Los Angeles Mayor or new Lakers’ GM?

 

Over the course of 5 games the Lakers’ killed my shot at being an ESPN analyst. The Shallow Girl’s Guide was going to be my token to the pre-game/halftime/post-game show instead of the sideline gig ESPN typically reserves for female reporters. I could blame Dwight Howard for ruining my chances but I’m still a shallow girl at heart and that dude is still fine. Apparently not fine enough to win the ’ship, though there is always the argument that the addition of Jameer Nelson (who was never rated) threw off the pretty-to-aesthetically challenged scale the Orlando Magic had working in their favor before they faced the Lakers.  

 

The fact that the Lakers’ prevented me from owning a poster of Dwight doused in celebratory champagne would normally be enough reason for me to continue my hate strong dislike, but I’m even more pissed that their victory has somehow convinced the LA Mayor, and other city officials, that a parade is something the city needs as opposed to countless other necessities. 

 

I could be wrong. Instead of the Lakers, maybe Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s latest reporter boo convinced him that her station needed a break from reporting real news and would prefer to spend the entire morning covering the parade. Somebody must be breaking him off with something for him to say this:

“At a time when the unemployment in the city is 12.5%, and 21,000 people have lost their homes due to foreclosures, it is important for us to celebrate this great day [...]

 

“We’re going to come together as a city at a time when we need to come together,” Villaraigosa said. “The reason why so many people from the private sector came forward is because they know this town deserves to revel in itself for a day. We need it.” [Los Angeles Times]

 

I’m confused Mr. Mayor. What day are we suppose to be celebrating? The day your city reached a 12.5% unemployment rate, the day 21,000 people lost their homes, or the day less than two dozen people were arrested for turning Figuerora into a tamer version of post election riots in Iran?

 

I’m glad Mr. Mayor decided to solicit funds from private donors but I much rather he’d devote that fervor to more important things the city needs:

 

Summer school for LAUSD

 

More teachers and smaller classrooms

 

An effective (and potentially life saving) child welfare database 

 

An improved Metro system that cuts traffic and decreases deadly pollution 

 

A graffiti removal/abatement program that will make Figueroa a street the city can actually be proud of South of USC (I included this for selfish reasons)

 

Notice a correlation here? All of these things I can make a decent argument about their actual need to 1) improve the city and 2) prevent deaths (and yes summer school funding can prevent deaths. No summer school=more kids on the street=more time for those kids to get into trouble=increased crime=you get the picture?). Not only that, all of those things have been on the front page of your favorite Los Angeles newspaper for the past months, hell even the last week, and the mayor really wants to tell us that a parade is what we need? Right now? 

 

The mayor has been repeating this $15 million figure – supposedly that’s the revenue the parade will bring in – but unless that $15 million will support any of the things I mentioned above, the parade is not a necessity. I hope none of that $15 million pays the city council staff during the time they undoubtedly will be at the parade since they already canceled today’s meeting. I’d really would like to see an expense report detailing where this $15 million will go. 

 

I hate to sound like a Lakers’ hatin’ party pooper but I’m tired of people, especially the mayor!, telling me that the city needs a three hour parade when I drive down Slauson Avenue every day to go to my non-profit day job that needs hundreds of thousands of dollars to provide social services in South Central. Every day I look out of my window and see that the city deserves more than a parade that will leave the town filthy and congested.

 

Come to think of it, what the city really needs is a mayor who doesn’t think Lakers fans will elect him Governor, and he will run for governor, simply because he gave them a parade.

Tags: LAUSD, Los Angeles Budget Crisis, Los Angeles City Council, Los Angeles Lakers, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa