Los Angeles Health Commission president criticizes mayor for $1-billion budget shortfall
We didn't have enough firetrucks operational to handle our needs in January and we don't have a full-time physician in charge of our paramedics. Our city's budget was sound until the current administration; why do budget crises always seem to follow Mayor Karen Bass? During her tenure as Assembly speaker, our state had a budget impasse and drowned in red ink. In June 2009, California's credit rating was lowered and even President Obama wouldn't bail us out.
With 80% of the city's expenses labor-related, her agreement less than one year ago to one of the largest general salary increases in the Coalition of L.A. City Unions' history — a 22% increase over a five-year span, including a 6% raise in the first year — obviously was imprudent.
In more than two decades of governmental leadership, it appears that our mayor hasn't learned the basics of business math. If you spend more money than you have, you go bankrupt.
Dr. Howard C. Mandel, Los AngelesThe writer is president of the Los Angeles City Health Commission
..
To the editor: Oh, please! Ever since the COVID epidemic 'vanished,' parking enforcement has not done its job by ticketing people whose parking meters expired or when cars are parked on street-cleaning days, etc. And police officers have not been ticketing enough people for moving violations. If people would do the jobs they were hired to do, Los Angeles wouldn't be in the mess it's in. While I'm not saying the budget would be fixed, at least money would be coming in from people who break the law.
Liz Brown, West Hills
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Politico
9 minutes ago
- Politico
Will feds weigh in on religious vax carveouts?
Driving the Day RELIGIOUS VAX EXEMPTIONS — It's back-to-school season, which means parents are shuttling their kids to pediatricians for annual checkups — and advocates for and against states' exemptions to vaccine mandates for school entry are gearing up for a fight, Lauren reports. Vaccine skeptics have sought to make their case to the Trump administration's Religious Liberty Commission — created by executive order in May — for executive action to bolster religious carve-outs. But they face pushback from public health experts who warn that more exemptions could threaten public health, setting up another front in the vaccine wars. Four states — California, Connecticut, Maine and New York — don't offer religious exemptions to school vaccine requirements, and Massachusetts lawmakers are considering banning them. West Virginia provides exemptions after GOP Gov. Patrick Morrisey signed an executive order earlier this year invoking the state's religious freedom law. Some religious liberty groups have called on the federal government — which has no say in state vaccine mandates — to use federal education funding as leverage to expand religious opt-outs from school immunization requirements, pointing to a Clinton-era religious protection statute. Precedential web: Some vaccine law experts question how far the executive branch could go to nudge those outlier states toward accepting religious exemptions. The Supreme Court curtailed the Religious Freedom Restoration Act's application to the states in 1997, and administrative conditions on federal funding can't run afoul of Congress' directions. But proponents say those lawyers ignore more recent opinions that work in exemption advocates' favor, pointing to a Covid-19-era decision lifting in-home gathering restrictions on religious grounds and, more recently, the court's ruling in favor of parents who want to opt their children out of LGBTQ+-themed lessons in public schools. Shifting winds: The number of kindergarteners entering school with at least one vaccine exemption continues to tick up, with the CDC reporting last week that 3.6 percent had one in the 2024-2025 school year, compared with 2.2 percent a decade ago. Days before the updated data was released, the American Academy of Pediatrics reaffirmed its opposition to religious exemptions, arguing they should be abolished to protect public health. 'In practice, nonmedical exceptions based on religious belief can substantially limit the public health value of vaccine requirements for school attendance,' the group said in a statement. 'There is no practicable way for schools or other involved community partners to distinguish fairly among religious or other nonmedical claims.' What's next: The Religious Liberty Commission will hold a hearing next month on public education issues, giving exemption proponents another opening to make their case. It's unclear where the White House stands on the concept — a spokesperson didn't comment — but the first Trump administration's HHS pursued avenues to grant health care workers expanded 'conscience' protections and to allow imports of certain vaccines due to some patients' religious beliefs. IT'S TUESDAY. WELCOME BACK TO PRESCRIPTION PULSE. Your host is wondering whether concerns about a common allergy medicine's risks might catch the FDA's attention. Send tips to David Lim (dlim@ @davidalim or davidalim.49 on Signal) and Lauren Gardner (lgardner@ @Gardner_LM or gardnerlm.01 on Signal). Eye on the FDA NEW TOP LAWYER — FDA Commissioner Marty Makary named a longtime government attorney on Monday to be the agency's chief counsel, months after his first pick was torpedoed by Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.). Sean Keveney, who most recently served as HHS's acting general counsel, served as a career civil servant at DOJ's civil rights division before becoming deputy general counsel at HHS in 2019, according to the department and his LinkedIn profile. His predecessor in the position, Hilary Perkins, was also a career DOJ lawyer whose appointment drew Hawley's ire before Makary's confirmation because of her record defending the Biden administration's abortion pill policies. While Perkins also defended the Trump FDA's mifepristone positions, that wasn't enough to overcome his opposition, and she ultimately stepped down days into the job. MDUFA KICKOFF — The FDA's medical device user fee program is not set to expire until Sept. 30, 2027, but the process to renew it has already begun. Despite HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s vocal distaste for the user fee programs, the Trump administration has made it clear they are committed to the monthslong process that will likely result in their renewal for another five years. Industry and FDA leaders — including FDA Commissioner Marty Makary and Center for Devices and Radiological Health Director Michelle Tarver — met Monday to discuss the potential sixth iteration of the medical device user fee program. 'While user fees support timeliness and predictability by providing FDA with additional resources, user fees are not a guarantee of approval,' AdvaMed's senior executive vice president, Janet Trunzo, said according to prepared remarks. 'They never have been, and they never should be.' In Congress SENATE PASSES FDA FUNDING — Before leaving town for the August recess, the Senate passed a bill to fund the FDA for fiscal 2026 as part of a minibus package by an 87-9 vote. The legislation, which funds the agency at $7 billion, is made up of $3.6 billion in taxpayer funds and $3.4 billion in user fee revenues. But it is unclear whether lawmakers will have to turn to a continuing resolution before government funding runs out at the end of September. The House Appropriations Committee previously advanced an FDA bill that funded the agency at a lower level. Research Corner BOOST FOR WOMEN'S HEALTH — The Gates Foundation said Monday it would spend $2.5 billion through 2030 to speed global women's research into maternal, menstrual, gynecological and sexual health. Pharma Moves Erika Sward is now chief advocacy officer at UsAgainstAlzheimer's. She previously was assistant vice president of national advocacy at the American Lung Association. Document Drawer FDA Commissioner Marty Makary met with Rep. John Joyce (R-Pa.) for an introductory meeting on July 24. He also met with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals to discuss nonanimal testing approaches on July 21, according to newly posted public calendar disclosures. He also met with the leadership team of the Government Accountability Office on July 16 to discuss 'items of mutual interest.' WHAT WE'RE READING Top FDA cancer medicine regulator Richard Pazdur played a critical role in the rejection of Replimune Group's skin cancer therapy, STAT's Adam Feuerstein reports. Longevity companies are eyeing Montana as a potential hub for 'biohacking' treatments thanks to state laws embracing patients' 'right-to-try' experimental drugs, The Wall Street Journal's Alex Janin writes.
