To the editor: In the film version of “All the President’s Men,” the “Deep Throat” character advises investigative journalist Robert Woodward to “Follow the Money,” and so should Times reporter David Zahniser (“L.A. city budget shortfall grows to nearly $1 billion, with layoffs ‘nearly inevitable’,” March 19). Just four years ago, as part of the American Rescue Plan, the city of Los Angeles received $1.35 billion. Where did it all go? Obviously not to healthcare. Our Health Commission has never been funded one penny in its 10-year existence.
We didn’t have enough firetrucks operational to handle our needs in January and we don’t have a full-time physician in charge of our paramedics. Our city’s budget was sound until the current administration; why do budget crises always seem to follow Mayor Karen Bass? During her tenure as Assembly speaker, our state had a budget impasse and drowned in red ink. In June 2009, California’s credit rating was lowered and even President Obama wouldn’t bail us out.
With 80% of the city’s expenses labor-related, her agreement less than one year ago to one of the largest general salary increases in the Coalition of L.A. City Unions’ history — a 22% increase over a five-year span, including a 6% raise in the first year — obviously was imprudent.
In more than two decades of governmental leadership, it appears that our mayor hasn’t learned the basics of business math. If you spend more money than you have, you go bankrupt.
Dr. Howard C. Mandel, Los Angeles
The writer is president of the Los Angeles City Health Commission
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To the editor: Oh, please! Ever since the COVID epidemic “vanished,” parking enforcement has not done its job by ticketing people whose parking meters expired or when cars are parked on street-cleaning days, etc. And police officers have not been ticketing enough people for moving violations. If people would do the jobs they were hired to do, Los Angeles wouldn’t be in the mess it’s in. While I’m not saying the budget would be fixed, at least money would be coming in from people who break the law.
Liz Brown, West Hills
