City Budget

Mayor Tom Bradley and the Los Angeles City Council should get their spending priorities straight before they start scaring the public with talk of reduced police protection (Metro, Nov. 28).

In recent years, budgets have been anything but “bare bones.” This year is no exception. The City Council made a great show of trimming a measly $10 million from the mayor’s proposed spending plan, but still approved a plan to spend $3,671,891,967, an increase of $400 million over last year. Not many bare bones there.

Budgetary reforms should be made, with or without a slowdown in the economy and reduction in anticipated revenues. For example:

* At a time when wanton homicides and other crimes are escalating, the city should stop playing politics with police services. We talk of hiring 400 more officers, but quietly under-fund the overtime pay account, a practice which forces 600 to 700 seasoned officers a day off duty. Now we talk of increasing that number by 165 more officers this year and 330 next year.

* All city employees should contribute a full 6% of their salary to the pension fund, not just those hired since Jan. 1, 1983. Employees hired before that date pay far less, some as little as 2%. This costs taxpayers about $20 million a year.

* The city should charge a fee for all paramedic responses. Today, the city provides paramedic services free of charge and bills patients only if they are transported to the hospital. Charging those who can afford it for all responses would permit the city to recoup an additional $15 million of the $30 million annual costs. Now, it recovers only $5 million.

* The city should contract out with private haulers for its refuse collection services, as other cities do. This could save $40 million or more annually.

ERNANI BERNARDI

Councilman, 7th District