- Social:
Mayer Brown
Partner at the law firm of Mayer Brown and and co-chair of the Los Angeles 2020 Commission, which will recommend ways to make the city financially stable; Secretary of Commerce in the Clinton Administration (1996-1997)
PROFILE
Mickey Kantor
Guest
FROM Mickey Kantor
Which Way, L.A.?
Is Los Angeles a City in Decline? "Los Angeles is barely treading water while the rest of the world is moving forward." That's the first line of a report on the city called rather ominously, " A Time for Truth ." The Los Angeles 2020 Commission, empanelled by City Council President Herb Wesson a year ago to assess the city's economic health, issued its assessment today. The results are pretty depression: because of low wages, nearly 40 percent of Angelinos live in "misery;" we've not kept pace with other cities in job creation; we're strangled by traffic; and our public school system is failing our children. While it's safe to say that many of the conclusions aren't exactly news, they are sobering.
Which Way, L.A.?
A New Commission to Solve LA's Fiscal Problems There's a race on for Mayor of Los Angeles . The City Council is considering 22 specific proposals to save money and make up a deficit now estimated at $150 to $160 million. In addition to all that, Council President Herb Wesson has asked for another study. A twelve-member, independent group will come up with ways the city can "grow the economy and jobs, attract business investment and industry, and create fiscal stability for the city." That's how it's described by LA lawyer and former US Secretary of Commerce Mickey Kantor, who will head the so-called "2020 Commission."
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