City Council can make all the fuss they want about the budget and how people will lose jobs and get days off, but the show must go on with special events and assorted fee waivers. There are some worthwhile events listed, but the problem is that the City Council seems obliged to pay out for whatever is presented for "costs to be absorbed by the city."
A lot of events should be handled by fundraising and not be dependent on the City for money to conduct the events. Trimming back might be the need if you give recognition to the bad economy or the real NEED for a particular event at all.
I do notice that some amounts are very small in some cases, and then others seem simply generous and in the party spirit for the associated party event- but SHOULD so much celebration be going on with tax dollars be used while people are given furlough days? The boat that is the City continues to spring money leaks that just don't get plugged, thanks to the split-personality council members.
This is part of the reason why it's hard to believe the positions that the Council members take in making pronouncments of urgency and using that to take measures that give a financial hit to residents and businesses in the city. If there is a crisis, and they want to "share the pain" as the Mayor termed it, then it certainly is not apparent with the "business as usual" in the Special Event/Fee Waiver area of Council action.
"The show must go on." might better serve as the slogan the Mayor and Council members use. In WW II, a shortage of many items was in evidence from the rationing of gas and food items. THAT got the message across that we were in desperate times.
There is no such message here, but maybe just that they are desperate to keep spending more money. What was it that the plants said in the movie, "The Little Shop of Horrors"? Wasn't it "Feed Me!" That's the way it is here- they just collect and can't save.
Here's today's agenda item for the usual approvals- (and Items 15 and 16 were lumped in for the 10 unanimous votes of the members present under "Items for Which Public Hearings Have Not Been Held - Items 9-18" - so you wouldn't know the details of what was going on if you didn't read the agendas today; all done very quietly and routinely):
"ITEM NO. (15)
07-1855-S1
et al. MOTIONS relative to “Special Events” to be held in the various Council Districts.
Recommendations for Council action:
DECLARE the following community events as “Special Events”; APPROVE any temporary street closures as requested; and, INSTRUCT the involved City departments to perform such services as detailed the Council motions attached to the various listed Council files, including the waiver of fees, costs and requirements and other related issues, as specified:
07-1855-S1
CD 4
a. MOTION (LABONGE - HAHN) relative to declaring the 11th Annual Fourth of July block party on July 4, 2009 a Special Event (fees and costs absorbed by the City = $1,043).
09-1147
CD 1
b. MOTION (REYES - ZINE) relative to declaring the Santacruzan on May 30, 2009 a Special Event (fees and costs absorbed by the City = $500).
08-1367-S1
CD 1
c. MOTION (REYES - ZINE) relative to declaring the Fourth Annual Lummis Day Festival on June 7, 2009 a Special Event (fees and costs absorbed by the City = $2,100).
07-1491-S1
CD 5
d. MOTION (WESSON for WEISS - SMITH) relative to declaring the It a SORO World festival on June 7, 2009 a Special Event (fees and costs absorbed by the City = $3,000).
08-1205-S1
CD 3
e. MOTION (ZINE- REYES) relative to declaring the 19th Annual Barry Wolfe Grand Prix on May 24, 2009 a Special Event (fees and costs absorbed by the City = $3,859).
09-0976-S1
CD 14
f. MOTION (HUIZAR - LABONGE) relative to declaring the Tri-Cultural Celebration on May 17, 2009 a Special Event (fees and costs absorbed by the City = $10,506).
09-1151
CD 6
g. MOTION (CARDENAS - HAHN) relative to declaring the Western L.A. County Council of the Boy Scouts of America’s Balboa Oaks District Camp-O-Ree on May 29-31, 2009 a Special Event (fees and costs absorbed by the City = $1,950).
07-2666-S2
CD 6
h. MOTION (CARDENAS - HAHN) relative to declaring the St. Bridget of Sweden School Carnival on September 25-27, 2009 a Special Event (fees and costs absorbed by the City = $200).
09-1152
CD 6
i. MOTION (CARDENAS - HAHN) relative to declaring the Valley Japanese Community Center, Inc. Annual Carnival 2009. on June 27-29, 2009 a Special Event (fees and costs absorbed by the City = $600).
08-2471-S1
CD 15
j. MOTION (HAHN - CARDENAS) relative to declaring the Holy Family School Fiesta on October 16-18, 2009 a Special Event (fees and costs absorbed by the City = $2,226).
09-1153
CD 15
k. MOTION (HAHN - CARDENAS) relative to declaring the Hot Pedro Nights on August 22, 2009 a Special Event (fees and costs absorbed by the City = $5,924).
