Well, getting back to the keyboard after a break from the local scene. So much simpler to make comments on other blogs but I think there are many that demonstrate some vital points that most people don't want to know.
In the past few local elections, so many people I have spoken with have really been pathetic in their lack of interest in what City Hall dwellers are doing that affects our lives in so many ways that are just accepted.
The parking meter rates quadrupling from 25 cents per hour to a simple "round-it-off-to-the-nearest-dollar" rate was one of these things. If there were more people who objected to this outright gouging by our own elected officials they would back off. It's happened in some areas but that is behavior that is exceptional, and most people just accept it.
Quality of life is very quickly affected by the actions of the local politicians, while the federal counterparts don't have such a daily and immediate reach for most of us to feel. I get the "apathy" from people who are professionals, responsible and otherwise able to read, but they don't see the importance of local politics, at least to be aware of how it has affected their lives. Assuming that these guys in the City Council Chambers are wise and all-knowing is one of the myths that politicians would love to have continue. The truth is that they are even more susceptible to outside influences now than ever before, and they look to "your" well-being only as a secondary matter- unless you are part of the "special interests" that puts them in office and parts with large sums of money to have that happen.
Well, the city has been in a financial bind for a long time and the Mayor admitted it (much later than he could have if he'd been on the ball instead of doing his own thing out of L..A. city limits). Tony said that there'd be layoffs and that was around January. We still don't have that and instead, there's "early retirement" that's coming up now in City Council for cutting people but cutting people with some very nice financial packages that they will take with them and that will have to be paid off until they die by the city's taxpayers.
The whole thing is now seen to be very expensive, more expensive than they thought and there still have been no layoffs on the city side of things, while the private sector has been laying off people left and right, and with little or no notice in many cases. But the City doesn't act decisively to do anything- well, let's change that statement- the City does not act decisively when it comes to personnel decisions that will help the city's positioni in this troubled time.
The CMs WILL act boldly when it comes to jacking people around financially by imposing new rates, costs, charges and they say there was no other alternative. But when it comes to trim some of their own workforce and their own "share the pain" B.S., you just don't see ANY action there.
I have a link to Ron Kaye's blog in the sidebar and if you have not wandered into his blog out of curiousity, you really should consider making it part of the routine as far as local news. The big impact of the early retirement packages being planned for city workers is the important item today in that blog under the title of, "The People's Hero, Sally Choi: City's Sweetheart Early Retirement Deal Blowing Up,"
http://ronkayela.com/2009/08/the-peoples-hero-sally-choi-ci.html#comments
There are some video selections from today's meeting and you may get a taste of what the commotion has been about our bad politicians after seeing it. As I said before, some other blogs have some good topics that make it worth your while to check things out. Check past stories on RonKayeLA.com and you will see a lot of other ills on the city level that affect life in Los Angeles.
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