As we continue through a horrible budget crisis, it is becoming more apparent that there is truly NO plan in place for the short- and long-term fiscal health of the city of Los Angeles.
If I were mayor, here is what I would do:
1) Hire legal counsel proficient in Chapter 9 filings. Get the best legal advice on how to move forward, including the possibility of filing a Chapter 9.
2) Work with the new legal counsel, in conjunction with the CAO, CFO, controller and the budget and finance committee, to develop a plan to exit a Chapter 9. It should be noted that it is not necessary at this point, to actually file the Chapter 9. My reasoning is that if you sit down, evaluate your core services and their costs, plug them into a plan of action, budget to fully fund those bricks-and- mortar items and see, after a realistic projection of future revenues and expenses, what will be left, then plug in those second tier services and devise a plan of action. By doing this, the city and the unions can see exactly what to expect should everyone stand their ground and refuse to compromise. Needless to say, a much slimmer, more efficient city will be the new plan.
3) Evaluate every move. Stop the band-aid measures with the unintended consequences that hurt all of us. Why is it we have more than 200 sworn police officers doing clerk jobs? Because there is a hiring freeze on civilian posts.
Mayor Is Not Saving Us
Mayor Villaraigosa CANNOT be the modern- day incarnation of the former New York Mayor John Lindsay. Playing with revenue numbers, juggling positions department to department, and stalling the inevitable just won't work.
We have to ask tough questions:
What are the core services a city should provide?
Police, fire, sanitation, power, water? What about tree-trimming, pothole filling, libraries, park services? Or arts grants, non-profit grants, senior projects?
I believe there are three tiers of services:
a) vital
b) needed
c) wanted
A budget should be put together fully funding Tier 1.
Should there be revenues in excess of that budgeting, fund Tier 2.
In better times, put some funding into Tier 3.
There should always be some reserve money put away during good times to help us through the bad times.
I believe the issues are:
a) salaries,
b) pension reform,
c) health reform,
d) promotion of L.A. as a place to do business,
e) Promotion of L.A. as the place to spend your dollars, keeping much needed sales tax dollars within our city for city services.
Unless and until these issues are addressed, we will pay more in fees and receive less in services, while the city employees continue to benefit (providing they are not laid off).
Time is running out.
It's time for a blue ribbon panel of business leaders and citizens to come together to help those within the management team move forward on the reforms necessary to fix the city.
Jay Handal
Chair: West L.A. Neighborhood Council
San Gennaro Cafe
310-466-0645
Fax 310-388-3025
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