With its $530 million deficit erased with a few strokes of a pen and the budget balanced with the kind of creative accounting that get executives of public companies thrown into jail, the LA City Council is naturally in a self-congratulatory mood.
There are back-slaps and high-fives for all, dozens of unanimous votes to cast and heroes to celebrate.
Bill Rosendahl faced down the most untouchable cop since Eliot Ness. Auxiliary cop Greig Smith stood up for the rank-and-file who face a 10 percent cut in pay through furlough days while rookies patrol the streets. Ex-chief Parks got the momentary satisfaction of shooting holes in the myth of the magic of 10,000 cops.
But it was Navy Officer Eric Garcetti, speeding home from active duty in the reserves, who saved the day and the failed political culture of City Hall at least for a day or two.
Talk about magic, get this: Over the weekend, Garcetti with a little help from his friends found $22 million more in property taxes and $20 million more in another hidden pot and suddenly there was enough to keep on hiring cops no matter how much other services have to be slashed.
It’s not like Chief Bill Bratton got off unscathed. One after another, council members took their shots at him, put him in his place, for his overstepping the bounds with his threat to pull 30 patrol officers out of the Westside in retaliation for Rosendahl in Budget Committee for voting to halt police hiriing.
“So, while it may have been interpreted by the
council member … that it was specific to him … it’s actually
specific to every part of the city,” said the unrepentant Bratton.
Community activists might take a lesson from Bratton on how to treat the City Council. After all, the council voted without any sign of shame to give Bratton his cops with only the begrudging Parks holding out.
They rolled over so totally that even if the expected failure of the ballot propositions occurs today and the city loses $120 million in state funding, they will borrow to keep hiring police in the expectation the state will pay them back in three years.
They don’t have a clue how they will pay for the cops in the future, or come up with the billions needed to keep city pension funds solvent or the hundreds of millions for golden handshakes for city workers being laid off.
This is a situation where forgiveness isn’t easy for they know exactly what they are doing.
The budget the mayor proposed was a work of fiction. The budget the council adopted is a myth. They backed down to Bratton, to the unions and even the Neighborhood Councils.
But it is all meaningless. They will be grappling with the financial catastrophe they created for weeks and months and years to come.
They will sell off parking structures and everything else they can. They will pay off city workers to get them to leave. They will keep cutting and cutting services to the public. And they will keep back-slapping and high-fiving as the city falls apart.
Ron, your recipe for resolving L.A.’s problems yesterday was obviously either ignored or never seen by the hapless city government our apathy in the past has entrenched in our midst. Today’s election is statewide and for those
six issues, we will get the help of much of the State. My fingers are crossed for a low turnout in LA and SF. I think your vote for a partnership
between the City Hall, Unions and Public is the way to go. Thank you for everything you do.
Thanks, Ron, this is helpful. Yesterday, you declared “a new political culture…being born” and today you are predicting “catastrophe.”
Here are a few Magic 8-Ball answers you might try for tomorrow:
Signs point to yes.
Reply hazy, try again.
Without a doubt.
My sources say no.
As I see it, yes.
You may rely on it.
Concentrate and ask again.
Outlook not so good.
It is decidedly so.
Better not tell you now.
Very doubtful.
Yes – definitely.
It is certain.
Cannot predict now.
Most likely.
Ask again later.
My reply is no.
Outlook good.
Don’t count on it.
After this election is over, SLAP needs to call a Charter Reform convention.
If you want to change the culture at City Hall, first and foremost, you must install transparency and a right to immediate access to government records — and it needs to go into the Charter where City Council cannot play with it.
When they know the people are watching, the mischief never begins and they get serious about the substantive effort of better efficiency and service delivery.
Two things need to happen:
1. Council Meetings: This is fundamental. Move City Council meetings to nighttime. The bureaucracy and the Council will fight this hard. They will make up all kinds of silly excuses why it cannot be done. They will argue that it will cost more money to have nighttime meetings. But the reality is that most cities in California have nighttime meetings.
