Union contracts are at the heart of the problem. Chicago coming up.
Full Blown Crisis
Please note L.A. city budget shortfall grows to nearly $1 billion, with layoffs ‘nearly inevitable’
L.A.’s financial problems exploded into a full-blown crisis on Wednesday, with the city’s top budget official announcing that next year’s shortfall is now just shy of $1 billion, making layoffs “nearly inevitable.”
City Administrative Officer Matt Szabo said Mayor Karen Bass’ proposed budget, which will be released April 21, will close that gap, but it will require difficult “cost-cutting decisions.” He warned that the severity of revenue declines and rising costs has created a budget gap that makes layoffs “nearly inevitable.”
Szabo, in his presentation to the council Wednesday, attributed the city’s financial woes, in part, to increased spending on legal payouts, which have ballooned over the last few years. Tax revenues have been coming in much weaker than expected — and are expected to soften further in the upcoming budget year, which starts July 1.
Pay raises for city employees that are scheduled to go into effect in the coming budget year are expected to consume an additional $250 million. On top of that, Szabo said, the city needs to put hundreds of millions into its reserve fund, which has been drained in recent months in an attempt to balance this year’s budget.
Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky, who heads the budget committee, said the council will need to look at the possibility of asking unions representing city workers to defer the scheduled raises or make other concessions.
“I think everything needs to be on the table,” she said in an interview.
David Green, president and executive director of Service Employees International Union Local 721, called Szabo’s remarks “short-sighted and irresponsible.”
“There’s no question that all of us are in shock with this number,” said Councilmember Bob Blumenfield, who sits on the council’s budget committee.
Blumenfield predicted that city leaders would need to seek financial concessions from the workforce.
“Eighty percent of our expenses is labor,” he said. “If we are short more than 10% of our budget, the ‘math doesn’t math’ without looking at labor costs.”
Over the last two years, Bass and the council have signed off on raises and increased benefits for an array of unions — first police officers, then civilian city workers, then firefighters.
Anyone Who Is Shocked Is Incompetent
What’s happening now has been obvious for years.
Corrupt mayors get into bed with corrupt unions leaders then use budget gimmicks to hide the results.
The city exhausted its reserve fund to make the budget look balanced.
Then the city got a reprieve as did all the corrupt blue cities by Biden giveaways, especially the third round of fiscal stimulus that temporally papered over fiscal issues while stimulating the most inflation since the 1970s.
In response to the inflation, unions demanded bigger and bigger pay hikes on top of preposterous benefits.
The Big S Has Finally Hit the Fan
And I am pleased to report Trump will not bail out these irresponsible cities.
As long as Republicans hold the Senate, the same applies regardless of who in in the White House.
Chicago On Deck
March 13, 2024: Chicago Teachers’ Union Seeks $50 Billion Despite $700 Million City Deficit
If you live in Illinois, get the hell out before unions take every penny you have.
July 2, 2024: In Chicago There’s Under a 50 Percent Chance Police Show Up If You are Shot
Good luck in Chicago getting the police to show up if you are shot, stabbed, a victim of domestic violence, or any number of other serious crimes.
August 30, 2024: The Pending Implosion of Chicago Public Unions, No City is More Deserving
Chicago has a budget deficit of nearly $1 billion. Tack on another $2.9 billion for a proposed teachers’ contract plus an unknown amount for firefighters.
December 23, 2024: The Corruption and Incompetence of Chicago’s Mayor Has No Bounds
Chicago mayor Brandon Johnson stepped to new lows when his hand-picked board fired Chicago Public Schools (CPS) CEO Pedro Martinez without cause.
It’s time for a Chicago update on union contracts and pension funding.
I am openly rooting for a big-city economic collapse because it’s the only chance at reform with these clearly corrupt mayors.
But If Trump really wants to fix this, he needs to lobby Congress to end collective bargaining for public unions.
Unfortunately, the facts show Trump also panders to unions, especially the police and dockworkers.
