Subj : Re: LA Fires
To : poindexter FORTRAN
From : Gamgee
Date : Tue Jan 14 2025 08:02 am
-=> poindexter FORTRAN wrote to Gamgee <=-
pF> Re: Re: LA Fires
pF> By: Gamgee to poindexter FORTRAN on Mon Jan 13 2025 10:31 pm
> Okay, but it's a matter of priorities. Why were the fire department budgets
> slashed under Mayor Bass? To the tune of MILLIONS of dollars. Where did tha
> money actually go?
pF>
https://www.ocregister.com/2025/01/09/factcheck-was-the-lafd-budget-cut-
pF> no-it-actually-increased-heres-how/
pF> "On Thursday, a spokesperson for L.A. City Councilmember Bob
pF> Blumenfield, who was budget chair last year, said the city increased
pF> the fire department's overall budget by approximately $53 million in
pF> the current fiscal year. However, $76 million - intended to pay for
pF> fire department personnel - was placed in a fund separate from the fire
pF> department's regular account when the budget was adopted because
pF> contract negotiations with department employees were still taking place
pF> at the time."
pF> As a result, if you just compare the LAFD's budget last year to this
pF> year's, it looks like it went down $23M. But that's because when the
pF> budget was adopted last May or June, the city was still negotiating
pF> those new contracts. The $76M that was set aside in a separate account
pF> ultimately was moved once the MOUs were finalized.
Yeah..... Interesting article. However.... (as is your tendency) - you
left out some important parts. In FACT, you quoted the first couple of
paragraphs of that article. I'm wondering why you stopped after only
that much... So I'll quote the *REST* of that SAME article, that you
didn't want to include. Did you do that by "accident"? Here's the
"rest of the story": (the below is *QUOTED* from the same article):
****************
Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley lashed out at city leaders on
Friday, Jan. 10, saying that budget cuts to her department hampered
firefighters��� ability to respond to the deadly wildfires that have ravaged
Southern California.
How money was allocated seems to be what is now called into question. While the
budget increased to support salaries, LAFD Chief went on CNN to say the city
had failed her and the department with cuts to certain areas, such as civilian
personnel.
���Let me be clear. The $17 million budget cut and elimination of our civilian
positions like our mechanics did and has and will continue to severely impact
our ability to repair our apparatus,��� Crowley said on CNN, adding that more
than 100 fire apparatuses are out of service.
���Having these apparatus and the proper amount of mechanics would have
helped,��� she said on CNN.
On Friday, Crowley told a Fox 11 reporter that there were cuts to her
department. ���Yes, it was cut and it did impact our ability to provide
service,��� she said.
In social media posts this week, L.A. City Controller Kenneth Mejia jumped in,
posting:
���Seeing City officials in the press ignore the severe impacts of these budget
cuts, especially the ones covering for their poor budget decisions to cut a
majority of departments��� budgets & even AFTER Chief Crowley told them about
the impacts these cuts have had, is DISGRACEFUL. ��|
���Btw the money that they keep saying is being held for LAFD���s raises are in
this ���separate account��� HASN���T even been transferred to the LAFD���s
operating budget as of this date! How do we know all this? Because we���re the
City���s Accountant! We know the City���s budget and finances.
���We didn���t want to get into the City���s budget and finances during these
times, but to see City officials come out and ignore the Fire Chief���s
warnings/impacts of the department���s budget cuts made us jump in.���
*************
What do you have to say about *THAT*, Poindexter Fortran?
... He does the work of 3 Men...Moe, Larry & Curly
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