We have daytime Council meetings for one reason: It’s easier for our “full-time” Council and lobbyists to slide dumb ideas, developer giveaways, and appalling union deals through when the City’s residents are at work trying to provide for their families.
If residents of the City had the ability to attend City Council meetings in large numbers when there is an issue of concern, there would indeed be more of a partnership between the Council and the people.
2. Enact a Local Sunshine Law that Goes Beyond State Rules: The bureaucracy and the Council will fight this. They know that information = power. The access to information – proper Brown Act notice, increased notice of proposed land use actions, and maintenance of electronic City records archives would be a great equalizer.
Guess what the argument against this will be? Cost. They will say it costs too much money. But really, how much does it cost this City when it makes bad sweetheart deals in back rooms? Millions and hundreds of millions of dollars. Transparency costs little by comparison.
If SLAP could just focus the people on fixing the transparency issue, it would not have to spend so much time focused on the latest DWP union travesty, or the details of pension problems.
Fix the transparency first and then move on to substantive monitoring of the City’s officials. It is time to organize the Neighborhood Councils to bring the transparency ideas to the table.
The City should raise money by taxing supergraphics that are attached to the sides of buildings $20,000 per day.
Another item to add to your sunshine list: If speaker cards are put in for an agenda item on the City Council meeting that had already been heard in a committee, the hearing will be re-opened and speakers will be heard.
New York Times, “President Obama signed his $787 billion economic stimulus plan into law on Feb. 17. At his signing ceremony, he mentioned Columbus’s would-be officers. “While this package is mostly composed of critical investments,” Mr. Obama said at the time, “it also includes aid to state and local governments to prevent layoffs of firefighters or police recruits
We have an overpaid spoiled City Council that bunts the problems to our children and doesn’t have the guts to touch any political hot potato. Parks may have been for police hiring freeze for personal reasons, but I support his position. Hopefully we can have comprehensive reform starting with returning the limit of service to 2 terms, lowering the salary of City Councilmembers back to 1996, and putting in more stringent budget requirements. By the way, Garcetti is known for his “slush funds” that he gets from developers for supporting their overcrowded projects.
I agree with Anon 1244.
It’s time for a C3, a City Charter Convention. Maybe SLAP could be the instigator, along with a few others, but the C3 itself should be convened under the control of the Neighborhood Councils, not just a few, but ALL of the NC’s. A situation in which “they” inform the Citizens of Los Angeles that enough is enough.
An anger presented where the Citizens inform the government that it is taking back-control and throwing out the present system of the government in-control. For too long now we’ve been ruled, not govern, not lead, by a long line of arrogant, self-serving, pompous, ditzy, gold-in-the-gutters politicians, that are only trying to secure their next elected office.
Besides, when you look at the TV Guide there’s nothing on anyway, maybe Jack on Mondays. In six months of evening Council meetings, Channel 35 would lead in the ratings three nights a week. The Council could then have the brilliant idea of having commercials run along the bottom of the screen and earn revenue for the City.
15 Ayes !
It’s unfortunate this article was not published prior to the March 3, 2009 election, which could have had a different mayor outcome. The June 2009 edition of Los Angeles Magazine will be available at major grocery and book stores starting Thursday, May 21.
Los Angeles Magazine
http://www.losangelesmagazine.com/article.aspx?id=15528
13 hours of delibrations (according to the Daily News today) and the new budget is approved? Does something seem radically wrong to you? The private sector spends days, weeks, months, agonizing over the fine print of their budgets. Yet, our Council has a few sub-committee hearings, lots of quotes in the papers, a 13 hour “marathon” session, and it’s time to move on to the next issue!
As I write this, we await the vote counts for CD5 and City Attorney. Let’s hope the voters went for change.
there is NO way that this can be truthful. in this challenging budget cycle?? when all the money has been sliced and diced down to the last nickel they can suddenly find $40 million??? I am not buying it either.
Also, I thought it was particularly interesting that Garcetti called out the Mayor and un-named councilmembers when he said basically, “there’s been some inappropriate things said,’” but never called out Bratton, who said the most inappropriate of all.
