Watch this guys. California is the state with the biggest hand out infrastructure in the Nation. They have more entitlement programs than you can shake a stick at. And YOU are going to bail ’em out.
In the meantime, however, the City of LA is serving as a peek into California’s future:
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said Tuesday he is preparing to shut down large parts of city government for two days a week starting Monday because of the city’s budget crisis.
The shutdown will focus on departments not involved in emergency response or revenue generation. That is likely to include libraries, parks, city clerk, planning and public works, among others. Those staying open would include police, fire and sanitation.
The city of LA is going to shut down 40% of its services. Monday.
Wanna know how bad it is?
The mayor’s announcement came a day after the Department of Water and Power refused to make a $73.5 million transfer to the city’s general fund…
This means that Los Angeles, Los effin’ Angeles, is so oughtta money that not having $73 million is enough to run the city dry.
How did the fair city get here?
taxpayers will spend $300 million on pensions this fiscal year and about $550 million in 2013-14.
…
As of last year, the city had about 600 retirees collecting an annual pension of more than $100,000.
And then this from TWO YEARS AGO:
City workers’ average salaries will reach about $68,850 for civilians and $93,800 for sworn police and fire by July – placing them in the upper ranks of comparable cities and far higher than private-sector workers.
Good work if ya can get it.
“But seriously”, you say “how much damage can these union folks REALLY be causing“?
The crisis has put Villaraigosa, a former labor activist, squarely at odds with unions that represent 98 percent of L.A.’s municipal work force, which in turn accounts for 80 percent of the city budget.
80 percent.
Blink
Blink
This is a foretaste folks, a foretaste of the feast to come.
