Bradley’s Budget: $3.2 Billion and 514 More Officers

Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley, laying out his agenda for the coming fiscal year after his narrow reelection victory, proposed Thursday a $3.2-billion budget that would add 514 officers to the Police Department and charge residents for garbage pickup.

Strong growth in revenues from sales, business, utility users and property taxes, as well as from fees and fines, would finance the spending program, which requires approval by the City Council. “As the business economy has brightened, has improved, we think that has benefited our city,” Bradley said at a City Hall press conference.

In the budget, which will take effect July 1, Bradley also proposed a new fee for garbage collections to finance the cleanup of city dumps and reduce the amount of hazardous waste going to landfill-disposal sites. Residents of single-family homes would pay 20 cents a month, and those in multiple dwellings, 12 cents a month.

The mayor’s budget also proposes more city funds to improve environmental regulation, put unemployed youths to work, reduce gang activity and increase the amount of money available for low-cost housing.

Controversial Item

It was the trash-fee proposal that touched off the only early controversy about the spending plan. Zev Yaroslavsky, chairman of the City Council’s Finance and Revenue Committee, said the fee “will be approved over my dead body. We took it out last year and we will take it out again this year. I do not believe the city needs a garbage-collection fee of even 1 cent.” The city does not charge residents for garbage collection, although such fees have been proposed several times in the past.

The new police officers proposed by the mayor would bring the department up to record strength of 8,414 uniformed personnel.

In addition, Bradley asked for money to replace three police helicopters and 415 police cars that burn too much gas. More than $875 million was set aside for the LAPD in the budget plan, Bradley said.

The boost is a sign of changing fiscal times around City Hall, from the bare-bones days after the 1978 approval of property-tax slashing Proposition 13 through the early 1980s until today.

During the tight years, the city, like other local governments, cut back sharply on services. The Police Department, which had about 7,400 officers in the mid-1970s, dropped to 6,900 in the early ‘80s.

But Los Angeles, as does other cities, relies heavily on sales, property and business taxes to support its government. The commercial growth of the mid-1980s, reflected by the construction of high-rise buildings and shopping malls, increased municipal revenues, permitting an expansion of government services.

Impact on Revenues

A new office building-retail complex, for example, has this impact on city revenues: Construction increases property taxes; new law firms, accountants, computer companies and other tenant firms boost the business gross-revenue tax, and stores adjoining the office building raise sales-tax receipts.

City Administrative Officer Keith Comrie said city revenues have been increasing by 8% to 10% a year in the last five years, while expenses--principally for salary increases--have been only 4% to 5% a year.

County governments are not sharing this prosperity because they do not have the cities’ sales tax revenue base. As a result, Los Angeles County and other counties, relying on property taxes and state payments, are finding it difficult to finance the welfare, health and law enforcement services they must provide.

Environmental Proposals

On the environment, Bradley proposed creation of an air quality management office to coordinate city efforts to reduce air pollution. But city officials conceded that this would be just a small move in the overall, regional fight against smog. A powerful regional agency, the South Coast Air Quality Management District, is in charge of reducing air pollution in the basin.

A small amount of money--$175,000--was set aside for an office to increase the use of reclaimed water. More staff members would be assigned to find ways of reducing pollution in storm drains, a major cause of pollution in Santa Monica Bay.

Bradley proposed doubling the amount of money for the city’s Clean and Green program, which now employs 300 junior and senior high school students to clean up graffiti, restore murals and plant trees. The Community Youth Gang Services Organization would get $700,000 to finance its work with street gangs.

RTD Funding

The mayor’s budget would also allocate $7 million from the city’s share of countywide transit sales tax revenues to give to the Southern California Rapid Transit District to buy 15 more buses to cut down rush-hour overcrowding on some lines. Some of that money would also create a program called LA Pride, in which 250 high school units would be employed 15 hours a week to clean buses.

Yaroslavsky said the proposed additions to the police force “essentially meets the goals” formulated by the council and the Police Department a year ago. “I’m delighted that there is now a consensus that we need to get to a 10,000 (officer) police force (in the next five years),” he said.

In previous years, the mayor was criticized by Yaroslavsky and other council members for being reluctant to add to the police budget.

Yaroslavsky promised a particularly hard look at the budget this year.

He said his committee would make a separate examination of the budget proposed for the huge Community Redevelopment Agency, to which Bradley has given major responsibility to build more housing for the poor. That agency’s budget proposal has not yet been unveiled.

“Housing is the most explosive issue we face in this city after crime and gang violence,” Yaroslavsky said.

THE PROPOSED LOS ANGELES CITY BUDGET Last year’s budget was $2.5 billion, this year’s budget is $2.9 billion and proposed for next year is $3.2 billion. Fire Department LAST YEAR 1987-1988: $196.0 million THIS YEAR 1988-1989: $204.7 million NEXT YEAR 1989-1990: $228.0 million The Fire Department wants to add nine new ambulances; a paramedic supervisor and 35 more job slots; funding for a two-year program to train the employees assigned to fire apparatus who do not currently have Emergency Medical Technician certification. General Services LAST YEAR 1987-1988: $130.4 million THIS YEAR 1988-1989: $168.3 million NEXT YEAR 1989-1990: $179.6 million The budget includes replacing 775 vehicles and construction apparatus and adding 149 job slots. Police Department LAST YEAR 1987-1988: $436.1 million THIS YEAR 1988-1989: $487 million NEXT YEAR 1989-1990: $528 million The Police Department would add 514 new officers, 97 new civilian personnel and replace three helicopters and 415 old police cars. Street Maintenance LAST YEAR 1987-1988: $73.8 million THIS YEAR 1988-1989: $80.3 million NEXT YEAR 1989-1990: $86.8 million Increases would include funding for the first phase of a three-phase program to take an inventory of the city’s street trees and funding for a special cleaning crew to deal with the illegal dumping of debris, primarily in the Central City East area. Transportation LAST YEAR 1987-1988: $58.8 million THIS YEAR 1988-1989: $69.4 million NEXT YEAR 1989-1990: $79.4 million The budget includes funding for three new Traffic Information Network Program workers; 10 new Community Plan Revision Program positions; four new job slots for the City’s Preferential Parking Program; six new job slots for inspection of the new Automated Traffic Surveillance and Control System equipment; two management jobs to meet departmental growth and additional resources for peak hour towing enforcement and for traffic officer training and overtime. Compiled by researcher Cecilia Rasmussen