Fix the budget

Downtown News editorializes on the chaos at City Hall:

So many mixed messages are circulating that, when one observes from a distance, there is little assurance that people are working together. One day the city administrative officer releases a report citing the need for 1,000 layoffs, and the next day the Council appears to hedge. The day after that Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa announces he'll make sure those positions are eliminated. And then a week later he wants another 2,000 layoffs. Then come questions and back-and-forth about the Council's discretionary funds. And unions saying they have already done enough. And so on. These are all signs that the budget problem is reeling seriously out of control.