State Ballot Measures
34.2% ( 5,941 of 17,393 ) precincts
partially or fully reporting as of May 19, 2009, at 10:14 p.m.
1A “Rainy Day” Budget Stabilization Fund
Yes Votes: 910,752 (36.5%)
NO Votes: 1,578,207 (63.5%)
1B Education Funding. Payment Plan.
Yes Votes: 994,485 (40.0%)
NO Votes: 1,487,144 (60.0%)
1C Lottery Modernization Act
Yes Votes: 947,590 (38.2%)
NO Votes: 1,527,721 (61.8%)
1D Children’s Service Funding
Yes Votes: 928,772 (37.5%)
NO Votes: 1,543,478 (62.5%)
1E Mental Health Funding
Yes Votes: 910,981 (37.0%)
NO Votes: 1,547,734 (63.0%)
1F Elected Officials Salaries
Yes Votes: 1,894,253 (76.4%)
NO Votes: 586,818 (23.6%)
http://vote.sos.ca.gov/returns/props/59.htm
OMG…85% in and TRU has 10% lead.OMG!!!!!!!!
Ron, my love:
What is SO great about you is that you really invite different points of view.
What I hate about you is that you don’t give enough credit when someone DOES have real balls.
I love my Councilman Rosendahl and I don’t like that you are sneering at him about the cop issue cause I don’t think it is warranted.Rosendahl’s position took real courage because it didn’t play popular.
Should it take courage to take that position? OF COURSE NOT, THE SYSTEM IS DYSFUNCTIONAL!!!!!!
WOW – the LA Mag piece by Ed L is a “bell ringer”! CUDOS to Bernard Parks for have more than adequate cajones under fire! Hope he gets Maxine Waters’ congressional seat – if she and bank board member hubby are found guilty of ‘excessive profiteering’ via many bank bailouts from BOTH Bush and Obama administrations. IMHO – Parks made his younger LA County Supes’ opponent [Mark Ridley-Thomas] a far better member – than candidate – over the King Drew Hospital issue; therefore ‘bully for PARKS’ ON THAT ONE IN BOTH the NEAR & far LONGER TERMS in looking out bravely FOR CITIZENS’ BENEFITS! PARKS DESERVES TO SERVE IN HIGHER OFFICE, as a Member of Congress. GAWD KNOWS we need both his wisdom and experience at that level as soon as possible.
Sounds like LAPD Chief Brattan and those who first recommended then hired him need an escorted trip to “a certain LA County Sheriff” law enforcement facility @ Castaic, near Magic Mountain along I-5! After throwing away the keys at the front gate, all present could get a timely refresher course from County Sheriff Deputies there on restoring public faith & confidence in all our local law enforcement! A special seminar – without Q&A – also could be included from Westside’s rep Bill Rosendahl on being properly responsive to one’s constituents! Love to be a fly on the wall for that one!
Dave sounds totally clueless about the Parks corruption when he was chief. Read a book called “LAbyrinth: A Detective Investigates the Murders of Tupac Shakur and Notorious B.I.G. It calls out Parks. Why isn’t anyone investigating all the gang programs? They will find many that aren’t in the city of LA and are political paybacks the Mayor is giving his friends. Why isn’t anyone investigating the CRA? You people are closed minded and not thinking out of the box. The council members behaved as if they were gods during these budget crisis and doesn’t like anyone to question them. They are the losers in all of this.
Good morning Anon 6:21
“You people are closed minded and not thinking out of the box. The council members behaved as if they were gods during these budget crisis and doesn’t like anyone to question them. They are the losers in all of this.”
Hey, I don’t think any of us are in the “IN” group. If you have information, why not direct it to Ronkayela.com email and let him know. You
could be the missing link to the whole situation.
Meanwhile, I am glad that Carmen Trutanich won.
That means Weiss is out of circulation for now.
Maybe the “dike” is getting holes in it.
Mayor: The drums of recall beat louder this morning. Clean up the corruption at Los Angeles City Hall.