Summer tends to be a quiet time, but things seem on an unusually even keel these days.
There has been a lot of press of late about Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti’s completing his first year in office.
Some say he’s not dramatic enough and credit him with being pretty methodical about getting the small things done. I think that’s exactly what’s needed these days. Small things add up over time.
The same “one year later” timing applies to our new Los Angeles City Councilman, Mike Bonin. Click here to see the Q&A we do with Mike.
It feels like we’re entering a new era, in which actually getting things done is taking priority over elected officials’ need to seemingly be everywhere at once, smiling for the cameras.
Common sense is back in vogue, with serious discussion about extending the metro line in a way that gets travelers in and out of LAX without too much inconvenience.
The 405 project is nearing completion and the Expo Line will soon connect the Westside to downtown Los Angeles. These latter projects were started long ago, of course, but their completion might fuel a surge of “this feels good, let’s keep going.”
The state’s bullet train is making more sense these days as well, with new routes under consideration that could convert the idea from “train to nowhere” to “train to places lots of people actually want to go.” Fingers crossed.
And does anybody miss Sacramento’s budget wars? Jerry Brown has also forsaken sound bites and camera angles for real action. Let’s hope those in Washington take notice.
But a big test case looms. The DWP union boss, Brian D’Arcy, is demanding the $4 million annual payment from the city – while refusing to give an accounting for where $40 million has gone over the years. This is union thuggery at its worst.
I hope Eric Garcetti and members of the City Council can channel their “inner Ronald Reagan” and just say no, the way Reagan did with the air traffic controllers. That case did a lot to shift the balance of power away from small-minded greed and selfishness to what’s best for the greater good.
City attorneys have reportedly warned city officials that not paying the $4 million could create “liabilities” for the city. So what? The city routinely pays off millions for LAPD arrests gone bad; if we have to pay a bit of a penalty for taking a stand, so be it. And maybe the city will win – and the union will have to tell us what’s really going on with the money.
I mean, come on, who’s really in charge here? City residents and their elected representatives? Or union thugs? How can the union bosses justify their demands for more money while simultaneously refusing to account for it? Talk about hubris. This is taxpayer money – your money – we’re talking about.
Let’s hope our elected officials grow a real spine and shake things up in a way that could improve city governance for 20 years to come. That could be the beginning of a new trend.
Meanwhile, one thing that has always been so impressive about Brentwood is the way citizens jump in and take action when our city government fails them.
Today, we talk about the irrigation problems beneath the San Vicente median strip – and the local citizens who are jumping in to keep the London Plane trees properly watered, using collapsible yellow water buckets.
The city should of course fix the irrigation problem (which contributes to the never-ending breakage of tree limbs from the Trees), but until they do, people like Teri Redman Kahn and Daniella Wilson are doing what they can to make the best out of a bad situation.
Alex de Tocqueville would understand Brentwood completely.
