As surely as LAUSD officials knew enough — and should have know more — to avoid the child molestation scandal, City Hall officials knew enough to have done something to avoid what we are now learning about the impact of $200 million in Fire Department cuts.
Lives were lost and people terribly injured because of the cuts that took firefighters and equipment out of served at nearly half the firehouses and the breakdown was compounded by outdated communications systems, long-term failure to maintain equipment and LAFD’s own inability to keep honest and accurate records.
Starting 10 months ago, citizen activists Mike Eveloff and Jim O’Sullivan of Fix the City/Tract 7260 started a crusade to get accurate data from the Fire Department under the California Public Records Act, eventually hiring a lawyer and finally getting raw statistical data in November which they analyzed. (LAFDSTATS–FixItLA)
They gave their information to some news outlets and candidates for city offices, including Cary Brazeman, candidate for City Controller, and mayoral candidate Austin Beutner, who used the data to question the response time data LAFD was using to claim that budget cuts had not impacted service.
Brazeman’s analysis concluded “emergency response times increased across the board from 2008 to 2011, following budget cuts,” achieving goals only 60 percent of the time.
Together with Beutner’s challenge of LAFD’s data and warning of the threat to public safety forced, the department to come clean and has led to several shocking news stories, the latest appearing on the front page of Sunday’s LA Times and in Steve Lopez’s page two column on Sunday.
You can and should read these stories because you need to get mad as hell and understand that all 18 of the officials we have elected to protect and serve us have failed miserably and do not deserve to ever hold public office again even if the LAFD breakdown was their only failure and not one of a thousand failures.
There must be an independent commission appointed of independent citizens to determine what political pressures were placed on Fire Department officials, what the politicians knew of the department’s needs, what they did about it and whether LAFD has the ability to fix itself.
And you have to ask yourself after reading the stories and seeing what Fix the City found whether the mayor and Chief Brian Cummings were lying last week when they claimed the severe budget cuts did not endanger the public safety.
There is no higher priority for the government of any city than to provide for the public safety and the failure to do so is the most severe a violation of the public trust, requiring accountability by all those responsible.
Ok, Ron, I am mad as hell and trying to figuring out what to do. Today I sent my messages to a list that I hope will get mad as well.
But the revelations from Washington, DC about the Federal Government
and the revelations about California’s government – and not just Los Angeles City
and County- add up to a very real problem. We must clean out the encumbents and
run our government ourselves by means of Town Hall Meetings. Vote on every issue
that arises. Who can we trust?
In April 2010, the city was expressly advised that there was no need to downgrade fire services as the there was no City deficit. In CityWatchLA, Richard Abrams wrote: “So why don’t we use some CRA money rather than reduce fire protection? The mayor, the councilmembers, the budget mavens never suggest that any money set aside for developers should go to pay for basic services like fire, police, etc.”
As the April 2010 article pointed out, the City Charter gave the City Council control over all CRA projects and the power to use CRA funds for City infra-structure including fire and police (Oh wait for the correct LAPD stats come out).
In 2008-09, the CRA took in $245,351,554 in incremental property tax revenue. Just between 2004 and 2009, the CRA had siphoned off $920,00,000 in incremental property tax revenue. That was close to $1 BILLION in only six years. All that time, the City had adequate funds for fire and police, but instead the services were being degraded year by year until the City decided to make an additional, an unnecessary $200 Million reduction over 3 years.
We now know that while the Council President Garcetti was concealing the hundreds of millions of dollars in the City’s CRA bank accounts, he was doling out millions of dollars to his buddies at CIM Group ($30 M just for the Kodak Theater) and $52 M to billionaire Eli Broad for a parking lot next to his art museum. There is the $17.3 M in connection with the CRA Hollywood-Western and the $42 Million for the CRA Midtown Project and the $3+ million for CRA Sunset Gordon and a MINUS $200 Million for fire services, the Fraud for the CRA project at 1601 N. Vine, which Ron Kaye has well documented recently, and a host of other give-aways.
These false fire statistics were not an innocent oops, gee I made a boo boo. They were intentional misrepresentations so Garcetti, and others on the City Council could continue giving hundreds of millions of tax dollars to their corrupt cronies.
Their behavior was an intentional fraud on which the citizens relied, and Garcetti and others knew or had to know that the reduction of fire and paramedic services would result in serious bodily harm and death. They acted with a wanton and willful disregard for the safety of Angelenos so that they could continue to funnel tax dollars to their buddies. They did not need to know the identities of the specific persons who would be harmed or killed just as anyone who shoots a gun into a loaded school bus does not have to know which child he will maimed or kill.
Republics are created by the virtue, public spirit,
and intelligence of the citizens. They fall, when
the wise are banished from the public councils,
because they dare to be honest, and the profligate
are rewarded, because they flatter the people,
in order to betray them.
- Joseph Story 1883
Ron does a wonderful job of telling us what is happening.
It is up to us to do something about it. It really is our city.
The people causing all our pain and stealing our tax money
by misusing it are not the ones who will be able to help
us unseat them from their power.
I am an older woman, not a lawyer, I vote and will support
a valid solution. But any of you who have a solution should
let us know what you think will help us help ourselves and
we can find a way, email, phone, attend meetings to vote
on what we want to do.
The solution may present itself after the next mayor is elected and the city is forced to declare bankruptcy.
