Angelenos Pay the Price as Democrats Double Down on Failure

Progressive Politics and Union Clout Make L.A.'s Money Woes Worse

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The City of Angels is drowning in a sea of progressive ideology, and its fiscal ship is sinking rapidly. Mayor Karen Bass and a left of left city council have led the city to a virtual $1 billion budget shortfall, a crisis exacerbated by years of overspending, ballooning legal settlements, and declining tax revenues. Bass's solution? A craven trip to Sacramento, cap in hand, pleading for a $1 billion bailout from Governor Gavin Newsom to save her flailing administration. Newsom, with his own $ 12 billion state deficit to contend with (no, not the fault of Donald Trump), slammed the door shut, making it clear that the state can't "write a check" to a city that has mismanaged its finances beyond its disaster recovery needs. Los Angeles is on its own to resolve its actions.

Bass' initial budget plan for 2025-26 was a rude awakening, involving 1,600 layoffs—5% of the city workforce—eliminating jobs in sanitation, street repair, and even civilian ranks in the LAPD. But the City Council, led by Budget Committee Chair Katy Yaroslavsky, recoiled at the extent of the reductions. The committee voted to reduce layoffs to 650, saving 1,000 jobs by targeting the police department. They chose to slow the hiring at LAPD, forecasting a reduction to 8,400 officers as of June of next year — a 300-officer decrease from this year and a mind-boggling 1,600 fewer than in 2020. In the meantime, they reallocated funds from homelessness initiatives, which have mushroomed into a network of wasteful programs—such as the city's Comprehensive Homeless Strategy, the voucher programs of the Housing Authority, and county programs such as Pathway Home—costing billions with scant to show for it, as encampments continue to spread despite assertions of advancement. When the unions need the money, all other priorities become secondary.

This budgetary shifting has the fingerprints of Los Angeles's non-public safety public employee unions, most notably SEIU, which have inordinate influence over the council. These unions spend millions to elect their chosen candidates, after which they are beholden when budget fights arise. It is no surprise that the council mobilized its resources to protect these workers, even if it means compromising police hiring at a time when the city is sorely in need of additional officers. The police and firefighter unions haven’t gotten the memo to fund the campaigns of crazy progressives. Maybe because they know these extreme politicians have a lot of priorities that are more important than public safety? The hold of the non-public safety unions on City Hall prioritizes union interests over the public interest, at the expense of law enforcement having to bear the bulk of the cuts.

Los Angeles is already a disaster when it comes to public safety. Scattered throughout the city are sprawling camps, from Skid Row to Venice Beach, where homelessness has gotten totally out of control. Sidewalks are impassable, and streets are clogged with filth. Despite billions of dollars spent on various programs and Measure A's new $637.3 million 2025-26 budget for the county, the crisis persists, with over 45,000 people remaining homeless in the city alone. Residents must live with long 911 wait times, broken sidewalks, and potholed roadways—daily reminders of a city hurtling toward chaos. The city council's decision to reduce police recruitment, particularly with the 2026 World Cup and the quickly approaching 2028 Olympic Games on the horizon, is irresponsible. (I previously wrote on how ill-prepared LA is for the Olympics) Bass herself denounced it as a "Sophie's Choice." However, the city council's motivations are straightforward: to save union jobs rather than prioritizing public safety. They're owned and operated, and the city's citizens will pay the price.

Los Angeles, with its mild climate, stunning ocean views, and rich history, is a treasure that takes much to tarnish. And yet, these Democrats have succeeded in foaming it to a fine froth. It's a grim reminder of the adage: you get what you elect. Los Angelenos voted in this progressive regime, and now they're reaping the rewards of their choices—a city on the brink, where pragmatism is sacrificed to far-left ideology and the public employee unions calling the shots. Enjoy the anarchy, Los Angeles. You've earned it.