UN4LA News - January 2024
A monthly newsletter published by United Neighborhoods for Los Angeles.
UN4LA's mission is to bring communities together to plan for a sustainable future. Growth must be shaped by community engagement, not developer dollars.
CONTROLLER RELEASES REPORT ON L.A.P.D. HELICOPTER DIVISION
LA City Controller Kenneth Mejia's office has released a report questioning whether the benefits offered by the LAPD's Air Support Division (ASD) are worth the amount of money spent on the program. The report notes that the City spends $46.6 million per year on the program, an amount which exceeds the budget of 14 City departments. The report includes the following findings:
61% of flight time was dedicated to activities not associated with the highest priority incidents;
Some flights were an inefficient, inappropriate use of City funds, including passenger shuttle flights for a “Chili Fly-In” and a fly-by at a golf tournament;
There is no persuasive evidence that shows a clear link between helicopter patrols and crime reduction;
ASD patrols ignore best practices for reducing noise by flying below the recommended distance above ground level;
MOUNTAIN LIONS COULD DISAPPEAR FROM L.A. AREA
There are fewer mountain lions in California than previously estimated, and that number is dwindling due to vehicle strikes, wildfires, urban encroachment and other factors. A new study places the number of mountain lions in the state between 3,200 and 4,500. The study also says the chances are about 1 in 4 that these animals could disappear from Santa Monica and Santa Ana Mountain Ranges over the next 50 years.
California Mountain Lion Population Is Thousands Fewer than Previously Estimated
L.A. GOVERNANCE REFORM PROJECT RELEASES FINAL RECOMMENDATIONS
The LA City Council has taken a couple of needed steps towards ethics reform, but they still have a long way to go. After months of studying the problem, in December the LA Governance Reform Project released it's final recommendations. These include:
Establishing two independent redistricting commissions, one for City of Los Angeles and one for the LA Unified School District;
Increasing the size of the LA City Council to 25 districts;
Empowering the LA City Ethics Commission to approve ethics legislation.
LA Governance Reform Project, Final Recommendations
SLINGERLAND SENTENCED FOR EMBEZZLING FROM NON-PROFIT FUNDED BY TAXPAYERS
Dixon Slingerland, former president of the Youth Policy Institute (YPI), an LA area non-profit, has been sentenced to six months in prison for embezzling money from YPI for his personal use, failing to file accurate tax returns, and misusing over $600,000 to pay for unauthorized expenses.
YPI, which provided job training and after-school programs in low-income areas, received millions of dollars from the US Department of Education during Slingerland's tenure as president. The non-profit also received grants from the LA Mayor's Fund. During this period Slingerland donated tens of thousands of dollars to campaigns for local politicians, including former Councilmembers Jose Huizar and Gil Cedillo, and also former Mayor Eric Garcetti.
Former Nonprofit CEO Sentenced to Six Months in Federal Prison
INGLEWOOD COUNCILMEMBER DRAWS SCRUTINY FOR CONFLICT OF INTEREST
The LA County District Attorney is investigating Inglewood Councilmember Eloy Morales for possible conflict of interest. In November, Morales made a motion to increase trash pickup charges in Inglewood even though that he had received income from a subsidiary of the city's waste disposal company, Consolidated/Republic. Prior to the meeting, Morales had reported making at least $10,000 as a consultant for Pacific Waste & Recycling. Pacific Waste is owned by Consolidated/Republic.
DA Investigates Possible Conflict of Interest for Councilman
