budget was reviewed but we only now learn the specfics buried in the fine print and not publicly debated.
Contrary to Nahai's claim, I've heard over and over in recent weeks from those involved that the DWP is not living up to the spirit of its Memo of Understanding to fully disclose what it's doing and work closely with neighborhood councils.
L.A.'s best reporter Beth Barrett revealed today exactly why our electricity rates are soaring: To pay for overdevelopment of the city that's destroying our neighborhoods, to feather the nest of powerful DWP union boss Brian D'Arcy, to add bureaucrats to the bloated DWP management and to make their work space more comfortable.
And, of yeah, to spend what's left over on fixing the power grid that was allowed to rot because all the money was going to overpaid staff to buy their loyalty to support a political system that serves itself and a variety of special interests.
Even the head of the DWP Board of Commissioners is squeamish about General Manager David Nahai's plan to hire 1,000 more employees -- something the public is only now learning about with the rate hikes set to take effect July 1. And we only learn about it because of enterprisinig reporting, not because the plan was put out in public for debate.
"I think (the DWP) is gearing up too fast," said Patsaouras. "We need the dollars for infrastructure, but that doesn't give us a blank check in every part of the department to spend."
Nahai claims there was extensive review by city officials, neighborhood councils, oversight committees and others of his "overall budget." That's like his recently disclosed claim that "all" the water DWP provides meets all safety standards. All of it does on average but a lot of the water we're drinking doesn't meet those standards. So yes, the overall budget was reviewed but we only now learn the specfics buried in the fine print and not publicly debated.
Contrary to Nahai's claim, I've heard over and over in recent weeks from those involved that the DWP is not living up to the spirit of its Memo of Understanding to fully disclose what it's doing and work closely with neighborhood councils.
Jack Humphreville, a member of the neighborhood councils' DWP oversight committee, told the Daily News that the utility had promised that the money from the rate hikes would be spent on infrastructure -- not support and office staffers at the downtown headquarters.
"I understand the need for the infrastructure," he said. "But to the extent it's going into other areas, it's not kosher."
So what does our money go for? Among 505 new jobs, 181 would be in power, 177
in water and 147 in joint administrative services that include
everything from customer service and security to real estate and
information technology, and.489 employees would be hired to fill existing.
For Nahai, all this is critical to the future of the city -- including replacing the 59 DWP janitors working on contracts with DWP employees who would become members of D'Arcy's union, the IBEW and enjoy the same lucrattive pensions and other benefits..
That after all is the real point: What's good for the union is good for L.A.
D'Arcy, who did not deign to talk to the Daily News, has long been demanding the DWP expand its employee base rather than contracting out at lower costs and in Nahai he has found his obedient tool.
"Who is the driver of the Los Angeles city bus?" Kyser said. "It's the unions.":
For Nahai, all this is critical to the future of the city -- including replacing the 59 DWP janitors working on contracts with DWP employees who would become members of D'Arcy's union, the IBEW and enjoy the same lucrattive pensions and other benefits..
That after all is the real point: What's good for the union is good for L.A.
D'Arcy, who did not deign to talk to the Daily News, has long been demanding the DWP expand its employee base rather than contracting out at lower costs and in Nahai he has found his obedient tool.
"Who is the driver of the Los Angeles city bus?" Kyser said. "It's the unions.":
Ron Kaye is the former editor of the Los Angeles Daily News where he spent 23 years helping to make the newspaper the voice of the San Fernando Valley and fighting for a city government that serves the people and not special interests.
Twice in recent years, Los Angeles Magazine listed Kaye among the city’s most influential people, specifically in the area of politics. Kaye has been variously described in the media as the “accidental anarchist,” “the Patrick Henry of the San Fernando Valley” and a “passionate populist.” He is now committed to
carrying on his crusade for a greater Los Angeles as an ordinary citizen. Previously, Ron worked at the Los Angeles Herald Examiner,
Associated Press, Cleveland Plain Dealer and The Australian as well as papers
in Fairbanks, Alaska and Yakima, Wash. He also wrote for Newsweek magazine, The Guardian in London and the Naitonal Enquirer.
Wait a minute. Aren't Nahai and Patsouras supposed to be on the same team?