Addendum
Please note “L.A. spent $160 million last year to collect $100 million in parking tickets. If that isn’t the best metaphor for this town I don’t know what is. Do something everyone hates and do it poorly.”
H/T @adamcarolla
I grew up in Hartford, CT, once the richest city in the country in the richest state in the country. But Democrats have run the place for 8 decades (one Republican mayor since 1948). Now it’s the poorest city in the state, having lost a quarter of its population. Same thing with New Haven, Bridgeport and Waterbury. Connecticut is still a wealthy state – run by Democrats – but those one party cities have been driven into the ground, and the state will follow when it is no longer propped up by Fairfield County. Watching LA fall is no big surprise – the last Republican mayor left office in 1961.
Somewhat surprisingly, Republican Richard Riordan was mayor of LA from 1993 to 2001. And Republican Pete Wilson was Governor of CA from 1991 to 1999. Maybe the pendulum will swing back someday. Latino voters will have to come to the realization that Dem priorities are incompatible with their desire for safety and a better life…
Recent poll has over 50% wanting Republican leadership now. Check it out. On several web sites. Yes, people are THAT angry. Who knew if you burned down their house and gave priority to illegals? LOL
They need to call Elon and beg to borrow DOGE. They’ll never be able to do it themselves.
If the absurd taxes don’t tee you off, have a look at CA school performance. TL;dr….
47% of California 8th graders can read and write at grade level or above and only 35% can perform math by those same metrics. This is what systemic failure looks like by the numbers.
https://caaspp-elpac.ets.org/caaspp/DashViewReportSB?ps=true&lstTestYear=2024&lstTestType=B&lstGroup=1&lstSubGroup=1&lstSchoolType=A&lstGrade=13&lstCounty=00&lstDistrict=00000&lstSchool=0000000
These failing kids are prime future union members, which is why they don’t want to fix the problem!
When you see the guy whose job it is to shovel gravel into potholes for the whole of his life in order to collect a paycheck, that doesn’t require an ability to read well or do math.
“David Green, president and executive director of Service Employees International Union Local 721, called Szabo’s remarks “short-sighted and irresponsible.” ”
Well, well, David Green: you were short-sighted and irresponsible when you negotiated huge pay increases into a budget shortfall.
We all watched as Chicago has become a nightmare. We have friends there who NEVER go out after dark and are Carry Permitted.
My investment in popcorn futures continues to pay huge dividends in this second half of the decade.
More to come.
The only solution is to sell our major cities to the Chinese. They know how to build shit on time and from what I’ve seen they keep it clean.
Tends to fall down also.
The problems with the Chinese are worse than ours. Have you not read about their over-built R.E.?
That’s also California’s problem. Much of our State pension system is invested in Private Equity, including PE in China. Even one banned by Trump during his first term, as connected to the CCP.
What makes you think California hasn’t done this? Newsom has been groomed since 2011, when DiFi took him to China to meet their President.
This was like watching a slow train wreck (LA is the Train), and it’s been flying down the Tracks, full Speed ahead (Flying is the Money), with total disregard to where it’s heading (Nowhere), but yet still garnering more than the necessary “Democrat Votes” to Keep “Stealing CA. Taxpayer Dollars” to pretend to get it done. How many Billions (Have we reached the “T” word?) have now been totally wasted, as in 100% of the Billions! Wasted and unaccounted for. Where is it, where are the train tracks? Where are the RR Cars to ride on the tracks? How long was it Going to Take? How long has it already been? How much longer to go? I smell a Big Rat!!! I’m questioning the validity of this entire, what now appears to possibly be a Scam!!!
Unions got to go, as they seem to keep popping up, whenever and wherever money is in large sums, unaccounted for, and/or misspent. Corruption does seem to follow certain Cities, Mayors, Spending Misuse, Phony Programs, One Sided Party, entrenched Names that pop up over and over, is this odd or what? I guess the trend setting of such occurrences, is overwhelmingly negative for the Sates it has infiltrated, from my view anyway?
