Report Finds a Los Angeles on the Brink (2014, city hall)

[Eugene80]

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/10/us...ecline.html?hp

- Los Angeles is enduring a series of blows that have challenged its self-esteem and even its long-term stability. Some appear more symbolic, like the departure of “The Tonight Show” for New York, followed by the plaintive appeal by Mayor Eric M. Garcetti that CBS move “The Late Show” to Los Angeles when David Letterman retires next year. Others are beyond its control, such as the disconcerting wave of earthquakes that have rumbled the region in recent weeks, reminding residents of how unprepared Southern California is for a cataclysmic temblor.

[ExeterMedia]

Originally Posted by Eugene80

widespread poverty and job stagnation, huge municipal pension obligations

Thank you liberals.

[yamota]

waiting for that first "New York biased article" response. Ooops, I think I just did it

[pacific2]

Originally Posted by Eugene80

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/10/us...ecline.html?hp

Somehow, you failed to offer a balanced perspective since you did not note this:

"Russell Goldsmith, president of City National Bank in Los Angeles, who served on a similar blue-ribbon commission six years ago, called the new description “an unfortunate characterization” of what Los Angeles is like today.

'It is certainly not in decline,' he said. 'Los Angeles, like many cities, has some serious issues and problems, but it also has remarkable resources and opportunities.”

Nor, did you highlight the following:

“Because it points an inappropriately unduly negative picture of Los Angeles, it can’t help the image of the city,” Mr. Goldsmith said. “I’m surprised by it, but I don’t know why they took such a strikingly negative view. Maybe they felt they had to do this to get attention.”

What about this?

"Paul Krekorian, a Democratic member of the City Council, dismissed the exercise as 'an opportunity for a collection of people to share all of the things that aggravate them most, rather than a thoughtful consideration of the status quo of the city right now.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/10/us...ecline.html?hp

[nslander]

Consider the source:

"The L.A. 2020 commission is back. Three months after issuing "A Time for Truth," its term-paper jeremiad about the decline of the city's economy and finances, the commission has now issued the follow-up report, "A Time for Action."

Finally, after a year, the commission's agenda is becoming clear: to empower the powerful.

The commission is drawn from the leadership of the city's business and labor communities, and its reports reflect the insularity and self-interest of its membership.

Let's start with the DWP. As you may recall, last year's mayoral election largely turned on the issue of DWP union money. Brian D'Arcy, the head of the DWP union, spent $4 million trying to elect Wendy Greuel. That backfired. The voters elected Eric Garcetti, sending a clear message that D'Arcy should not be allowed to control City Hall.

And yet, for some unfathomable reason, D'Arcy was put on the L.A. 2020 commission. Worse, it looks like he was allowed to write the section on the DWP. In fact, the commission's report might better be titled: "A Time for Action: Brian D'Arcy's Plan to Restore Faith and Confidence in the DWP."

How the L.A. 2020 Commission Screwed Up | The Informer | Los Angeles | Los Angeles News and Events | LA Weekly

[Mr_Geek]

My report finds this report to be crap.

[Chava61]

This report paints a very negative picture of Los Angeles. Since it appears in The NY Times perhaps it is trying to deter NYers from considering a move to L.A.!

[Caladium]

"The Los Angeles 2020 Commission presented a catalog of failings that it said were a unique burden to the city: widespread poverty and job stagnation, huge municipal pension obligations, a struggling port and tourism industry and paralyzing traffic that would not be eased even with a continuing multibillion-dollar mass transit initiative."

Oh, please. NONE of those problems are unique to Los Angeles. In fact, these days they are common in almost every large city. And plenty of the smaller ones too.

[jen5276]

Originally Posted by Chava61

This report paints a very negative picture of Los Angeles. Since it appears in The NY Times perhaps it is trying to deter NYers from considering a move to L.A.!

Won't deter me!

[Mr_Geek]

Originally Posted by Mr_Geek

My report finds this report to be crap.

Originally Posted by Chava61

This report paints a very negative picture of Los Angeles. Since it appears in The NY Times perhaps it is trying to deter NYers from considering a move to L.A.!

Originally Posted by jen5276

Won't deter me!

On second thought...

The article is spot on.