Editor's Note: The Saving L.A. Project will hold a Town Hall meeting on Saturday Sept. 6 at 1:15 p.m. at the Charo Community Development Center, 4301 Valley Blvd., in the El Sereno neighborhood, following the 10 a.m. meeting of the L.A. Neighborhood Council Coalition. The goal is to form action teams to organize, research and advocate for community interests citywide. Get involved, make a difference.
We already know with certainty that Obama will win all 55 of California's electoral college votes in November, that the odds are 100 to 1 against any congressional or legislative seats changing hands and that the public will be deluged with tens of millions of dollars in campaign ads to support higher taxes.
What we don't know is if there will be a state budget by then and if there is, how disastrous will be the consequences to the quality of our lives and our future hopes.
But even the dark cloud of the state government's grotesque incompetence has a small bright side, it seems.
Mayors of California's nine biggest cities complained to the governor yesterday that the proposed cuts in funding the cities will "sweep away all money from redevelopment programs which would 'threaten to undermine one of the key tools that cities have to grow the economy,'" the Daily News reported.
Think about it, what community protests, lawsuits and common sense has been unable to achieve is being accomplished by the bunglers in the state legislature who have shattered all records with there inability to come up with a budget to deal with the $15.2 billion hole they somehow created during one of the state's greatest economic booms.
If Mayor Villaraigosa and his counterparts are to be believed -- and that's a big if -- cutting off billions of dollars to the cities, will stop or at least slow development.
I don't know about the other cities but when Antonio signs his name to a letter saying he's worried about economic growth, I have to laugh. Since when is growing the economy the goal of City Hall in L.A.?
If it really was the goal, wouldn't the city be taking steps to make it attractive to business and industry?
The truth is the city encourages retail projects with its low-paying jobs and housing construction because of the quick payoff in revenue to the city treasury -- the monster that eats the public's wealth to provide subsidies to billionaires and salaries and benefits to city workers that far exceed what's available in the private sector.
The goal of city government is city government itself -- not the improvement of the city or the lot of its residents. That's why rates, fees and taxes keep soaring and city services get worse. That's why there's a 75-year backlog in paving streets and sidewalks, why there aren't enough cops on the street, why the pipes and power grid are neglected, why good-paying jobs and the people who filled them have been making an exodus for a generation.
Not only is City Hall the safest building in L.A. in an earthquake thanks to a $350 million renovation, jobs at City Hall especially those of the politicians are the most secure as well.
They pander to the agenda of the unions and sell out to developers, contractors and consultants to get the campaign cash and support needed to keep the system from ever changing.
And it's not like Villaraigosa or Councilman Herb Wesson -- both former state Assembly speakers -- ever did anything about the long-term failure of state government which they now are so worried about impacting local government funding.
We already know with certainty that Obama will win all 55 of California's electoral college votes in November, that the odds are 100 to 1 against any congressional or legislative seats changing hands and that the public will be deluged with tens of millions of dollars in campaign ads to support higher taxes.
What we don't know is if there will be a state budget by then and if there is, how disastrous will be the consequences to the quality of our lives and our future hopes.
But even the dark cloud of the state government's grotesque incompetence has a small bright side, it seems.
Mayors of California's nine biggest cities complained to the governor yesterday that the proposed cuts in funding the cities will "sweep away all money from redevelopment programs which would 'threaten to undermine one of the key tools that cities have to grow the economy,'" the Daily News reported.
Think about it, what community protests, lawsuits and common sense has been unable to achieve is being accomplished by the bunglers in the state legislature who have shattered all records with there inability to come up with a budget to deal with the $15.2 billion hole they somehow created during one of the state's greatest economic booms.
If Mayor Villaraigosa and his counterparts are to be believed -- and that's a big if -- cutting off billions of dollars to the cities, will stop or at least slow development.
I don't know about the other cities but when Antonio signs his name to a letter saying he's worried about economic growth, I have to laugh. Since when is growing the economy the goal of City Hall in L.A.?
If it really was the goal, wouldn't the city be taking steps to make it attractive to business and industry?
The truth is the city encourages retail projects with its low-paying jobs and housing construction because of the quick payoff in revenue to the city treasury -- the monster that eats the public's wealth to provide subsidies to billionaires and salaries and benefits to city workers that far exceed what's available in the private sector.
The goal of city government is city government itself -- not the improvement of the city or the lot of its residents. That's why rates, fees and taxes keep soaring and city services get worse. That's why there's a 75-year backlog in paving streets and sidewalks, why there aren't enough cops on the street, why the pipes and power grid are neglected, why good-paying jobs and the people who filled them have been making an exodus for a generation.
Not only is City Hall the safest building in L.A. in an earthquake thanks to a $350 million renovation, jobs at City Hall especially those of the politicians are the most secure as well.
They pander to the agenda of the unions and sell out to developers, contractors and consultants to get the campaign cash and support needed to keep the system from ever changing.
And it's not like Villaraigosa or Councilman Herb Wesson -- both former state Assembly speakers -- ever did anything about the long-term failure of state government which they now are so worried about impacting local government funding.
Twice in
this decade with tax revenue rolling in, the state has spent itself
deep into debt, and now can't come to decisions on how to even get
through this fiscal year which is more than two months old.
Political gridlock starts, of course, with gerrymandered legislative districts that ensure only liberal Democrats and conservative Republicans can get elected. Both parties like it that way but what's good for them is disastrous for the state.
The governor who must have played too many military parts in the movies given his proclivity to make about-faces in his policies wants a full 1 percent increase in the sales tax along with cuts in spending for schools and cities.
