Stewart: Big Pay
The 15 Los Angeles council members earn $178,789 a year - about $80,000 more than their counterparts in more expensive San Francisco and New York. And way more than the Miami City Council whose part-time pay is just $6,000 a year. At nearly $180,000 a year our council members - public servants as they are called - earn 400% more than the average Angeleno. Jill Stewart, deputy news editor at L.A. Weekly says in no other city could we find as big a disparity.
Great story.
According to the article in the LA Weekly, the total compensation of an LA City Councilmember approaches $300,000 including a take-home vehicle and an office allowance of approx $100,000. Its easy for people like multi-millionaire Governor Schwarzenegger to take cuts. Councilmember Garcetti's rejection of a pay raise is also foolish and dis-ingenious. Instead should follow the lead of former Mayor Riordan and take a $1 a year since he is a trust baby of the Roth Foundation. Jan Perry has her own issues with conflicts of interest with her ownership of a Condo very close to the Grand Avenue project (the largest in LA's history). Read the excellent expose article by Patrick McDonald in the February 26, 2009 LA Weekly: "Los Angeles on $300,000 a Year" available on line.
We need more stories like this to wake up people.
no wonder our state is bankrupt. everybody blames it on illegals. just go to the top and you'll see where we're wasting money. it's a shame.
Jill,
You're right on the mark RE: Villaraigosa, Bratton and Beck
I have never seen the position of Chief of Police of LAPD politicized as we've seen under Bratton.
I agree that there were positive changes but Bratton was spending too much time shaking hands and kissing babies.
Viaraigosa is merely a self promoting, feckless media whore with nothing more than his own political aspirations and visions of grandure.
Beck was (is) highly thought of by the rank and file. I have high hopes for him and think he'll do well, if he just follows your advice and sticks to the police work.
Connor, A
Acton, Ca
Matt Dowd says :
Nice work Jill, love it.