As Long Beach City Council members went through some of the most collaborative negotiating and compromising that I have seen to come up with a viable budget plan Tuesday, an entertaining exchange occurred between Mayor Bob Foster and Councilman Gary DeLong, chairman of the Budget Oversight Committee.
After DeLong sat down and ticked off a long list of the revised budget restorations that had been agreed upon, Foster asked: "Mr. DeLong, do these balance?"
"Within $12,000," DeLong replied.
"I guess that's good enough for government," the mayor quipped, half-jokingly.
The sad thing is, when it comes to government accounting, Foster was probably right.
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-
Leave a comment