Newsweek
2 hours ago
- Newsweek
Map Shows US Cities With Biggest House Price Declines Last Month
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A number of major metro areas saw dramatic list price declines in home prices last month as the U.S. housing market continues to deal with a cooling-off period after overheating that took place during a COVID-19 pandemic homebuying frenzy. The former pandemic boomtown of Austin, Texas, reported the biggest annual list price decline in the country last month and one of the highest shares of home listings with price cuts, according to data from Other top markets followed suit in annual declines as markets have become more balanced as inventory grows. Why It Matters Price corrections occur due to a number of factors, including fewer people relocating to areas. Home prices can be influenced by a variety of factors and can have a significant impact on the larger economy as they can affect consumer spending habits and be an indicator of economic growth. Where Prices Are Falling While home prices are still rising at the national level, the pace of this growth has slowed down significantly in recent months as sales have fallen and unsold homes have piled up in the market. In some parts of the country, the slowdown has been more significant. Recent data shows that the South and the West are shifting "decisively" in favor of buyers, writes, as the supply of for-sale homes in these regions increases and these properties spend more time on the market before going under contract—often with significant price cuts. By comparison, regions where the supply shortage is still acute—like the Northeast and the Midwest—are seeing less significant price changes. The metropolitan areas with the biggest year-over-year price decline in July were Austin (-4.9 percent), Miami (-4.7 percent), Chicago (-4.4 percent), Los Angeles (-4.2 percent), and Denver (-4 percent). In all of these cities with the exception of Chicago, the median list price was still above the national average of $439,450 last month. A typical home in Austin was listed for $510,950 in July. In Miami, $509,950. In Los Angeles, $1,148,483. And in Denver, $600,000. In Chicago, home costs are below the U.S. median list price, at an estimated $377,000. These cities also had some of the highest shares of listings with price cuts in the country. In Austin, 31.2 percent of listings had price reductions, and in Denver, 32.9 percent. Nationally, 20.6 percent of listings had price cuts. That means that the share of price cuts in Miami (17.7 percent), Chicago (15.4 percent), and Los Angeles (17.6 percent) was actually below the nationwide average. A map showing the top 10 U.S. metros with the biggest annual price declines in the country in July 2025 and the highest shares of price cuts. A map showing the top 10 U.S. metros with the biggest annual price declines in the country in July 2025 and the highest shares of price cuts. Behind These Numbers Austin saw an explosion in demand during the pandemic, when the rise of remote work allowed many out-of-state movers to relocate to the city. The Texas capital hardly had enough homes for everyone wishing to buy them then, and prices skyrocketed. At the same time, developers launched a construction boom that has since added many new homes to the city's supply. But demand has significantly diminished since the height of the pandemic, partially because of return-to-office orders and partially because of rising housing costs and historically elevated mortgage rates discouraging buyers. Austin found itself with a lot more new homes at a time when fewer people appeared ready to buy them. As a result, the city's housing market has been cooling down dramatically. The same is happening in Denver, another pandemic boomtown which is now seeing inventory piling up in its market. In these two cities, the median list price of a home in July was significantly lower than three years before, when higher mortgage rates put a halt to the pandemic homebuying frenzy. Home prices were 14.8 percent lower last month than in July 2022 in Austin, and 7.7 percent in Denver. The Miami housing market, though resilient, is also experiencing a correction after a period of rapid growth appreciation and tighter inventory. The median sale price of a home was a staggering 17.8 percent lower than three years earlier. But the other two cities in the top five lists of those experiencing the biggest annual price declines last month tell a different story. In Chicago, the median list price of a home was 7.7 percent higher than in July 2022; in Los Angeles, it was 18.4 percent higher.
Wall Street Journal
2 hours ago
- Wall Street Journal
Congress Passes Small Spending Cut, Republic Survives
Here's a story for those who enjoy Beltway irony. Remember last month when the New York Times, Senate Democrats—and perhaps a few Republicans—pretended that enacting a tiny federal spending cut requested by President Donald Trump amounted to a constitutional crisis? The absurd notion was that by freely voting for budget rescissions, Congress had somehow ceded its power of the purse to the White House, as if agreeing to any spending restraint is a dereliction of duty. Just a few weeks later, it's clear that not only has our republic survived, but the episode has motivated a number of senators to take their appropriations work more seriously and even to attempt to do their jobs on time. Do you believe in miracles?
