Latest news with #KennethMejia
New York Post
22-06-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Anti-ICE protests to cost Los Angeles taxpayers over $30M: official
Anti-ICE protests that rattled Los Angeles will cost taxpayers in the City of Angels a whopping $32 million, according to newly released data. The eye-watering sum includes the cost of police response, emergency services, cleanup and public property damage resulting from federal immigration protests that have rattled the city, LA City Controller Kenneth Mejia revealed in a post on X. Some $29.5 million of the costs come from the LAPD's response to protests, 'including citywide tactical alert costs,' Mejia said, sharing a graph breakdown of the taxpayer funds. Anti-ICE protests will cost Los Angeles taxpayers a whopping $32,042,107, according to newly released data. LA City Controller Kenneth Mejia Another $1.4 million will be used for clean-up and public property damage, according to the post. The remainder of the money includes funds set aside for the Los Angeles Fire Department, street services, general services and the Public Works Board. Downtown LA has become the epicenter of anti-ICE riots in response to Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration. Since June 8, the LAPD has made roughly 561 arrests related to protests, cops said, according to KTLA. Downtown Los Angeles has become the epicenter of anti-ICE riots in response to Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration. Toby Canham for NY Post More than 200 people were arrested on June 10 alone after Mayor Karen Bass instituted a curfew in Los Angeles. 'The most explosive escalation of tensions between demonstrators and police since the height of the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020 is currently unfolding in Los Angeles over Trump's 'mass deportation agenda,'' said Kieran Doyle, with Armed Conflict Location & Event Data, a group that tracks civil unrest and wars. The large total does not include potential lawsuits, Mejia noted.
Yahoo
22-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Los Angeles taxpayers to foot millions for 'peaceful' anti-ICE protests
The violent and destructive Los Angeles anti-ICE protests cost taxpayers $32 million, according to a report by the city budget chief. Controller Kenneth Mejia posted the figures on X, detailing what the money from local taxpayers will be funding. City taxpayers are on the hook for emergency services, cleanup and public property damage, all stemming from the protests that turned into riots, according to Mejia's post. More than $29 million, or 92% of the cost, is for the Los Angeles Police Department's response. Part of these funds will also cover the cost of the citywide tactical alerts. La Anti-ice Rioters Face New Charges As Violence Rages A little more than $1 million will go to the city's efforts to clean up the city and repair damage to public property, according to Mejia's post. The rest of the money will be distributed to various departments, such as the Los Angeles Fire Department, the city's street services, general services, tourism and others. Read On The Fox News App Mejia noted the funding did not factor in potential lawsuits that could arise from the unrest. Fbi Will Investigate 'Any Evidence Of A Criminal Conspiracy' In La Riots The protests, described as "peaceful" by Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., and the liberal media, saw demonstrators violently clash with the LAPD over multiple days, prompting President Donald Trump to deploy both the National Guard and active-duty military personnel. The protests have led to several arrests, including Grzegorz Vandenberg, 48. He was charged with buying fireworks with the intent to harm law enforcement and government officials during the protests, according to the Department of Justice. While at a store, federal authorities allege, he told employees he previously served in the military's special forces and claimed he could make pipe bombs before revealing he was planning to travel to Los Angeles to kill law enforcement officers and government officials in the anti-ICE riots. Federal Agents Thwart Man's Explosive Alleged Plot Against Officers During La Riots Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert G. Luna announced that nearly a dozen deputies were injured during the ongoing riots after protesters launched rocks, Molotov cocktails and "high-grade pyrotechnics" at them. Since June 7, the LAPD has made over 500 arrests related to protests, according to the LAPD. Mejia's office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment. Fox News' Christina Coleman, Julia Bonavita and Stepheny Price contributed to this article source: Los Angeles taxpayers to foot millions for 'peaceful' anti-ICE protests
Fox News
22-06-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Los Angeles taxpayers to foot millions for 'peaceful' anti-ICE protests
