On August 21st, the Los Angeles City Council convened a Revenue Day to discuss ways to generate, enhance or improve collection of city revenue. The city’s Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Miguel Santana stressed that after years of deep budget cuts, the city is left with few options to address ongoing budget deficits. Without a new…
Continue ReadingWhy Do Cities Go Bankrupt?
In recent months, there have been many stories in the news about California cities facing the threat of bankruptcy. What’s going on? Is Los Angeles in any danger of joining the ranks of Stockton, Mammoth Lakes, and San Bernardino? Cities go bankrupt for a variety of reasons. Budget deficits are increasingly common at all levels…
Continue ReadingLA’s Budget Falls Short
July 1st marks the beginning of a new fiscal year in the City of LA. With next year’s budget approved and the threat of layoffs averted, at least for now, the City Council and Mayor may feel like they can breathe easy for the moment. But it’s time for more hard work to begin. The City…
Continue ReadingTwenty Years Later: Reflections on the Civil Unrest
The twentieth anniversary of the civil unrest has prompted thought and reflection on our city, our neighborhoods and our home. There’s been a lot written about what’s changed since April 1992 and what’s the same. Over the last few weeks, I’ve been thinking a lot about what this anniversary means for SCOPE’s vision for change…
Continue ReadingDo Tax Cuts Create Jobs?
As the economy struggles to recover, a local debate is brewing: do tax cuts create jobs? If so, how many, and at what cost? Two recent studies commissioned by the online casino österreich at very different answers to these questions. The first study, from USC Professor Charles Swenson, said that eliminating the business tax would…
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