CommentsALPERN AT LARGE--Fair is fair. If Westside Councilmember Mike Bonin had the LAPD call him, and not the other way around, while he's being berated for demanding police defunding while falsely accused of calling them eight times, then he's owed an apology, by myself and others who mistakenly reported it (although I did report he denied the claim).
But fair is also fair in that the LAPD is also a beacon of exemplifying community-based policing since the Bratton era, and while expanding such policies is good, the LA City Council and Mayor probably owe the LAPD a vote of support.
To Garcetti, Bonin, and the rest of the City Council: Maybe you can find it in your hearts to more loudly articulate how much progress the LAPD has made over the years, and that they're cherished and essential City workers who put life and limb on the line every day for our safety.
Unless, of course, L.A. wants to travel down the rabbit hole that we've seen in Seattle, Portland, and New York City (it's REAL, not just right-wing conspiracies, as much as legitimate complaints about federal funds and policies against the Trump Administration are also REAL). We need smart and friendly police, but we need police to prevent the urban turmoil we've seen in other U.S. Cities.
But, as aforementioned, fair is fair.
So enter the Fair Political Practices Commission, who just confirmed that L.A. County did illegally and improperly fail to disclose use of public funds to back Measure H, a multimillion-dollar effort approved by voters in 2017 to produce over $350 million annually to fund homeless services.
Furthermore, now that many an Angeleno has buyer's remorse over Measure H, the suggestion that County Measure H, and the previously-approved City of Los Angeles Measure HHH, have turned out to be boondoggles of epic proportions has now been echoed by so many that it's very hard to find those who believe that money has been spent well.
The money per unit for the homeless has been squandered terribly (~$500,000 to $700,000 a pop), for both City and County funding, and the question of whether we should allow the Salvation Army and other nonprofit organizations to do the job is a timely and appropriate one.
Again, fair is fair.
So it's only fair that individuals like Jay Greenstein of CD5 and Alek Bartrosouf of CD11 deserve praise, which I gladly and proudly still give. Like my retired father, civil engineer Robert Alpern of the Department of Sanitation and Refuse, there are many dedicated civil servants who fairly deserve praise.
I've worked with them, and they are REAL. So, have many of you reading this.
But of those (primarily in "leadership" positions Downtown) who deserve scorn, and who without any conscience step on the taxpaying necks of City residents and businesses, THEY owe US an apology.
Breaking the laws of environmental policy, and the laws of biology and physics to please a few vested interests...you owe us an apology.
Not acquiring enough water and an electrical grid to support current and future development...you owe us an apology.
Valuing pensions and benefits (particularly at the LADWP) over services rendered...you owe us an apology.
Not balancing the L.A. City budget...you owe us an apology.
Not keeping the post-George Floyd slaying-related protests in line with the CDC and other health regulations and creating a spike in COVID-19 cases that have caused businesses to pay the dreadful price...you owe us an apology.
A lack of transparency in illegal dealings with developers that can and should lead many more on the City Council to jail, while lecturing Neighborhood Councils on "ethics"...you owe us an apology.
A lack of support and funding to Neighborhood Councils and Parks/Recreation...you owe us an apology.
A lack of innovation for both telecommuting and industrial jobs to benefit the middle classes and reduce traffic, while improving our economy...you owe us an apology.
The list goes on and on and will likely be summarily ignored from the Mayor on down. After all, if we don't like it, why don't WE run for office, right?
Credibility isn't granted. It's earned.
Has Downtown earned any proper credibility?
Because fair is fair.
(CityWatch Columnist, Kenneth S. Alpern, M.D, is a dermatologist who has served in clinics in Los Angeles, Orange, and Riverside Counties, and is a proud husband and father to two cherished children and a wonderful wife. He was termed out of the Mar Vista Community Council (MVCC) twice after two stints as a Board member for 8-9 years and is also a Board member of the Westside Village Homeowners Association. He previously co-chaired the MVCC Outreach and Planning Committees, and currently is Co-Chair of the MVCC Transportation/Infrastructure Committee. He was previously co-chair of the CD11 Transportation Advisory Committee, the grassroots Friends of the Green Line (which focused on a Green Line/LAX connection), and the nonprofit Transit Coalition, and can be reached at [email protected]. The views expressed in this article are solely those of Dr. Alpern.)
-cw
