Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is predicted to win tomorrow's election by most news sources, print, radio and television. The reason that they don't say is that the ones behind Tony will be coming out to make sure he stays in office, protecting their investment. THOSE are the ones politicians, especially Tony, pay attention to first. They pay his way- and he's not done, needing to reach Sacramento and become Governor next year.
BUT FIRST, he has to look good to other voters in the state and win L.A.'s election tomorrow.
Now, Saturday's L.A. TIMES brought the news that the nearly $450,000,000.00 (four hundred fifty million dollars) deficit that he's trying to cover to balance the city budget is going to get A WHOLE LOT BIGGER- probably DOUBLE in the next 2 years because of pensions and retirement money that the city has to cover when the investments lost money.
"L.A. budget gap could hit $1 billion -
City already faces $427-million shortfall, which could more than double due to pension fund problems." By Phil Willon February 28, 2009 http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-la-budget28-2009feb28,0,4878373.story
SO WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? It means that TONY is going to be looking for MORE money to cover that bill and more layoffs, more cuts in services and some selling off of what the city has.
TONY is thinking of selling the city's Zoo for some cash and also selling off the rights to city parking lots and meters like Chicago did for a BIG chunk of cash. Chicago got $1.2 BILLION up front for 75 years of leasing the parking meters. You know there's more money to be made on the situation, that's the idea of private businesses- to make more money. So they will and rates will go up over the years, since private companies don't miss a step in boosting any and everywhere they can.
TONY doesn't care where he gets the money from or where that leaves the people; he pimps off the resources and will be gone in a few years, and before that, will be missing from office like he did travelling for Hillary Clinton's campaign and jumping to Barack Obama's side when Hillary ended her bid.
We don't want to see that in L.A., at least I don't. The city just got most of the meters converted to the new rates. But TONY sees the Chicago deal as a way for some quick cash and balance the budget, then he will be the budget genius who "balanced the budget, coming from a huge deficit." (Chicago's story, http://archives.chicagotribune.com/2008/dec/03/local/chi-parking-meter-dealdec03 )
TONY will leave for greener pastures and he will leave the parking meters to be his legacy and part of the way life becomes more expensive for us in L.A., thanks to moves by politicians who benefit at, literally, our expense, for their own careers.
Vote tomorrow and break down that Villaraigosa-connected-machine.
THE PEOPLE ARE BEING EXPLOITED BY THIS ADMINISTRATION. It's time to end that.
For MAYOR, NOT TONY- there's David Hernanandez, a good choice, and Phil Jannerjahn, who's still a newcomer to the city scene, but not evil, and then there's my favored candidate, David "Zuma Dogg" Saltsburg, having learned the city processes, attending meeting and bringing up challenges to the power structure in city government that TELLS US what to do instead of carrying out decisions for OUR BENEFIT. An entirely separate choice is the knowledgeable but not charismatic is Walter Moore.
This electioin is NON-partisan, so Party affiliation does not mean anything, or shouldn't mean anything- just pick the best one and a RUN-OFF election is a good outcome.
VOTING FOR TONY will make MORE TRAFFIC, MORE STRAIN ON POLICE AND FIRE SERVICES AND EVERYTHING ELSE that TONY'S continued "density building" that packs more people into smaller spaces to get developer's contributing to his campaign war chest.
MAYOR TONY has already announced he is asking the Council and DWP commission for approval of WATER RATIONING for Los Angeles. Did you know that the penalty for violations is DOUBLE payment of the bill? Not good. So if its so tight with water, which it is, WHY then does TONY continue to try to pack in more buildings and housing (not "houses") that will put more strain on the system- drink, bathe, shower, wash dishes and all things that use our diminishing water.
TONY already announced a few years back that "the days of houses with big yards is OVER." That means that "densification" where a parking space is left OUT of the construction, saving money for the developer to pocket, and now only one space is there instead of two. It's done with the imagined logic that everyone living by a bus or rail line will be using that to go to work and they DON'T NEED PARKING because THEY DON'T NEED THE CARS.
Did you ever see the mass of housing units built on Avenue 26 along the 5 freeway by the Gold Line Rail stop? only 1-1/2 spaces on average exist per unit- and all the other cars only have the street for parking which they really do use if you have seen the area at night. A phony presumption that cars won't be needed, but it gets developers a break from the Building Codes from City Council. Most people using public transportation really don't like to do so, but expense forces them; now it's supposed to be part of the culture of development for everyone, and that mistake should be stopped.
DO YOU LIKE L.A. getting built up wherever there's any open space? It's happening and will continue because there is not any "controlled growth plan" in place like other cities.
DO YOU LIKE ALL THE BILLBOARDS that pop up and the DIGITAL ones coming in, too? Eye pollution, visual blight and just plain annoying. The city is not controlling them, even though there's a temporary moratorium on new ones. Still more are being constructed since the city can't manage to find which are legal and which are not.
SO WHAT CAN WE, THE LOWLY INDIVIDUAL VOTER DO?
1. YOU get out and vote- 5 min. my estimate- those poll workers are going to be very bored, so give them company.
2. Before you vote, grab another voter to go with you and both vote.
3. Call up friends and relatives to remind them it's important and free, SO VOTE.
and WHOEVER NEEDS HELP DECIDING, you can do that with what you have learned about the city hall style that keeps them there for years and years working for US when they are done helping themselves out.
The upset on this could come very easily by having voters come out if they are not happy with the way things are going, the utility bills going up, more taxes and fees, any lately the parking meter hold-ups and just the bad attitude of elected officials.
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