UN4LA News - November 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.
BUDGET & INFRASTRUCTURE: GETTING THE CITY OF L.A. BACK ON TRACK
The City of Los Angeles has been in trouble for years, and things seem to be getting worse. The city's infrastructure is crumbling, and city departments seem to be chronically unable to repair roads and sidewalks, trim trees, maintain parks and address traffic safety issues.
Part of the problem is that the budget is such a mess. With no long-term planning, the city lurches from one fiscal crisis to another. City Hall's solution to the current crisis was to cut all vacant positions, meaning many city departments are locked into staff shortages. Revenues are down, and with no sign of when they'll rebound, we can expect a long-term reduction of services to LA's citizens. Meanwhile, with the Olympics just four years away, the prospect of hosting athletes and visitors from all over the world poses major challenges which the city seems unprepared to meet. The Neighborhood Council Budget Advocates have issued an excellent white paper that summarizes City Hall's ongoing failure to put its house in order.
Neighborhood Council Budget Advocates 2024 White Paper: Who Is Doing the Work?
On the plus side, Mayor Bass' recent Executive Directive 9 proposes the formation of a Capital Planning Steering Committee with the goal of creating a multi-year plan for maintaining and developing infrastructure in the public right-of-way. This is a good first step, but we'll have to see what this committee, made up of representatives from multiple city departments, can actually accomplish. Some observers fear that the process will get bogged down in power struggles between departments, and suggest that an experienced executive officer be appointed to drive the process and make difficult decisions.
UN4LA believes a more comprehensive approach is needed, one that incorporates multi-year planning, a capital infrastructure plan and the implementation of a two-year or three-year budget cycle. We sent the following letter to Neighborhood Councils in October to ask them to support these changes.
UN4LA Budget Reform Letter to Neighborhood Councils
L.A. COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS RECEIVE RESULTS OF INVESTIGATION INTO POSSIBLE CORRUPTION
At the end of October, the LA County Board of Supervisors received the results of an investigation into misconduct by former Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, which also looked into the County's contracting processes. While the report found no evidence of systemic corruption or fraud, it did find a number of problems with the County's processes, including: The lack of a central repository for contracting data; A lack of due diligence for prospective contractors, and; A lack of documentation regarding how sole source contracts were justified.
No “Pattern of Corruption” in Contracts Inked during Ridley-Thomas’ Tenure, Probe Finds
QUESTIONS ABOUT DE LEON CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS
LA City Councilmember Kevin de León has raised an impressive amount of money in his bid to win re-election as representative for Council District 14, especially considering his participation in the infamous meeting with former Councilmembers Nury Martinez and Gil Cedillo. But questions have arisen about some of the donations he's received. Complaints have already been filed with the California Fair Political Practices Commission alleging that entities that have donated to de León's campaign may have done so in the hope of getting favorable treatment from the City of LA.
A $900 Campaign Donation to an LA Politician. Then a $55 Million Deal
CITY OF L.A. WILL PAY $3 MILLION TO SETTLE L.A.D.B.S. WHISTLEBLOWER LAWSUIT
The City of LA will pay a hefty $3 million to settle a lawsuit brought by Steve Ongele, the former head of the Los Angeles Department of Building & Safety (LADBS) Resource and Management Bureau. Ongele’s lawsuit alleges that he was fired after raising concerns about a number of illegal and unethical practices at the city agency. Among Ongele's claims are that LADBS amassed a $300 million surplus by overcharging customers, and that the agency's leadership took no action even though he informed them of the problem on multiple occasions.
LA Building and Safety Whistleblower to Get $3-Million Settlement from the City
The City Council also recently approved up to $300,000 to settle another lawsuit brought by former LADBS Senior Management Analyst Zachary De Corse. De Corse's lawsuit also alleges retaliation by his superiors at LADBS, saying that he was targeted because he spoke up about misappropriation of funds and other illegal conduct.
Motion to Approve $300,000 for De Corse Settlement
CALIFORNIA ETHICS WATCHDOG STRUGGLES TO KEEP UP WITH COMPLAINTS
Long plagued by an intractable backlog, the California Fair Political Practices Commission has been the target of criticism for taking too long to resolve complaints of wrongdoing by state and local politicians. Complaints can take years to investigate resolve, and in some cases politicians are re-elected even though they’re the subject of ongoing investigations. Does the agency have too few resources? Or does California have too many crooked politicians?
‘Notoriously Slow:’ Lengthy Investigations into California Politicians Leave Voters in the Dark