It’s almost as if they had the foot pinning the gas pedal to the floor, and not a worry about running out of gas as an endless amount of money was being rained down to nearly everyone involved. With re-election straight ahead, keep on pressing, and add more, more, more, and then it happened…
They HIT the Proverbial Wall!!! At Full Speed, and with No Seatbelts On!!!
Hear that “Giant Sucking Sound”? It’s the oxygen being completely “Drained from what’s left of their Last Breath” It’s Over for Them ALL…
I saw a comment on a youtube video about Illinois some years ago: “Illinois- the State where the locusts wonder why all the food is gone.”
We have some States, most certainly in total disarray, and ironically they are ALL Democrat Run, Controlled, and Failing!
CA – ILL – NY – Mich – Minn just to name a very few. I would guess 20 States could be erased from Our Country, and we wouldn’t miss any of them for a second. They would be forever listed as example of what NEVER to do, act like, copy, or turn to as an example…
LA taxes on gross income … just rachet it up!
The LACBT generally is imposed on all gross receipts of a taxpayer earned in the City at a rate between 0.1% to 6.0% based upon in-City business activities.
Does anyone in LA even pay tickets or register their car?
The number of wrong-year stickers is plenty high (like10-20%)
And that’s what happens when you overspend.
Sounds really familiar relative to the federal government.
Get ready for the layoffs.
You don’t balance budgets in CA or USA by holding onto every employee.
You don’t get to the other side without a recession or two.
When can we send DOGE into CA to find the billions in waste & fraud?
100% Dem Ruled! Not going to happen, unless or until, they “Go Broke”
By definition LA IS “Broke.” Budget deficits are the key to being broken.
So is our Country, but we are Not Yet, like CA . Isn’t Yet either… see what I mean?
California wanted illegal aliens for cheap labor so businesses could handle higher taxes.
Businesses wanted illegal aliens for cheap labor because they are cheap.
They wanted them for votes. The illegals didn’t necessarily have to vote – the theft was just having a body here.
Looks like LA has a $49B annual budget. So, this deficit is ~ 2% of their budget. Zzzzz
Enjoy your defense of bigotry at LA City Hall. https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-10-10/full-audio-leaked-recording-la-councilmembers-racist-comments
Not sure where you’re getting the 2% from:
The 2024-25 Governor’s Budget proposes spending of $291.5 billion in total state funds, consisting of approximately $208.7 billion from the General Fund, $80.8 billion from special funds, and $2 billion from bond funds.
Also, the official CA website says the deficit is $55 or 55/291 or a 19% shortfall. That’s a very big deal, especially if you dig into what CA calls special funds of $80.8B.
Yes, LA is f****d – it’s been that way for a long time, but this is a Trump economic collapse – and it’s coming soon to a city and town near you.
Not one person is to blame.
Yes there is……all the voters that voted for the incompetent leaders.
You left out “voters” in quotes.
Did Trump force LA City council members to be convicted of fraud? Your TDS is showing.
https://apnews.com/article/los-angeles-councilman-charged-curren-price-f3c1ac2e7449cf21883380161c3887d6
Curran Price hasn’t been convicted of anything. But Trump HAS been convicted of 34 felonies for falsifying business records. He’s your hero?
You guys are such cowards. Defending embezzlement and perjury.
And you’re a hypocrite. Every accusation from you people is an admission. Trump is a criminal and your mouth is firmly attached to his backside.
L.A. has been corrupt for decades. Read the book, L.A. Noir by John Buntin. (No, I’m not related to the author – it’s just a good read.)
Can’t come soon enough.
Ah yes, the bills are finally coming due.
“David Green, president and executive director of Service Employees International Union Local 721, called Szabo’s remarks “short-sighted and irresponsible.””