Ron, now more than ever, we need to be at City Hall on July 14th at noon!!!!
We have a new kind of royalty in LACITY - the Unions and the Department Head of the DWP along with the Mayor and the City Council. These are not LEADERS, these are despots!!!!!
We ought not to take it any more!!!! Yes, we can. Clean up City Hall!!!!! If they cannot clean up their act, let's vote in people who can and will. th
Nick Patsouris has been the financial watchdog/ vote of caution at DWP all along: he questioned the taxpayer-funded lactation training program DWP employees have, and got picketed as anti-feminist for his efforts; he's questioned Cindy Montanez' political patronage job earning her $150K for one day a week job, which is supposed to include her protecting DWP interests in Sacta (i.e., actually do more than show up once a week); he's questioning the overpaid salaries and pensions of D'Arcy Union employees including janitors, at a time when even other
city employees are being closely scrutinized.
But for all these efforts, Patsouris has been vilified by a miscellaneous bunch of "liberals," from the feminists, to those who want to increase union and "living wage" pay for service workers like janitors, and hotel maids. Alarcon, Janice Hahn, Rosendahl and all the Mexicans on Council opine that the way to increase L A's middle class is to double these wages for service workers, thus dragging them up into the middle class overnight -- of course, these are largely illegal immigrants who, by any sane standard, have no "right" to come here illegally and without English mastery or education, but be "pulled up" into the middle class by a crazy wage inflation unique to L A's leftist political "leadership."
Meanwhile, the long-time middle class, who's come up the traditional American way through education and hard work, can get out of town if they don't like it. They were promised that their rate increases would go for infrastructure, like the decades-old overhead cables in the hills that go down in every wind, the ancient underground cables that have frayed and can go up in explosions, as we've recently seen. NOT for more of these inflated wages and programs. But as Ron says, this has gone on for decades, when the problem wasn't even discussed: now at least it's in the open, and we need an accounting of where the money goes and continued pressure on our getting the infrastructure we need.
Replacing scotch-taped overhead power lines with underground ones has been estimated at $1 million dollars a mile, and would require coordination with street services, which costs even more. Has DWP just given up on this as too expensive? Then what? The next big storm will be a disaster. But ironically, we can thank the extreme liberals for this and not the "conservatives" like Patsouris.
If you read the figures in the Daily News report, by far the largest budgeted item IS for infrastructure: $1.5 billion. The under $20 million for expanding DWP offices to contain extra staff and to "green" its space is relatively minor, and if DWP IS NOT a model of "green," it's subjected to criticism by various sources, from bloggers to homeowner groups. (Alan Mittelstadt's war in Witness L A against Nahai personally for having what he considers too big a home, is one case.)
The other question is, WHY is D'Arcy getting his way to replace the hundreds or upto 1000 employees his union lost over cost-cutting measures the last two years? WHY does he tell Nahai, Patrouris and the Commission, and officials what to do and how to spend their money? I agree with above: if there were more guts from the tax-and-spend liberals named there, to hold the line, hiring would proceed slowly and rationally. 20 people to expend gas and energy driving around to tell us not to waste is absurd, too.
Sure, we need SOME managers for the workers who will lay the cables and fix them etc., but NOT when there are dozens already being paid over $150-200,000 PLUS getting cars (WHY?) and better benefits than anyone in any private sector. WHO'S GOT THE GUTS TO GO AGAINST D'ARCY? And WHO WILL BE MAKING SURE THAT the promised $1.5 BILLION is spent on replacing above ground lines and frayed cables? Is this Laura Chick's job, or who?
If you think Laura Chick has the balls to go after Brian D'Arcy, you're nuts. Unlike her other victims, he fights back.
Leftists don't suck up to developers you facist!
I've watched my trash costs double for them to NOT pick up my trash, my electricity double with less consumption. These people should all be fired. Our city government is filled with a bunch of money hungry gangsters who have little regard for what's right. Eric Garcetti is the only one who really seems to give a crap and even his integrity comes into guestion as a he backs pro-development parks for supervisor
Take your uneducated bush/mcCain opinions and leave them in the toilet where they belong! I am sick to death of you ignorant blowhards touting your ridiculous opinions!
