Cut the fat and leave my pocketbook alone

EDITOR’S NOTEBOOK

The more money you have the more you want -- and think you need.

We see it in our personal lives and we see it in government.

Cities and school districts have hit panic mode since Gov. Gray

Davis announced his latest budget revisions, which will cut $15

million from the city’s budget and at least a million from each of

the city’s three school districts.

This week, two of Surf City’s new council members joined Assembly

Speaker Herb Wesson (D-Culver City) as he introduced a bill that

would bring some more money to cities. Of course, it would come from

you and me.

The bill would reinstitute the so-called “VLF fee” on drivers,

forcing the average driver to pay an average of $103 more to register

their cars and trucks each year.

I already pay $103 each year for the honor of driving in

California (not that there is any other real option.) So now,

presumably, I’d pay $206 each year. And for what? Oh yeah ... I pay

for things like HBTV-3 ... and putting up things like the magnificent

Surfhenge.

One is a continual waste of taxpayer money, and the other is a

hideous reminder of how our money can be wasted. Now, I know I’ve

just upset some folks at HBTV-3, but a local TV station is not a

worthwhile city venture.

We need to get back to basics a bit. I’m in the process of trying

to get a copy of the budget to slog through. How many truly

unnecessary items are there in the budget? Instead of solving the

problem by passing the buck to residents, as usual, let’s see where

fat can be cut. I’m sure it can be.

That is what our city leaders are looking into right now, but if

we don’t watch carefully, we’ll end up with parking meters in our

driveways to save projects that are better funded privately.

The Drug Abuse Resistance Education program, for example -- it’s a

program that may have been good in theory, but was not working on the

whole. Since it was cut from the city budget, funds have been raised

to continue the program. That’s great. Personally, I think teaching

children right and wrong is the job of parents. If you raise

intelligent, morally upstanding children, they will be equipped to

make the right decisions.

But if others feel it is important, chip in and help raise funds

for it.

Where else in City Hall are we wasting money? Some say look to the

exorbitant salaries paid out, the cush benefit and retirement

packages handed out. Maybe city employees don’t need company cars.

Rather than look to residents to foot the bill of budget

shortfalls, let’s look long and hard at what we’re already spending

millions of dollars on.

* DANETTE GOULET is the city editor. She can be reached at (714)

965-7170 or by e-mail at danette.goulet@latimes.com.