Can’t wait for his reaction when reality smacks him in the face and the collective bargaining is ended, or the city goes to court and gets the agreements declared null and void. I would think RICO statutes would apply here.
These same people want to chastize us with how bad slavery was and how they deserve reparations.
Really? While you treat the taxpayers like slaves who exist to pay your bloated wages/salaries, pensions, and benefits?
In Los Angeles 48% are Latinos, 29% are white, Asian 12%, and 8% are blacks. Who elected her. During George Floyd Black leaders forced the police to kneel. The white escaped since the Watts, the collapse of the aircraft industry after Vietnam and papa Bush riots. LA mayor might raise property taxes, cut school, medical, social services and police in Latino neighborhoods. LA will rob the poor and the middleclass at the pump. What’s bad for her is good for the Mexican cartel. They will takeover LA first before the whole state, They will rule with an iron fist.
Spot on.
Bussing hit along with Vietnam collapse and Watts riots. Total middle-class flight.
Then 1992 Rodney riot drove out the working-poor.
Yet, the Valley survives … w/private security.
Property taxes can’t be raised over 2%. Prop 13 made sure that happened, as plenty of people had ENOUGH. I know, my folks worked on that, and I helped them. That was before the Internet, too. A lot of hard work. Some of the protections were reversed by Newsom’s Prop 19, eliminating the possibility of leaving your home to your child(ren). Many in L.A. don’t know this.
I inherited this home I’m in. Property tax is roughly $1800/year, and without Prop 13, it would be $39,700/year. More than my earnings.
L.A. will continue to chip away at “free” services. They already stripped library hours, and when families had a fit – it came back on the Property Tax bill as a line item tax.
The Cartels already rule California; they outnumber our own CA Guard. Newsom made sure they were installed into Republican counties (see Daily Caller) and Kamala let it happen. She’s as much in bed with the Cartels as he is.(See Tucker Carlson’s interview with Chris Moritz, on Rumble.)
California just has to start putting Tariff ‘s on everything in America that was not made or produced in California. The other States will buckle and concede to finally bail California out. That’s California Dreaming.
LA’s options to deal with its fiscal mess are more limited than Chicago and other cities. Thanks to Prop 13, property assessments are limited to 1.0% of acquisition value and can increase a maximum of 2.0% annually, The statewide property tax rate is 1.0%, plus add-ons for bond issues, local assessment districts, etc. Changes require anywhere from 55% to 66.67% approval of the voters. LA has already jacked up its sales tax to 9.25% (higher in some neighborhoods), and California law doesn’t permit local income taxes.
The likely outcome is higher business taxes, which will only serve to drive businesses out of LA to surrounding cities in Orange and other counties that are more business-friendly, nicer places to live/work and frankly, don’t have the baggage of LA’s unions, homeless “opportunities” and general malaise that accompanies Democrat-run jurisdictions.
And may God forever bless Howard Jarvis and Paul Gann, the authors of California’s Proposition 13.
“And may God forever bless Howard Jarvis and Paul Gann, the authors of California’s Proposition 13.”
I hope this was said in sarcasm. Most of California’s problems can be directly laid at the feet of this decision. The reason is that over the decades it’s created 2 classes of people. Those paying market rate (or near it) and those paying a fraction of that rate for the exact same property.
Those who pay nothing (or next to nothing) in property taxes don’t care about budgets or whether politicians give giant raises and benefits to unions because they are immune to paying for it.
Incidentally the same thing came into effect in Florida around 2008. It’s starting to have the exact same problems of dual class tax payers so whatever is happening in California will be happening in Florida in another decade or two at most.
The remark was definitely praise, as their work ensured that property owners gained billions, if not trillions, of value that would otherwise have been sent down ratholes of insatiable public spending.
Your arguments were heard by SCOTUS in the mid-1980s and rejected by 8-1 votes in two separate cases. Numerous efforts by unions and their political flunkies are attempted during each election cycle and to date have been overwhelmingly rejected.
