Larry Mantle
Entries from February 4, 2010
L. A. City Council struggles with budget gap and the phantom dream of bipartisanship
Wednesday's decision by the L. A. City Council to delay laying off 1,000 city workers wasn't a political surprise, but left a lot of folks scratching their heads. In this morning's conversation with councilmembers Bernard Parks and Jose Huizar, it still wasn't clear to me what the alternative will be. I'm aware of the proposal from the city employees coalition, but don't see how that will solve a shortfall of this size. I'm not aware of any evidence for a rebound in local tax collections, so the city's looking at a widening chasm for the forseeable future. No one at city hall wants to use the work "bankruptcy," but the possibility can't be ignored.
I appreciate all the great listener comments about bipartisanship and whether it's possible -- either politically or philosophically. This morning's conversation was mostly about all the factors working against cooperative governance.
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