Tax and fee increases to hire more officers

Re “Council OKs Mayor’s Plan to Add to Police Force by Hiking Trash Fee,” May 17

This “police buildup” mantra that city officials use to hike taxes appears to smell like yesterday’s trash. It is a scam to fool the uninterested populace of Los Angeles into believing that raising trash fees will make L.A. safer. How much more do these politicians want to tax us? Just look at the fine print on Department of Water and Power bills, not to mention telephone, gas and property tax bills. Where is the public outrage on these tax increases? I suggest we sweep these politicians out of office and elect ones who can manage to run the city better. If we still cannot find locals who can run a city efficiently on $6.7 billion a year, may I recommend that we outsource the city’s top administrative responsibility to more educated city officials in a country in Asia.

ALAIN DAYAL

Chatsworth

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The Times writes that Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa “has achieved what his predecessor, James K. Hahn, had long promised but could not deliver: a significant budget increase for the LAPD to hire more officers.” But Villaraigosa did that by going around the people, who are tired of tax and fee increases. A real achievement would be a reduction in fees, not more increases.

JON KONJOYAN

Toluca Lake

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Yes, Villaraigosa may have a “special shimmer,” as many stars do. But you must remember that stars are also filled with hot gas and usually implode after looking pretty for a while but not doing much.

DALE NOWICKI

La Mirada