In fact, ~ 20% of CA properties turnover annually. When they’re sold the property assessment resets at market rates subject to the same Prop 13 limits. This, plus the 2.0% inflation adjustment provides a predictable, increasing revenue stream. It’s much less volatile than the revenue stream provided by income and capital gains taxes.
Of course, using your thought process, there’s never enough funding available for the public sector and its union patrons to wallow in. Thankfully CA voters understand that they’ll pay if Prop 13 is revised, and avaricious politicians and unions will ensure that there’s never enough funding to waste.
“When they’re sold the property assessment resets at market rates”
This is a HUGE deal, because the state gets significant revenue increases each time a house is sold.
Example: A house across from ours had been owned by the orig. owner and was probably paying 7-8k in property tax. The house sold for 1.8mm and got re-assessed based on the purchase price. Property tax is about 1.5% in CA, so that house went from 7-8k in tax revenue to 27k.
To hear either LA or CA cry about not having enough revenue…. they can all get stuffed.
That owner across from you was legally stealing from you (assuming you are paying market rate).
After all, YOU had to cover his share so instead of 2 houses paying 17K, one pays 7 and the other pays 27.
Prop 13 is the biggest scam going and anyone who ever says ‘pay your fair share’ should absolutely be against prop 13 since it does exactly the opposite of that.
right, because the main problem with California is that residents are not taxed enough. Margaret, do you hear yourself?
In fact, you are incorrect. Which likely invalidates the remainder of your rationalizations in supporting Prop 13. Prop 13 also strongly contributed to the steep rise in housing prices here in CA.
100% In Socialism, there’s never enough of other people’s money. And that has defined the State of CA for 50 years. Collusion, corruption between 4 families; Brown, Newsom, Pelosi, Getty.
Who cares what SCOTUS ruled. They just rule on legality of laws, not fairness or whether or not it helps anyone or makes any sense.
The truth is people protected by prop 13 absolutely NEVER EVER vote to control spending or get rid of politicians who can’t manage a budget. I mean why would they when they don’t have to pay.
If Prop 13 was repealed you would guarantee an immediate tax payer revolt against unions and over spending. The reason is BECAUSE you were forced to pay that amount you’d damn sure be looking at what it got spent on. So the problem would in fact get fixed pronto.
Why do you think Proposition 13 passed?.. people were being priced out of their homes whether the mortgage paid off or not.. rapidly Rising property taxes putting people out of their homes.. that’s the problem with real estate you never truly own your home in rapidly inflationary times try not paying your property taxes see what happens.. don’t ever let these politicians sucker you into giving up Proposition 13 protections.. problem is Prop 13 beneficiaries are not being under tax.. the others are being over tax let’s lower their rates.. oh wait we got to provide foreigners with medical care so we can’t do that.. got it.. SMH
That’s part of it. My folks (teacher, engineer) were beyond FED UP as being treated as only a wallet to California’s overspending. Teachers and aerospace engineers got that issue before the voters via petitions, then as a bill that eventually passed. The anger then in CA was palpable. Mistreatment of taxpayers for decades has lulled everyone into an “what can I do” mentality, which is dead wrong.
Those commenting that they don’t “get it” that taxes must increase are fools.
My folks bought this house I’m in, 1966 for $44K. I inherited it at just under $900K; now with a loan forthcoming and I had to have the house appraised, it was appraised at just over $1.3M.
Should I die, heirs will deal with Probate and a massive tax increase. Yes, that gives me more of a line of credit (LOC) on equity in the home, but that is also what Trump was sued over; inflated home value. LENDERS ALL DO IT. What happens when the market falls? As it always does? More people underwater from taxes alone.
The obvious counter argument is that those who have super low rates don’t care. So they absolutely NEVER EVER vote to control spending or get rid of politicians who can’t manage a budget. I mean why would they when they don’t have to pay.