The Democrats want even higher taxes and want to soak the rich to do it. The Republicans want none of the above, just the elimination of government itself -- except for the prisons.
So what are we to do? Arnold wants us to write our legislators and tell them we're fed up and not going to take it anymore.
"You have the power. I alone can't do the lifting." Wasn't he a weightlifter in a former life? I guess he was just a muscle-bound body beautiful.
I only see two options: Move to Oregon like so many others have done or get involved in doing something about it.
Since voting for elected officials is a fixed game and they don't give a damn about your emails and letters for the most part, that only leaves taking action. That's why activists of various beliefs are getting involved in community groups and the Saving L.A. Project.
I've learned the last few months it isn't easy but if we do use the tools of getting ourselves organized, researching the issues, tracking developments, and supporting each other with advocacy teams, we can start to make a difference.
As we affect policy decisions, the organization will grow in numbers and strength to the point that we would have the power to decide the outcome of elections. If we can do it in L.A., we can do it in California.
If anybody has got a better way, let me know. This is the best I can do.
Political gridlock starts, of course, with gerrymandered legislative districts that ensure only liberal Democrats and conservative Republicans can get elected. Both parties like it that way but what's good for them is disastrous for the state.
The governor who must have played too many military parts in the movies given his proclivity to make about-faces in his policies wants a full 1 percent increase in the sales tax along with cuts in spending for schools and cities.
The Democrats want even higher taxes and want to soak the rich to do it. The Republicans want none of the above, just the elimination of government itself -- except for the prisons.
So what are we to do? Arnold wants us to write our legislators and tell them we're fed up and not going to take it anymore.
"You have the power. I alone can't do the lifting." Wasn't he a weightlifter in a former life? I guess he was just a muscle-bound body beautiful.
I only see two options: Move to Oregon like so many others have done or get involved in doing something about it.
Since voting for elected officials is a fixed game and they don't give a damn about your emails and letters for the most part, that only leaves taking action. That's why activists of various beliefs are getting involved in community groups and the Saving L.A. Project.
I've learned the last few months it isn't easy but if we do use the tools of getting ourselves organized, researching the issues, tracking developments, and supporting each other with advocacy teams, we can start to make a difference.
As we affect policy decisions, the organization will grow in numbers and strength to the point that we would have the power to decide the outcome of elections. If we can do it in L.A., we can do it in California.
If anybody has got a better way, let me know. This is the best I can do.
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 National Enquirer.
Ron - you get points for being a defender of neighborhood councils, but you're way off base in slamming Greig Smith on this.
Smith said in city council that the reason for proposing the disclosure forms was that he said he could name at least five specific incidents when developers in district 12 had placed employees or lobbyists on the boards of neighborhood councils specifically for the purpose of influencing planning decisions, which by the way is the place that NCs have the most influence.
Ron - you and your former paper have always advocated for transparency and accountability, well guess what???? - the NCs get $50,000 a year in taxpayer dollars, and if they can introduce legislation, that logically makes them subject to the same rules of disclosure of possible conflicts of interest. Most NCs are doing a fine job, but some have used their funds in blatantly inappropriate ways. The disclosure forms are not onerous, they don't delve into real personal details and aren't that freaking hard to fill out. Having them do the forms and be able to introduce motions is a natural part of them growing up and being a more legitimate part of the city government system, and is totally in line with the charter reform that made the NCs - the charter reform talked a lot about ethics and transparency.
You talk a lot and you seem smart Ron, but you simply don't know the truth on this. The truth is that Smith works very closely with all the NCs in his district. Members of his staff attend 95% of all NC meetings in the district. Smith has said numerous times publicly that his policy regarding developments in the district is to have developers always go to the NCs first to tell them what they propose, then come back to his office. It's an effort to ensure that the NCs have input and an active, working relationship so they can find mutually agreeable ways to preserve neighborhoods and quality of life while property owners can still exercise their legal right to build things and be capitalists.
Okay, here goes. It's off-the-wall and mighty illegal, but it's the game pols play with each other all the time, especially in D.C.
Blackmail. We get the 'goods' on them and threaten to publish the 'dirty pictures' if they don't shape up or they'll be shipped out in disgrace.
Told ya it was whacky and illegal, but it works for them on each other.
Of course, they call it 'Let's Make a Deal,' not blackmail. It's also extortion, as they extort votes out of each other all the time.
There's a conservative Republican on the LACC?
Who Knew?
This virus must be eliminated forth with.
Having been a former Public Administrator, I know first hand how City Council members rule municipalities! They have personal agenda's that, rarely, if ever have anything to do with the betterment of the City and residents that they supposedly work for. The personal agenda's always have something to do with what will benefit the politician. This needs to stop.
residents of every city in California need to go to their respective City Council meetings and demand, not ask, that the City Council not allow for any cost of living increases for elected officials or City employees as well as no salary increases meritorious or other until the State Budget Crisis is over. Everyone needs to be thankful if they have a job and be willing to give up Cost of Living and salary increases for this reason.
If residents go in huge numbers and demand these things then it will be amazing how quickly the budget deficit will be resolved. And when the City Council tells you that they are obligated to pay Cost of living and salary increases because of Union Contracts... You simply say how can a business or a municipality pay something when they do not have the money and simply ask your employees and unions if they would rather lose people or keep the employees they have, not loose people or services, and take the no cost of living or salary increases until such time as the Budget is in a position to afford those increases.
Employees, if your Union rep would rather lay people off than try and do right by all the employees they represent than you need to ask yourself if your payment of union dues is really worth it and is the union really repesenting you and the members in your best interest!