Second of three parts

Re “Why Is County Sitting on Homeless Numbers?”

The slickest, fastest and most honest response to yesterday’s question – why is Los Angeles County temporarily hiding the number of homeless persons in Culver City? – is succinct:

Because it can.

The County is the biggest bureaucratic kid, or bully, on the block.

To a rumbling tumult, the County last week released significantly higher homeless numbers than expected in the city of Los Angeles.

People had to flatten their palms over their ears to lower the din.

Culver City, meanwhile, was told to go sit in a corner.

Why the drama? See answer above.

When Culver City’s longtime Housing Administrator, Tevis Barnes asked if she could release the community homeless count, the County effectively said “Shh.”

Huh?

Why?

Because the County could.

It owns acres more bureaucratic muscles than City Hall can produce.

Who is the diminutive one here?

Always charming and candid, Ms. Barnes was on Page 1 of the interviewer’s mind.

“I know this sounds ridiculous,” she said, proving both interviewer and interviewee were reading from the same page.

Laughably, the County, in its bounty, granted Ms. Barnes the power to divulge – quietly, no doubt – the homeless numbers for any year that did not end in “17.”

The County stopped short of telling Ms. Barnes she could read any newspaper other than today’s.

Or that she could ingest any food other than fresh victuals  from today.

Or that she could drive on any street where a County bureaucrat was not hiding out.

(To be continued)