Unions are formed by regular people not illegal aliens you moron!
Al E.
"Leftists don't suck up to developers you fascist!"
(Nice punctuation, too.)
Can you say: Richard Alarcon, Alex Padilla, Tony Cardenas, Nunez, Ed Reyes, and Felipe Fuentes/ AB212 and the would-be developer of Verdugo Hills Golf Course? Who just happens to be the brother of conservative talk show host Bill Handel. (Then, their explicit intent was to move into every single neighborhood, having silenced the local Councilmembers, to shove highly dense, low- income, Section 8 housing with no parking, with a little more of the same symbiotic relationships.) Simple-minded lefties like Hahn and Rosendahl buy into the pandering, desperate for votes in a city where the "anglos" have moved because of the illegals overtaking and destroying the schools, public hospitals and clinics, buses and social services, all the infrastructure. Wnile they demand more. (Sure, the janitors and maids are legal -- why do you think Reyes and company have been trying to force the Mayor to battle ICE?)
And can you say, Richard Alarcon and Las Lomas/ Palmer? And who was your Zorro Marxist fighting in both cases: other moderate Councilmembers like Wendy Greuel and "fascist" Greig Smith opposing the developer and Alarcon. You know, the Alarcon who tried to secretly redistrict the line between his current seat of CD7 and Greuel's CD 2, so that HIS future wife could develop the land with more favorable zoning secretly arranged by himself. It's you idiots who keep electing these hypocritical fools raping the city.
all these jerks are in it for the power and not for the people. their party has nothing to do with it. please share with me what wonderful republican would do a better job.
NOBODY in LA agrees with anything the city council does. but when a real recall effort went out to get rid of weiss the king of thievery, everyone pussied out. that recall should have been a landslide.
laziness. that's what puts gangsters in office and keeps them there. I for one did not support or vote for any of them and when the mayoral race comes up i will do everything in my power to see that emperor villarigosa goes out along with all his cronies.
btw thanks for pointing out my typo. you have a few yourself.
Al
Al, you sure are selective in your attacks and in a huge state of denial when it comes to those caught red-handed from that Eastside Machine. If you had your way, they'd be running the whole city just as Reyes wants -- he keeps wanting his 8-member Council Majority. Then you'll see what thievery and hell really are, cloaked in "progressive" hypocritical rhetoric Alarcon spews most cleverly and transparently. With Hahn, Rosendahl and even Garcetti jumping right in.
Then the westside will look like the Eastside and South L A, and you'll realize that you should have been more careful in what you wish for. Start with gigantic supergraphic billboards like Jan Perry and Reyes fought Weiss over, and Wesson even wants for Koreatown, over objections from nearby "old L A" areas surrounding La Brea. Plus ugly, high-density subsidized housing with large families and lots of old cars on the streets.
(Yes, Rosendahl represents Brentwood and the Palisades, but his heart is in the "affordable housing" problems of Venice and Mar Vista -- a good heart with a very unfocused mind. That's why he follows the Eastside Machine so trained in the "affordable housing" rackets for decades, they know how to use catchwords to catch him.)
It's the conservatives you love to hate, like Smith, who keep Reyes and gang from having his majority now. Everyone not named above -- Greuel, Parks, Weiss, sometimes Garcetti, sometimes Wesson, LaBonge, occasionally even Hahn when she's speaking for the nicer coastal areas of San Pedro -- is what's keeping the city from tilting into disaster right now. I'm not some spokesman for Weiss, and I'm sure he wouldn't agree with most of my sentiments -- but this obsession with him when Century City has the only really classy and financially sound developments in the city other than in Garcetti's district -- which is very different and still not without controvery and traffic -- is crazy. That's the only area people from New York and London and Paris's best areas feel at home, and it's still growing in a consistent, very controlled way combined with transit planning, and providing much-needed revenue.
People like you just talk because you've heard some disgruntled people rant about not getting their way, the ones who're still fighting the subway and Expo line and everything. Instead of working in constructive ways -- so they inspire end runs like AB212 from your liberals who of course NEVER cater to developers. And although you claim you don't pre-judge along party lines and the phony claims of some to be "progressive" to cover there deeds, you clearly do, and that kind of blindness is just as dangerous.