If Prop 13 was repealed you would guarantee an immediate tax payer revolt against unions and over spending. The reason is BECAUSE you were forced to pay that amount you’d damn sure be looking at what it got spent on.
OK, but why include commercial/industrial property in Prop13 then? We tried to remove their exclusion with Prop15 in 2020 but of course, they spent enough money to convince people that they should vote no, so Prop 15 failed.
In 2021, Prop19 limited the free transfer of properties to children while retaining Prop13 benefits, which was a good thing.
Yes, thank you Howard Jarvis and Paul Gann. Though the California politiicians are always looking to carve up Prop. 13 so they can burn more money.
That’s WEF-boy Newsom’s goal; to eliminate all private businesses. Newsom is implementing all of the WEF Agenda and people had better wake up.
It is difficult to understand how LA could be underwater this far. Oh wait, here is a sample tasting of why…..
https://laist.com/news/housing-homelessness/los-angeles-homeless-services-authority-lahsa-va-lecia-adams-kellum-contracts-upward-bound-house
I live just outside of the LA city limits for a reason. This is the same city that pays it’s homelessness czar 300k+. What motivations would that person have to solve the problem when they are earning that plus benefits? Here’s a list of overly compensated “public servants” in LA: https://transparentcalifornia.com/salaries/2023/los-angeles-homeless-services-authority/?s=-base
This was always in the cards, unions or no. More retirees, less workers. Very simple.
Since you went to Utah, Ill be happy to keep you updated on what REALLY happens in Chicago …. Chicago is about to get a massive property tax increase this August when the first bills come out (we get two bills a year). My property tax on a $1 mil property (a 120 year old 3 unit) will be jumping (I think) from $15,800 to $20,000, a 26% increase for one year. The mayor and the school board (both get 85% of the tax) will be swimming in money. And thats not because of a tax increase (there was none). That will solely be caused by rising property values (the county says). House rich and retiree poor. Chicago has no money problems at all. The residents on the other hand …
Aren’t the residents there to serve their government? I thought Chuck Schumer said something like that the other day.
The residents want lots of cops and firemen and teachers to babysit the kids during the day. We also want close hospitals. And that all costs. Guns cant solve all problems.
But the teacher unions want those funds to better educate our youth, right?
The surrounding suburbs (most of which house well-off people) pay their teachers max $120k+ a year (most teachers today have masters degrees). If Chicago doesnt at least pay $110k, they will lose all their teachers to the burbs. Those are just the facts.
Contact the property tax appeals law firm of Madigan & Burke.
There are 3 other properties just like mine on my block. They also have high assessments. $900k to $1.2million. I have no case! 🙂
Works fine as long as people like you can afford it.. problem occurs when others default on their taxes because of the ridiculous burden.. 20,000 a year that’s absurd
Cops, firemen and teachers all want their $100k a year plus benefits too. And if you think these professionals are going to continue to work for nothing in the south “serving god is more important than money” you are sadly mistaken. A Phoenix cop costs as much as a Chicago cop. You rebs out there wont escape forever.
Wow.. from my understanding is they’re getting theirs just fine.. turning out barely literate children mentored by barely literate adults.. not going to go on much longer.. unsustainable
The public is so brainwashed in California that I don’t think anything but bailouts will solve the massive issue. That’s the problem with almost all politicians; they use other’s cash without the intent of paying it back. So let the musical chairs game commence and the popcorn pop. When investment decides California is too risky maybe the population will wake up.
Bailouts will prolong the issue. Bankruptcy or whatever the term is for a city would be the impetus for change.
I agree that there’ll be no bailouts. Again, their brains cannot figure out any other solutions. Politicians cannot admit they are wrong.
Already happening for example the home insurance industry is collapsing.. wait till people get their 22% homeowners insurance increase from State Farm the California commissioner lara approved late on a Friday afternoon…no bailout under trump for gross mismanagement….
If California got back the net $80B it loses to other states in tax redistribution, it wouldn’t have any budget problems.
