Taking What You Can Get : Few jobs for kids but, still, a few bright spots for L.A. in federal budget

Washington hasn’t done enough to help Los Angeles provide summer jobs for kids. Many thousands of poor yet hopeful teen-agers and young adults wanted work during the break--but won’t get any.

They eagerly applied for the federally funded jobs, which were provided through city programs and community organizations. They were willing to do whatever they could to earn a wage that most adults would find paltry. But that $5.47 an hour, as any poor person (young or old) will tell you, is much better than nothing--which is exactly what most job applicants will get.

President Clinton’s bold “Summer of Service” initiative would have delivered tens of thousands of jobs to youngsters across the nation. But Congress balked. Los Angeles city officials had expected from Clinton’s proposal at least 40,000 jobs for low-income teen-agers and young adults, who are traditionally the last to be hired. To fill those jobs, government workers circulated 75,000 applications. But only about one in seven of 60,000 applicants got jobs--barely 11,000.

No doubt the cuts were motivated by fears that an expanded summer jobs program would drive up the huge federal deficit. Yet after Los Angeles’ riots last year, President George Bush personally pledged specific help. He promised to work with Congress in a bipartisan push for urban enterprise zones, which give businesses tax breaks to encourage entrepreneurs to bring jobs to poor neighborhoods. He also promised support for law enforcement efforts and new social programs.

Alas, Democrats as well as Republicans overloaded last year’s emergency urban aid bill with a little something for everybody. The cost exceeded $1 billion. Bush, with some justification actually, then vetoed the legislation.

Washington’s refusal to respond strongly places the burden of providing jobs on private businesses. The private sector can only do so much, even with the help of Rebuild LA, the public-private effort created to stimulate economic development in poor neighborhoods. A national disaster--whether man-made or natural, whether riots or floods--requires a response from the White House and a Congress that delivers.

Fortunately, the budget bill, if the latest version survives, still contains some help for Los Angeles. Thanks to the efforts of Clinton Administration officials, House-Senate conferees and California’s two senators--Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer--there is funding for slimmed-down federal empowerment zones, presumably including Los Angeles. A business tax credit for research and development would be extended, as would tax credits for hiring disadvantaged inner-city youth and for low-income housing and mortgage bonds. So let’s end this editorial by looking at the portion of the glass that is half full, rather than half empty.