Still high off the defeat of the Measure I infrastructure tax Nov. 4, the Long Beach Taxpayers Association has announced it will refocus its efforts to push for fiscal reform at City Hall.
In a statement released today, the Taxpayers Association says it was "a force in preventing the Mayor from passing Measure I." The fledgling grassroots organization and other opponents of Measure I used mostly word of mouth and limited resources to build opposition, raising little money during the campaign.
Today's statement says the group will work to educate the public about the city's financial situation. Long Beach had to lay off workers and make cuts to eliminate a $16.9 million budget deficit going into the current fiscal year, and city officials are now expecting revenues to fall short by $8 million to $10 million because of the national economic crisis.
"If the city continues 'business as usual', the deficits will continue to grow, due in part to the expensive five year (employee) contracts granted by the Mayor and City Council," the statement says.
That Long Beach has fiscal problems is undeniable. Whether the Taxpayers Association has viable solutions remains to be seen. And whether anyone at City Hall will listen or make any drastic institutional changes to the way local government spends money is anyone's guess.
Paul Eakins reports on Long Beach City Hall, and local and regional
politics. A newcomer to the Press-
Kris Hanson reports on the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles,
covering environmental issues, economic triumphs and
pitfalls and trade trends of America’s largest port.
He also writes a weekly column “On The Waterfront”,
appearing Tuesdays, and also produces an occassional video
and column titled “On The Job,” which follows the hard-working
men and women who keep Southern California’s economy humming.
Karen Robes Meeks came to work for the Press-
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