If California quit paying for every illegal that entered for the last 50 years, we’d have plenty of money. This all started with Jerry Brown. He also gave unions collective bargaining. We once had frequent strikes and Californians were beyond FED UP about it. Enter Brown and his gift for the eternal fealty.
Don’t forget the free healthcare services: https://abcnews.go.com/Health/california-1st-state-offer-health-insurance-undocumented-immigrants/story?id=105986377
It’s costing California more than expected to provide immigrant health care. Is coverage at risk?
by Ana B. Ibarra and Kristen Hwang
March 14, 2025
In summary
California is spending more than it expected on Medi-Cal and Republican lawmakers are pointing to coverage expansions that benefited immigrant households.
The California health care program that covers almost 15 million people is costing more money than Gov. Gavin Newsom projected, creating a new budget problem in a lean year.
Now his administration is borrowing $3.4 billion from the state’s general fund to cover the unexpected cost increase. It’s unclear when the administration plans to restore the money.
The administration acknowledged that more people are enrolled in the program than the state anticipated, and that the state is spending $2.7 billion more than it planned on coverage expansions for immigrants without legal status.
Roughly 1.6 million immigrants without legal status are enrolled in Medi-Cal, according to state data. The program is a lifeline to people who traditionally have not had access to health insurance, and California is one of six states that offer coverage to immigrant adults regardless of whether they are in the country legally.
…
https://calmatters.org/health/2025/03/medi-cal-budget-shortfall/
Real funny part is a week later he said we need another 2.5 billion… so the total now is over 5 billion and they want to pay with bonds and the associated interest.. complete Insanity for basic government services
Over 9B now. Read California Globe.
Newsom can kiss his aspirational Presidential rehabilitation tour bub-bye.
You have no idea what you’re talking about. Kindly pull your head out. https://www.newsweek.com/fact-check-has-california-spent-11-billion-high-speed-rail-stretch-1901106
Agreed. I find it curious why California isn’t in favor of Trump’s cuts. Presumably cutting federal programs should allow states to keep their money. FEMA and Education could be replaced by individual states or state coalitions.
Because we will get back less than we currently receive from the government.
I’ve heard that for years and generally agreed it was true.. now I’m not so sure all these NGO grants and usaid money and slush funds hard to tell..
Exactly. Newsom is like an addict (pun intended). He has to create problems in order to get bailed out.
“Hey Dad, I wrecked my car – gimme your keys.”
Not real surprising the barely literate little Marxist the schools are putting out.. way too complex subject you know basic eighth grade mathematics.. taxation distribution.. distinction between federal and state government.. could make a young mind head explode all the complexity.. / s
CA’s congressional delegation consists of 43 demonrats and 9 republicans. Plus 2 demonrat senators. CA is getting what they voted for.
BTW, it’s funny how libs bellyache about gerrymandering but never about gerrymandering in CA where republican candidates get ~ 40% of the vote and only 17% of the elected congresscritters.
Defend your party’s bigotry: https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-10-10/full-audio-leaked-recording-la-councilmembers-racist-comments
Blue cities with dense populations outnumber the population in some counties that are primarily agrarian…and Republican. The blue cities have Dominion, unless it’s L.A. County alone on Smartmatic.
CA has mail-in ballots only, ballot harvesting, ranked choice voting in part of San Francisco (only), USPS theft, mailbox thefts, Dominion, Smartmatic, counting ballots after the vote should be closed, print your ballot at home, unmonitored drop boxes and the newest wrinkle – NO ID required.
IF we didn’t have all this, we would return to being a solid red state. We already started to flip back in November.
Rather give it to other states in support of American citizens.. then have California waste supporting foreigners.. trust me the unfunded pension obligations coming due and reckless spending… already floating bonds to pay for basic government medical service.. day of Reckoning is coming..
Bass was partying in Africa while LA was burning down. State trying to keep Africa out of the hands of the CCP. Not really a Mayor is she.
