During the fiscal year ending June 30, LAPD officers worked more than 680,000 overtime hours for which they have not been paid. The city now owes $47.3 million.
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Cash is the Ultimate Aphrodisiac for LA’s City Council Details
LA WATCHDOG The infusion of $1.35 billion from Washington into the City’s coffers has set off a feeding frenzy among the members of the City Council which threatens the long term financial integrity of the City.
As a result of the American Rescue Plan, the City has a balanced budget for this year and next year (2021-22). Importantly, the City’s Reserve Fund that was running close to empty is now expected to be $700 million, equal to 9.5% of General Fund revenue, close to its goal of 10%.
But this $700 million stash is just too tempting a target for Councilman Kevin de Leon who discounts future budget deficits, overly optimistic assumptions for the growth of City revenues, and concerns about one time revenues funding on-going operations. Rather, he is focused on additional services to the homeless community over and above the nearly $1 billion in the Mayor’s Proposed Budget
DWP’s Budget, LA City, and LA100 Details
LA100, the initiative to have 100% renewable energy by 2045.
As usual for Mayor Garcetti’s 20-year plans, by the time we know how well it will play out, no current LA City Councilmember will be around to be accountable.
To show how complicated projections of renewable energy are, we should remember this started with a 2016 City Council Motion “requesting the DWP” to conduct an analysis as to “what investments should be made to achieve a 100 percent energy portfolio for the DWP.”
The LA 100 Study Itself
The results are now in, with a truly groundbreaking, massive study by NREL. For a quick overview of what this was all about, my 2019 column gives a summary.