08-2350-S1
CD 15
l. MOTION (HAHN - CARDENAS) relative to declaring the 18th Annual Festival of Philippine Arts and Culture on September 12-13, 2009 a Special Event (fees and costs absorbed by the City = $5,260).
08-3322-S1
CD 15
m. MOTION (HAHN - CARDENAS) relative to declaring the 22nd Annual Harbor Holiday Parade on December 13, 2009 a Special Event (fees and costs absorbed by the City = $4,800).
08-2178-S1
CD 15
n. MOTION (HAHN - CARDENAS) relative to declaring the Fifth Annual Fiesta De Las Patrias on September 12-13, 2009 a Special Event (fees and costs absorbed by the City = $4,800).
07-1767-S1
CD 15
o. MOTION (HAHN - CARDENAS) relative to declaring the San Pedro Grand Prix on June 21, 2009 a Special Event (fees and costs absorbed by the City = $7,548).
09-1154
CD 15
p. MOTION (HAHN - CARDENAS) relative to declaring the ILWU 75th Commemoration Event on May 15, 2009 a Special Event (fees and costs absorbed by the City = $4,800).
07-0912-S1
CD 15
q. MOTION (HAHN - CARDENAS) relative to declaring the Labor Day Parade on September 7, 2009 a Special Event (fees and costs absorbed by the City = $4,880).
08-2105-S1
CD 15
r. MOTION (HAHN - CARDENAS) relative to declaring the 10th Annual Charity Downhill Race and Car Show on August 30, 2009 a Special Event (fees and costs absorbed by the City = $1,226).
09-1155
CD 15
s. MOTION (HAHN - PARKS) relative to declaring the Saint Peter’s Fishermen’s Fiesta on June 28, 2009 a Special Event (fees and costs absorbed by the City = $1,226).
09-1156
CD 4
t. MOTION (LABONGE - HAHN) relative to declaring the 20th Anniversary of the Fall of Berlin’s Wall on November 8, 2009 a Special Event (fees and costs absorbed by the City = none submitted).
07-3108-S2
CD 15
u. MOTION (HAHN - PARKS) relative to declaring the Sportswalk Induction ceremony and awards luncheon on October 12, 2009 a Special Event (fees and costs absorbed by the City = $3,736).
08-2023-S1
CD 15
v. MOTION (HAHN - PARKS) relative to declaring the 43rd Annual Watts Summer Festival on August 7-9, 2009 a Special Event (fees and costs absorbed by the City = $6,340).
07-3246-S2
CD 15
w. MOTION (HAHN - PARKS) relative to declaring the 44th Annual Watts/Willowbrook Christmas Parade on December 5, 2009 a Special Event (fees and costs absorbed by the City = $8,250).
08-2032-S1
CD 15
x. MOTION (HAHN - CARDENAS) relative to declaring the America’s Night Out Against Crime on August 4, 2009 a Special Event (fees and costs absorbed by the City = $412).
09-1158
CD 4
y. MOTION (LABONGE - HAHN) relative to declaring the Larchmont Family Fair on October 25, 2009 a Special Event (fees and costs absorbed by the City = $3,567). "
SEPARATE ITEM: REWARDS- Do these really help? Are people only motivated by money to do the right thing? I don't know what the actual payout happens to be for all the rewards that the council has been approving and to me, it seems the rewards authorizations are on the increase. With all the conditions applied to eligibility for collecting the rewards, there might not be much paid out in the end anyway, but the amounts authorized and outstanding are pretty significant, $50,000.00 in the matter below.
If the city did a better job at handling gangs problems in the first place, and starting on it years ago instead of putting things on that slow track as they usually do, then maybe so many rewards would not be needed. That's another area for the "Public Safety Committee" to handle. And that's Jack Weiss as the Chair, with Ed Reyes also in there doing a bang up job to make Antonio say, "L.A. is the safest it's been since the 1950's." Split personalitites of the elected politicians, or maybe simply lying.
"ITEM NO. (16)
09-0010-S37
MOTION (WESSON - SMITH) relative to an offer of reward for information leading to the identification, apprehension, and conviction of the person(s) responsible for the death of Christopher Taylor on June 13, 2008.
Recommendations for Council action, SUBJECT TO THE APPROVAL OF THE MAYOR:
1. PROVIDE an offer of reward in the amount of $50,000 for information leading to the identification, apprehension, and conviction of the person(s) responsible for the death of Christopher Taylor on June 13, 2008.
2. FIND that the subject reward complies with the provisions of Chapter 12, Article 1, Division 19, of the Los Angeles Administrative Code.
3. DIRECT the City Clerk to publish the required notices and/or advertisements to effectuate this reward. "
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