Her ONE accomplishment in the Senate, was to rename a USPS location after Marvin Gaye. Seriously underqualified and a Marxist. That is undeniable.
She’s not dumb. She’s black.
And she has a Gaye Post Office …
I live in LA and while I agree that Bass is a terrible mayor (I didn’t vote for her), blaming her for the LA fires is ridiculous. No one could have predicted this happening. We get red flag warnings every year, multiple times a year and January is usually the rainy season. The problem is with the cover up and her trying to save her political skin while problems fester. No way will this city be ready for the Olympics in 3 years.
Literally everyone has been predicting these fires due to mismanagement of the of the brush. How could they not when there are wildfires every year in California.
The only question is how big the fire (and damage) will get.
Nothing to do with the mismanagement of brush. It’s chaparral. Fire is part of the life cycle of the plant. You can’t rake it. It’s 1000 square miles of wilderness right up against the city. I’ll agree that people never should have built so close to fire prone regions.
FFS, you can maintain forest areas. Proof? The fire that flared in near Hidden Hills (Kenneth fire) had a harder time spreading because that part of LA and the neighborhoods located there did an effective job at trimming back overgrowth and keeping it away from structures. Less fuel = easier to get control of fire. That bought the firefighters enough time to limit the damage.
There was a lot she could have done that she did not do. That’s incompetence. Other than being mayor, the lady really is dumb as a doornail.
Dude, knock it off. You live here so you know there is a fire season. Bass was warned this was a bad time to leave and she left anyway, but to your point, she’s not the only point of failure. LADWP and LAFD leadership were ill prepared to deal with what happened, and they were too focused on DEI rather than doing their jobs. You know… ensuring that reservoirs were prepared and that infrastructure was prepared for the worst. It was not.
The bigger issue is that even if they were not distracted with their woke bs, LAFD is not set up to fight forest fires, which is what this started as.
The Feds and the State share partial blame for the lack of preparation, along with the utilities that just can’t seem to figure out how to maintain their equipment. Probably because it interferes with dividend payouts and c suite bonuses.
Bad incentives up and down the line.
Don’t believe that’s true respectfully.. but now sacked fire chief was giving warnings three or four months ago.. complained about lack of preparations and 100 fire vehicles sidelined because they haven’t hired enough mechanics.. I mean it’s all out there Reservoir empty .. fire hydrants not working.. no firefighters deployed strategically in advance.. try to be fair I think this was a failure on so many levels.. worst part is the mayor who had a history of junkets while in Congress and campaigned on staying in the state was in freaking Ghana.. turns out it was the fourth time a little over a year broke that campaign promise….
Dead wrong. Literally.
Bel Air fire in 1961 exposed a lot of flaws, and the LAFD made their report public. “Many of the streets had no water” meaning hydrants ran dry in 1961. Same then as now. It’s Democrat failures, including the L.A. Board of Supervisors along with the Mayors with the latest being incompetent, Marxist liar Bass. She is 100% to blame.
Maybe you’re not old enough to have lived through the Bel Air fire; I did as a kid. I was stationed on our North Hollywood front lawn with a hose, hitting smoldering wood shake shingles with water, to prevent damage to our house. Ignoring weather in favor of its preferred name (by Democrat-Socialists) as a climate “crisis” got us here, too.
Don’t know why you’re making this a partisan issue. I’ve already admitted that Bass is a terrible mayor and I didn’t vote for her. Btw from 1933 to 1960 the mayors of LA were all Republicans. So by your logic, if the hydrants ran dry in 1961 it might be because of their incompetence?
Yorty was Mayor in 1961, and going forward, SOMEONE should have addressed this issue, regardless of party. L.A. was long corrupt before him, though, and both parties to blame.
Not making it partisan, as the failures have multiplied under Democrats. Yorty in 1961, even remarked on TV that “maybe the Bel Air fire couldn’t be stopped.”