Every now and then I can find a quiet beauty in LA’s crumbling infrastructure.

My Neighborhood Council is hosting a Know Your Rights Training on Thursday. We’ve distributed thousands of red cards and community defense resources. Come get trained on your rights!

RSVP: us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

Receipts on the donation status.

Here’s some of the documentation. Ever since the proposed budget last year where the cuts happened, Crowley has been begging to get the positions refunded. Multiple memos and requests.

Film the police went to the fire repair yard to see the broken fire trucks for himself. We have dozens of rigs sitting unusable because the city axed mechanic positions. While it’s normal to have some out of service at any given time, our rates are way too high and hurt our fire response

Public comment at the fire commission meeting from 10/1/24 on the state of disrepair of the fire trucks. Hundreds of rigs sitting unusable because we do not fund maintenance positions in the way that we need to.

In a budget memo the fire dept stated that 89 out of 584 of their apparatus were out of service and the requested 11 mechanic positions to be filled to fix the equipment.

The council file is still pending before city council without a vote.

cityclerk.lacity.org/lacityclerkc...

The 2025 budget request asks for 438 new positions. While budget requests are certainly an exercise in asking for a perfect world, it really does illustrate the misalignment between the dept and the mayor/council.

I think an important piece of missing context here is that the fire dept in their initial budget request, asked for 301 new positions. They ended up with -61. And $7m less for overtime. Those remaining staffers did get salary bumps yes, but the chief has spoken about the impact on brush clearance.

I’ll add the fire dept requested 301 additional positions in their budget request for 2024. They got -61.

It’s worth pointing out that the 2024 fire budget requested 301 additional positions. They ended up with -61 positions.

I keep thinking about how the council file to use goats for brush clearance died in council without a hearing. You can’t fight fire well in these conditions but you can be proactive about fuel.

cityclerk.lacity.org/lacityclerkc...

A couple of ncs supported this as well.

Our Democratic elected officials will host events with people who just got sued for over $4 million in wage theft from low income workers and then turn around and wonder why people don’t think the Dems do a good job in representing and fighting for them.

www.maternlawgroup.com?case_results...

https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2023-08-22/editorial-is-the-ethically-challenged-l-a-city-council-trying-to-kneecap-the-ethics-commission

Absolutely yes.

https://www.politico.com/news/2023/08/02/california-lawmakers-lobbyist-meetings-ballot-proposal-00109316

Oof.

Went to the Getty Villa for the first time. My picture doesn’t do it justice but this ancient laurel crown was stunning.

Woof. Woof.