Will anyone listen to new controller?
What won what where
I hadn't been planning another anti-Greuel post (they're beginning to pile up), but attention must be paid to a mayoral candidate who proposes to hire 2,000 police officers and 1,000 firefighters - and who doesn't have a coherent plan on how to pay for it. See, the $417 million that will be needed relies on revenue growth of 5 percent for five straight years, and nobody believes the city will be able to do that. From LA Weekly's Gene Maddaus:
Greuel's plan bears a striking resemblance to one offered by Bob Hertzberg during his 2005 campaign for mayor. Hertzberg and Greuel both hired strategist John Shallman to run their campaigns. Hertzberg's plan was to set aside 25% of new revenue to hire 3,000 cops -- which would have brought the total force to 12,000, the same figure Greuel has proposed. The City Administrative Officer has projected long-term revenue growth of about 3%. In an interview, Shallman defended the revenue projections of 5% a year for each year from 2016 through 2020, saying that Greuel's economic plans will ensure that "we can be insulated from giant dips" in revenue. Shallman also emphasized that the 12,000 figure is a "goal," and that it could change if revenues fall short.
As Gene points out, the priority for cops is not new officers but a resumption in police overtime, which Mayor Villaraigosa pretty much suspended as a budget-cutting effort. That's led to a daily shortage of cops on the street. Of course, more OT is not nearly as sexy a campaign plank as hiring 2,000 additional police officers.