Antonio for President?

This confirmed the speculation of David Chalian in his recent Yahoo! News report.

While the Mayor touted his successes in public safety, crime reduction, regional transportation, the environment, education, and the ability to raise revenues (Proposition S, the 9% Communication Users Tax; Measure R that increased the County’s sales tax by ½ of 1% to fund large transportation projects throughout the County for the next 30 years; and a more than tripling of City’s trash collection fees to supposedly fund 1,000 additional police officers), he bemoaned the fact that the City’s deteriorating finances under his administration are a disaster and reflect poorly on his ability to govern.

The Mayor referred to the Structural Deficit as his nemesis, where the uncontrollable growth in personnel expenses have overwhelmed the General Fund, forcing our problem solving Mayor to make the tough decisions to reduce services, to downsize the General Fund work force by almost 5,000 employees (including 500 workers who were laid off), to defer the maintenance and repair of the City’s streets and parks, and to short change the City’s two massively underfunded pension plans.

And the Mayor is increasingly concerned that the continuing Structural Deficit of $1.1 billion over the next four years - caused by the $800 million escalation in salaries, benefits, and pension contributions - will destroy his legacy and any chance he has for higher office.

But the Mayor made the case that the inability to eliminate the Structural Deficit and provide money for our infrastructure and underfunded pension plans is the result of a busted system, where the demands of City’s campaign funding labor unions and numerous other special interests are given preference by the City Council, regardless of the financial consequences.

So rather than trying to work within this broken system, the Mayor stunned us by proposing to change the system by placing on the March ballot a charter amendment that would require the City to “Live Within Its Means.”

This common sense amendment would require the City to develop and adhere to a Five Year Financial Plan, approve two year balanced budgets based on Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, and, over the next ten years, provide adequate funding for the repair and maintenance of our streets, parks, sidewalks, and the rest of our infrastructure, and the elimination of the City’s unfunded $10 billion pension liability. The City would also be mandated to fully fund any future spending programs or tax cuts.  

Mayor Villaraigosa also pledged to place on the ballot a pension reform plan similar to that of Democratic controlled San Jose, a measure that was approved by 70% of that city’s left leaning voters that was more comprehensive than the San Diego measure.

The only caveat was that voters would need to approve tax and fee increases totaling $100 million that would help the City balance its annual budget.   

The Mayor also pulled a “Nixon Goes to China” by endorsing Proposition 32 (also known as “Stop Special Interest Money Now” or “Paycheck Protection”) despite the vigorous opposition of the public labor unions.  

But this former labor leader feels that the leadership of the City’s labor unions has had a disproportionate and detrimental impact on the City and its finances as evidenced by the 35% increase in average salaries, the 50% rise in expenditures for benefits, and the incredible 150% jump in pension contributions during his administration.

And he argued that these unions will hardly be powerless and destitute.  They have huge, well organized memberships that will provide valuable manpower for endorsed candidates and substantial campaign contributions on a “voluntary” basis.  

But the Mayor realizes that in order to be elected to higher office, he needs to take decisive action to win the support of middle of the road voters who are increasingly frustrated with spendaholic politicians that are beholden to the campaign funding unions and City Hall lobbyists.  

And this was readily apparent to the Mayor when he only received 55% of the vote in the March 2009 election against an undistinguished cast of opponents.  To a large degree, voters were appalled by the Mayor’s support of Measure B, his $4 billion Solar Initiative that would have required that all work would be awarded on a no bid basis to the highly inefficient work crews of the IBEW, the DWP’s domineering union headed by campaign funding Union Bo$$ Brian d’Arcy, its public be damned business manager.

Is the Mayor’s epiphany too good to be true?

Unfortunately, it is.  Sorry, Angelenos, I was just dreaming about the possibilities under a responsible mayor!

More than likely, the unelectable Mayor Who Broke LA is hoping to pass the Bar Exam on his fifth attempt so that he can earn those big bucks as an influence peddling partner in a major law firm that can use his relationships with the money grubbing political elite and their cronies that control City Hall and Sacramento to advance the interests of the law firm’s self serving clients, the public be damned.

And that way, he will be able to enjoy his millionaire life style, thanks to the all the Angelenos who will be burdened for years to come with Structural Deficits, broken roads, a failing infrastructure, and massively underfunded pension plans.  

Thanks, Antonio.  

(Jack Humphreville writes LA Watchdog for CityWatch He is the President of the DWP Advocacy Committee and the Ratepayer Advocate for the Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council. Humphreville is the publisher of the Recycler -- www.recycler.com. He can be reached at: [email protected]) –cw



CityWatch
Vol 10 Issue 63
Pub: Aug 7, 2012