Feb. Archives

February 2004

AN URGENT MESSAGE FROM SUPERVISOR YAROSLAVSKY ON THE STATE BUDGET:
I have received numerous calls, letters and e-mails asking about the Governor's budget proposal and its impact on local government. I wanted to share my thoughts with you at this very early stage in the budget debate.
California finds itself in today's financial mess because for the past several years, state government has been spending more than it was taking in. While Gov. Schwarzenegger bears no direct responsibility for creating this debacle, as the state's Chief Executive he bears a large responsibility for fixing it.
I share the Governor's assessment of the situation that the state must learn to live within its means. Failure to do so will only push the deficits higher and threaten California with bankruptcy. Moreover, I agree with the Governor that the state needs a long-term policy that insures fiscal solvency and stability. California's failure to engage this issue has driven down the state's bond ratings to a notch above "junk" status, burdening taxpayers with billions of dollars in added interest costs just to borrow money for legitimate purposes.
However, it's simply wrong for the Governor to balance the state budget by robbing cities and counties of hundreds of millions of dollars in local property taxes to meet the state's own spending obligations. We pay our local taxes to our local jurisdictions for police, fire, paramedic, library and other vital municipal services. For the State of California to reach into local governments' treasuries in order to cover its expenses is nothing more than an old fashioned heist. It's not the state's money; it's your City and County's money. Taking local property taxes threatens our ability to provide these vital services.
Those of us in local government are required annually not only to present balanced budgets, but also to implement them. Deficit spending is strictly forbidden. Here in the County of Los Angeles, we routinely make difficult and politically painful decisions to cut spending, and even to raise revenues when necessary. In so doing, the County - which stood on the brink of fiscal oblivion barely eight short years ago - has turned its fortunes around. We have adopted responsible budgets and established a prudent reserve. We have been able to meet most of our critical obligations and respond periodically to massive emergencies such as earthquakes, brush fires or floods. Most cities and counties around the state can say the same.
It appears to me that our County and other local governments statewide are essentially being punished for their prudence by a state government eager to plug a $15 billion dollar state deficit caused by the carelessness of the state itself. That's why Mayors, County Supervisors, Sheriffs and District Attorneys throughout the state have responded so angrily to the Governor's proposed budget.
I am committed to fighting this property tax shift. It strikes at the heart of the most basic services Los Angeles County and City government provide. State officials say that local government should "share in the pain" of the State's deficit solutions, but we have already borne the pain of balancing our budget as the law requires. We're living within our means; we must not be pressed into service so that the state can live beyond its means.
There is a great deal at stake in the pending budget battle. On the local level, our budget uncertainties are challenging enough without continually jeopardizing our local property taxes. Please let the Governor and your state representatives know how you feel, and show them that you're paying attention. Remind them that taking our money does nothing to solve their budget problems; it just allows them to continue their profligate spending at our expense.

Board Moves to Shore Up Troubled Hospital Facility - Following a series of negative reports and increasing concerns expressed by state and federal health officials about conditions and medical care at County-operated Martin Luther King-Drew Medical Center in South Los Angeles, the Board of Supervisors is moving aggressively to implement recommendations contained in a Task Force Report produced by a team headed by Dr. David Satcher, U.S. Surgeon General from 1998-2001. Dr. Satcher is a former faculty member of the UCLA School of Medicine and Public Health and King-Drew, where he developed and chaired the Department of Family Medicine, and served from 1977 to 1979 as Interim Dean of the Charles R. Drew Postgraduate Medical School.

Board Seeks to Strengthen Oversight, Health Education Efforts at Bathhouses - Responding to a recent federally funded survey by County health officials revealing increasing prevalence of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted disease infections at two bathhouses, the Board of Supervisors on February 3, 2004 unanimously approved a motion by Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky directing the Health Department to report back in 90 days with a review of disease prevention efforts and recommendations for appropriate changes in regulations and procedures, improved City-County coordination in licensing and supervising operation of the facilities, and in disease education, prevention and treatment programs associated with them.

Yaroslavsky Funds Topanga Ballfield Restoration - Thanks to a $70,000 grant of Third District discretionary funds from the office of Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, it'll soon be "Play Ball!" on the Topanga Community House baseball field once the replanted and restored ballfield is ready for Memorial Day and the community's annual celebration, "Topanga Days." Yaroslavsky's grant completed a fundraising effort that included a $37,000 grant from the Amateur Athletic Foundation and $30,000 in private donations. With planting and construction work currently underway, the field should be fully planted and prepared for play for the upcoming holidays. Yaroslavsky has previously assisted Topanga with discretionary grants for the Topanga Symphony, the Community House Improvement project, and seed money to launch a local emergency-preparedness effort.

Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy Hails "Exceptional" County Compliance With Comprehensive Plan - The County of Los Angeles has earned high marks from the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy for its "exceptional" compliance with the Santa Monica Mountains Comprehensive Plan, a regional planning document adopted in 1979 by the State Legislature aimed at protecting the land and guiding responsible development in the environmentally sensitive area. In its recently-released Annual Report for 2002-2003, the Conservancy noted that the County's planning staff "increasingly understands and anticipates the planning principles represented in the Plan," and credited Regional Planning Department biologists for improvements in the quality of the County's environmental impact analyses.

County Seeks State Funding for El Cariso Park Playground - The County of Los Angeles has also applied for state grant funding to build a universal playground at El Cariso Community Regional Park in the Northeast San Fernando Valley portion of Yaroslavsky's Third District. The playground would be in full compliance with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act, allowing children using wheelchairs, leg braces and walkers to play safely in at least 70% of the play area. The new playground project would join four other play areas in the 79-acre park, which serves nearly 13,000 residents in the surrounding community.