Too bad there isn’t a court for moral bankruptcy.
Trying looking at “Save_Hollywood.Org”
There are also others who are working to combat the corruption. Wednesday March 27, 2012 at 2:30 p.m., people can attend the City PLUM Committee and tell the councilmen that you’ve had enough. You can also mail, fax, or email comments before March 27th.
You don’t have to speak like a Beverly Hills lawyer; an angry citizen who votes is better. They know anger turns into VOTES.
Rather soon people will be publishing more and more material about the corruption and a lot should appear at “Save_Hollywood.Org” and more from Ron Kaye as well as CityWatchLA.
We killed the horrible CRA and we can stop these thieves also — if we show up, contribute our time, our money and our votes. They succeed only when we do nothing or leave everything to a few.
I agree, we are experiencing terrible corruption in Sacramento and our
Nation’s capital as well.
There is one thing we can all do is stop paying all taxes (some are
unavoidable).
Voting is easier and legal
Ron, I just re-read what you wrote and you told us exactly what we must do. Fight back with every ounce of guts we have and formulate our own laws. We did not vote for someone to tell what we must do, we voted for people to do what we want them
to do. WE – NOT UNIONS, DEVELOPERS, WE CANNOT AFFORD TO LET IT GO
ON ANY LONGER. WE NEED TO VOTE ON EVERYTHING THE POLS TELL US
WE NEED. WHO SAID SO? WE ARE NOT THEIR SLAVES. FIGHT BACK, FOLKS.
How many times can the corrupt politicians say “they didn’t know.” The next time there is a Mayoral Candidate Debate ask all of them what their stand is on the vehicle impound policy for illegal immigrants and WHY didn’t they know about the LA Fire Dept.?? People are tired of their lame excuses. They’re all to busy setting up their next job for higher office. Garcetti keeps pretending he’s a Latino further pissing off Mexican Americans and now is on the illegal immigrant path and stated at a breakfast last week he wants to legalize “illegal vending” throughout LA. He and his croonies are all FAILURES. We need more blogs like this to expose their corrupt behavior
I can attest to this. There is a fire station one block from my home. I called 911 to report a gas leak. It took them 15 to 20 minutes to arrive. When I asked what took so long, they said their station is 10 plus minutes away. I asked if the one a block away was out on another call. They said no, just that they were the ones dispatched. After they left, I walked over to my local station (just curious). The trucks were there. Go figure.
I have another one if this includes paramedics too. Does it?
Of course, and a fire?
No–a heart attack. It took them around twenty minutes longer to get him to the hospital because of the computer equipment they had to use to enter data before transport. Fortunately, it was a mild heart attack and the victim was somewhat stable (actually–not as stable as we thought–but he’s alive and kicking). I asked them if the administration conferred with them on the equipment and the length of time it took to enter data. The paramedic said no.
Several folks have done a commendable job bringing this issue to light. I searched news articles for a couple hours last night and I am dumbfounded by how many different answers the Fire Chief and Mayor have given related to the responses times for our fire department resources. They need to be held accountable for their answers – whether they’re lying to our faces or misinformed. We need an independent citizens review board with the courage to ask the tough questions, we need the Beutner Commission!
Beutner according to the Slimes is going to use the issue as a center piece of his campaign. Are we going to elect as Mayor another hypocrite? Beutner was a de facto Mayor for 13 months. Come on you guys. First Wendy, now Butner, like they just landed Downtown. HYPOCRITES!!
Quest for justice after Black postman is killed in East L.A.
Do we care that this is what the LA & Beck-style of selective law enforcement gets us! The senseless death of another bright young man in LA?
The article below, while possibly skewed, brings up some very good points and the LAPD could add making false statements because “Soto claims that he swerved to avoid hitting a dog at the time of the crash”. If true, let’s see, which should I hit? A dog or a man? :-\
My most sincere condolences to the Dunn family on their tragic loss. “Accidents” like this don’t have to happen as often if the punishment for driving without a license and just being in an accident had charges escalated to a felony, going to jail for a minimum of 2 weeks, paying restitution and doing community service. If the alleged suspect is an illegal alien, deportation should automatically follow the punishment.
Changes must happen in LA to enhance the impounding of vehicles, punish those driving without a license, severely punish those getting a DUI & stop these kinds of murders! That is – if we care.
Bottom Line: Quest for justice after Black postman is killed in East L.A.
http://wavenewspapers.com/opinion/article_fd0f98b4-6e4a-11e1-85e6-001a4bcf6878.html
It’s been a while since we have heard anyting information in the media. Nothing has been done, Garcetti is going for Mayor, a fire chief Emile Mack is running for Garcetti’s spot. People are still paying their taxes and not getting the service which involves life, death and property. Unbelievable the lack of morale values and selfish individuals who want to get paid but not willing to put the safety of others first. LAFD has a medical advisor Dr Eckstein who was on the news a few weeks ago speaking badly about the fire dept. Dr Eckstein is also an individual whom in numerous meetings with LAFD paramedics has spoken extremely bad about the first responders. It seems all these so called leaders and advisors have a grudge either against other chiefs, paramedics or firefighters and in getting revenge they end up hurting the community
HazMat Experts and Firefighters petition Dow Chemical and Union Pacific for safe rail tank cars transporting gas chlorine. Secondary containment is a necessary improvement that must be implemented. See–PETITION C KIT for First Responders Comments.