Item 52 at tomorrow's City Council meeting is a Motion to transfer $125,000 from the Street Furniture Revenue Fund to Council District 5's (CM Paul Koretz) general salaries account to pay for Council Office staff salaries (Council File 10-0011-S31).
This is in no way, shape, or form a legal use of Street Furniture Revenue Funds.
Street Furniture Revenue Funds are funds derived from the revenues generated from advertisements placed in or upon street furniture and from any other uses of street furniture. 50% of the revenues generated from the advertisements are divided equally among each Council District and are to be used for (1) funding transit related services, (2) funding transit related equipment, and (3) funding consultant studies and City staff costs for beautification and public safety improvements needed to improve conditions for public transit patrons.
As discussed here, on a number of different occasions, Street Furniture Revenue Funds must be used for the specific purposes identified in Los Angeles Administrative Code Section 5.121.7, which does not include the funding of general staff salaries. What these funds can be used for are DASH or other Transit Bus Services (which LADOT recently cut); speed humps and traffic calming (similar to what the Mount Olympus community recently paid out of pocket for); and, sidewalk and curb repairs (which the City now wants property owners to be 100% responsible for).
You'll recall that back in March the Mayor vetoed an attempt by Councilmember Tony Cardenas to use Street Furniture Funds to pay his staff's salaries. In that veto the Mayor noted, correctly, that the Street Furniture Revenue Funds must be used for the purposes identified in the City's Administrative Code and not to provide supplemental funding for Council Office staff. Here again, is a quote from the Mayor's veto letter of that attempted transfer:
The Street Furniture Revenue Fund is intended to fund transit-related projects, sidewalk repair and other community beautification projects. It is not intended to augment elected officials' staff salary accounts. And as I have repeatedly stated, given the severity of the financial crisis we face, uncommitted discretionary funds should be directed to the Reserve Fund.
I can not stress this point enough: The purpose of Street Furniture Revenue Funds is not to pay for unidentified staff costs and salaries, but to improve public streets, public transit systems, and beautify public right-of-ways. We have a great need in our City in general, and in Hollywood in particular, for improved transit service, upgraded transit shelters and street furniture, traffic calming and pedestrian safety improvements, and aesthetic and safety improvements to our streets and sidewalks.
It is disappointing to see that the needs, safety, and well-being of residents and visitors of Council District 5 is less important to Councilmember Paul Koretz than his need to fund his 19 person staff.
2 comments:
That's just ignorant--these are thehard-working folks who actually do the work, get paid little, work weekends and nights, don't stay with the city to get a pension, and who navigate departments who don't feel accountable to us, the people. I'm a neighborhood activist who has worked closely with Koretz's excellent staff and you should try doing the same. I'd much rather have a living, breathing advocate than 10 feet more of street paving.
@ Anon 5:31: This has nothing to do with whether or not I like CM Koretz's staff (which I do, BTW) or approve of and appreciate the job they are doing (which I also do). Fact is that there is an appropriate source (the General Fund) and method (the City's budget process) to fund Council Office staff and using Street Furniture Revenue Funds is not it.
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