VOICE IN THE CHEAP SEATS
By Charles Tarlow
Los Angeles … City of the Angels … could be nicknamed more accurately: Los Angeles, City of the Downtrodden.
Those of us who have lived here for more than a few decades understand
that the process of marginalizing “John Q Public“ has been going on for
years. What we didn't know … or refused to see … is that our failure
to elect responsible leaders would inevitably lead to fiscal collapse
and the demise of our Quality of Life.
Maybe City of the Desperate is an even better moniker because Los Angeles is desperate. We are desperate for money an d desperate for leadership. Sadly, it does not look like we are going to get either.
To be sure, it is easier to criticize than to come up with viable solutions and I don't pretend to have all the answers, but as a little guy observing from the sidelines, I am appalled to see my Los Angeles being destroyed by short sighted politicians who cater to the rich and turn a deaf ear to the majority of us who live and work in this city.
There was a time I could speak out against broken promises, but nowadays politicians don't even make promises. Promises, they have discovered, only gets them into trouble. Promises can be used to measure performance and failure and can become a liability in the next election. Consequently politicians don't make promises any more.
What they do and will continue to do is win elections with appealing rhetoric devoid of significant substance. Then, when elected, expedience becomes the watchword of the day. Up until now, the path of least resistance was the sure path to re-election, but as Bob Dylan once told us; “the times they are a changing “ ... and our leaders don't know what to do about it.
So in desperation, they are jumping at any idea that will bring in money to offset the deficit created by themselves and their predecessors. They don't care who it hurts, as long as it means money going to the general fund. And if it serves the rich … so much the better.
Take toll roads, for example. Toll roads will create a two tiered highway system that will result in more pollution and wasted gas. Fast roads for the rich; stop and go roads for the rest of us. But our City Council voted for it because it will mean more revenue for the City.
And I don't have to tell you about parking. Parking meter money used to go to service the local community and to build parking structures. The mayor has redirected that money into the general fund.
He also endorsed the raising of parking meter fees beyond reason and that is only the beginning. There is now talk of leasing all of the city's public parking lots and meters to a private company and part of that proposed deal is to raise the prices even higher. The result will be lots of parking for the rich … and pitifully little parking for, you guessed it, the rest of us.
And why is he doing this? You can be certain it has nothing to do with us, the worker bees in this hive. It has everything to do with money and allegiance to those with more means and influence than the average bear.
What can we do about it? I don't know. Besides leaving town, I don't know.
What I do know is that the selling of our public infrastructure to the rich is wrong. It is morally corrupt and that speaks volumes to the lack character in the leaders we are electing.
And while our leaders are struggling to come up with solutions that will stave off the collapse of our economy and serve the privileged in our city, we are struggling to make sense of it all. What can we do to attract good leaders? Money is not the answer. Council Members make $180,000 per year (WOW!). The Mayor makes even more! And that doesn't count all the perks (and there are many perks).
The election process is not working. Unless someone extraordinary appears on the political landscape, we will continue to get the same crop of self serving candidates spouting the same obtuse rhetoric, committed to nothing, accountable to no one, and operating with the same short sighted vision that motivates our Mayor to turn over real assets to private companies for short term money.
The more I think about it, the more I keep coming back to my dream of bypassing our ineffective leaders with propositions … for example:
Prop #1 … Cap parking meter fees at 25-cents per hour. This will foil their plan to sell parking meters to private companies and it would remind our leaders that the reason for parking meters in the first place was to prevent people from interfering with businesses by parking all day in front of their stores … NOT TO MAKE MONEY!!! It would also keep parking available to everyone … not just the privileged few.
Prop #2 … Cap the salary of all public employees, including the Mayor and the City Council, at $100,000. Times are tough and money management begins at home. If you can't live on $100,000, I have no sympathy for you.
Prop #3 … Outlaw toll roads in Los Angeles. The only way to stop toll roads is by law and the only way to get that law will be if the people rise up and demand it. The Mayor and the City Council are clearly on the side of toll roads. Where do you stand?
Prop #4 … We need realistic requirements for the building of apartments, hotels, and condominiums. They should include generous parking and serious impact studies by companies independent of the builders.
People all over the city are screaming about projects that are negatively impacting them and the current requirements do not seem to be protecting anyone but the builders. A proposition is needed to protect both the people who live adjacent to new construction and the City in general.
Prop #5 … This one is yours. What's your beef. What do you want. You are not going to get it from the Mayor or the City Council. You might get it from a proposition if you can get it on the ballot.
Come on … think about it. Dream about it. Dream a little dream with me.
(Our “Average Joe” is Charles Tarlow, a mid-city resident and community activist. Tarlow writes Voice in the Cheap Seats for CityWatch. He can be reached at
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CityWatch
Vol 8 Issue 10
Pub: Feb 5, 2010
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