Los Angeles is a busy city. Not only does 40 % of all imports to the USA enter the country through the Los Angeles-Long Beach ports but this is the city that brings entertainment to the world. This is the place where all the stars shine. LA Observed offers links and information in a concise package. The link is on the right. For now just click here.
Tag: Los Angeles
Los Angeles on the Verge of Collapse
I grew up in this city. Nothing speaks more to Los Angeles than the beautiful architecture of many of our buildings. Above is a photo of the Bonaventure Hotel in the downtown area. I have lived in many communities from Westchester to Canoga Park. Los Angeles has been decimated by poor governance.
From the Los Angeles Times:
Average (DWP) employee pay rose 15% over the last five years to $101,237 in 2012, according to records obtained by The Times.
The median household income for Los Angeles residents – the public utility’s customers – fell over roughly the same period, from $48,882 in 2008 to $46,148 in 2011, the latest year for which U.S. Census numbers are available.
The conundrum in voting for the next city mayor is that both candidates, Wendy Gruel and Eric Garcetti, are liberal Democrats that have voted for every DWP labor union contract and every city employee union contract.
Worse is that in their TV debates neither has addressed the question of labor contracts, high pension costs, high medical insurance costs, or the gross revenue tax that is imposed on every business in the city.
In my view the gross revenue tax is the most harmful of these issues to the city. After all adjoining cities do not have that kind of tax. So Pasadena, Glendale, and Burbank are all in the central part of the metropolitan area but provide far lower costs of doing business.
Garcetti and Gruel’s unwillingness to address those big issues sends me one message. They are not prepared to confront the city’s major problems. Instead they talk about improving the schools (they do not have any direct authority over the schools), transportation (limited authority), and street paving (they have authority but there is no money available). Are we heading down the Detroit path to bankruptcy and desolation? We may not be near there now but the road signs are obvious.
Links
http://www.dailynews.com/ci_21366902/editorial-easing-gross-receipts-tax-will-improve-business
http://www.scpr.org/blogs/politics/2012/09/18/10032/las-business-tax-holiday-extended-2015/
photo taken from 5th Street and Figueroa Street using a Panasonic DMC-FZ150
LAX Ranked at the Bottom of Most Categories
No one wants the noise and traffic associated with an airport. Most of us who bought homes near the airports knew what the impact on our lives would be. Having lived between Vanowen Street and Sherman Way in the North Hollywood-Van Nuys corridor for many years I can relate to the irritation of hearing the landing gears shift into place along with the jet noise. The issue is that the second largest city in the United States has an airport that does not make a list of the 30 best airports in the nation. Travel and Leisure magazine says, “LAX ranked at the bottom of most categories—that includes location (20th), check-in and security process (21st), impression of safety standards (22nd), baggage handling (20th), staff communication (21st), and terminal cleanliness (21st). Clearly, this worn-out airport is ready for a major Hollywood makeover.”
Eric Garcetti, candidate for mayor, was more concerned with obtaining votes then supporting this measure. He voted “no” to moving the north runway need to provide space for larger aircraft. The only three “no” votes were the two running for city wide office and the representative for the area surrounding the airport. Garcetti has now lost my vote.
Los Angeles Needs to Grow Up
Major cities throughout the world are noted for their skyscrapers. Los Angeles lacks that distinctive architectural image.
The tallest building in Los Angeles today is the 73-story U.S. Bank Tower, which rises 1,018 feet (310 m) in Downtown Los Angeles and was completed in 1989. Among the next nine tallest buildings none are more than 858 feet (262m) tall. They are 52 to 55 stories high. Among that group of ten the last one was completed in 1992. Among the 34 buildings that are at least 400 feet (122 m) tall two were completed in this century and the rest were primarily completed in the 60’s, 70, and 80’s.
Korean Air’s $1-billion hotel skyscraper. Rendering of the 73-story Wilshire Grand hotel and office building to be constructed in downtown Los Angeles. (AC Martin Partners)
Cities either grow or shrink. Los Angeles has filled its land space with low rise structures. If we are to grow it must be up. When you add the new Korean Air 73 story building to new high rise developments in Hollywood and elsewhere you know the city is in growth mode. These new structures will be magnets for more new business. Most of us want to be part of a growing economy.
A proposal for two skyscrapers that would flank the Capitol Records tower in Hollywood gained the approval of the city’s planning department Tuesday despite push-back from dozens of disgruntled residents.
An artist’s rendering of the project near the Capitol Records building in Hollywood. (Handel Architects)
Those who continuously fight against tall buildings, public transportation and other elements of large metropolises are dreaming of another time when land was plentiful and the idea of big city life was something that only those east of the Mississippi could appreciate. Los Angeles has the second highest population in the nation. Metropolitan Los Angeles encompasses more than 10 million people. It’s time we started acting like a very big city.
Los Angeles Mayoral Race
This article in the Los Angeles Daily News tells that “Traditionally, voter turnout for mayoral elections is less than 40 percent for runoffs and less than that for primaries. Some city elections have drawn less than 10 percent of the 1.7 million eligible voters.”
Why vote when the likely winner for mayor is someone who cares more about the labor unions than about the city? I took the 2013 Los Angeles Budget Challenge at the city web site and to my dismay learned that the city has projected revenues of almost $4.7 billion and still cries for more. I have not heard one candidate for mayor talk about living within our means. That of course would require some straight talk and no one wants to do that. The public is disgusted and a majority see no worthwhile candidates.
My highest priorities are police and fire protection. Everything else is one, two or three steps below those priorities. At the end of the survey the results are provided with the most favored allocation of money to my choices and the current budget plans.
My choices resulted in a lower spending plan than the most favored choice and well below the current plan. Still my ideas would leave the city with a deficit of $50.1 million.
So what are the candidates for mayor and city council saying? Nothing about balancing the budget. Even worse they lack any vision for the city. The leading candidates for mayor are One Republican with no city government experience and Three Democrats all with city experience are all tied to their past and all with connections to city labor unions.
Is it any wonder that turn outs for city elections rarely exceed 50% of registered voters.
Coast Contact 