The violent and destructive Los Angeles anti-ICE protests cost taxpayers $32 million, according to a report by the city budget chief. Controller Kenneth Mejia posted the figures on X, detailing what the money from local taxpayers will be funding. City taxpayers are on the hook for emergency services, cleanup and public property damage, all stemming from the protests that turned into riots, according to Mejia's post. More than $29 million, or 92% of the cost, is for the Los Angeles Police Department's response. Part of these funds will also cover the cost of the citywide tactical alerts. A little more than $1 million will go to the city's efforts to clean up the city and repair damage to public property, according to Mejia's post. The rest of the money will be distributed to various departments, such as the Los Angeles Fire Department, the city's street services, general services, tourism and others. Mejia noted the funding did not factor in potential lawsuits that could arise from the unrest. The protests, described as "peaceful" by Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., and the liberal media, saw demonstrators violently clash with the LAPD over multiple days, prompting President Donald Trump to deploy both the National Guard and active-duty military personnel. The protests have led to several arrests, including Grzegorz Vandenberg, 48. He was charged with buying fireworks with the intent to harm law enforcement and government officials during the protests, according to the Department of Justice. While at a store, federal authorities allege, he told employees he previously served in the military's special forces and claimed he could make pipe bombs before revealing he was planning to travel to Los Angeles to kill law enforcement officers and government officials in the anti-ICE riots. Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert G. Luna announced that nearly a dozen deputies were injured during the ongoing riots after protesters launched rocks, Molotov cocktails and "high-grade pyrotechnics" at them. Since June 7, the LAPD has made over 500 arrests related to protests, according to the LAPD. Mejia's office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment. Fox News' Christina Coleman, Julia Bonavita and Stepheny Price contributed to this story.
Epoch Times
30-04-2025
- Business
- Epoch Times
Los Angeles City Controller Updates Residents on Budget Woes
Commentary California's counties usually have a budget department and an elected auditor-controller. The controller handles the disbursements and the annual audit but rarely gets involved in the budget process. The city of Los Angeles, the second most populated city in the nation behind New York City, also has an elected controller who runs citywide. And the role is similar to that of a county, where auditor-controllers run countywide and supervisors run in five districts. The advantage of being independently elected is that the controller can be more public about the status of the city without fear of retribution from the elected mayor and city council members. The only concerns this officeholder should have are angry voters every four years when he or she is up for reelection and has a challenger, or upsetting the electorate and special interest groups so much that they mount a recall effort. However, for a city of 4 million people, it's very difficult to unseat an incumbent at the ballot box or through an organized recall. The current city controller for Los Angeles is Kenneth Mejia. Although he is not directly involved in the budget process, which is the job of the mayor and city council, he can still provide his insights and assist his constituents through messaging efforts. Mejia already messaged the fiscal distress that Los Angeles is facing when he Related Stories 4/24/2025 3/14/2025 He has been very candid about the financial status of this metropolis. So he felt the need to provide additional information when Mayor Karen Bass, also elected citywide, gave her State of the City Just like the governor of California proposes a budget and has the state Legislature review, amend, and approve it for his signature, the city of Los Angeles has its mayor submit her proposal to the city's 15 councilmembers, who do the same. Just like the state's independently elected controller, the city controller has no direct involvement in the process. However, Mejia decided to communicate five major highlights concerning the mayor's submission: A total of 1,647 city employees will be Of the vacant positions, 1,074 will be eliminated. Three departments—youth development, aging, and economic workforce development—will be consolidated. This is occurring because the city is facing a nearly $1 billion budget deficit due to record-level liability payouts, increased payroll costs, spending that has gone over budget, and revenue shortfalls. The annual budget is about $14 billion, with $6.5 billion being unrestricted, implying that the remainder is spent on federally and state-funded programs. Overall, the city has some 38,000 positions with 32,405 employees. The layoffs would be a 5 percent reduction in actual staffing. Going forward, the eliminated positions are gone and will not be reintroduced until future budget years when funds are available. Consolidating departments should mean that there will be one department head versus three. It should also mean that various management positions can also be cut by two-thirds, like having only one human resources manager. One can focus the woes on the recent fires, but there were already cracks in the foundation due to litigation settlements and departments spending more than they were budgeted. This was exacerbated when budgeted revenues did not appear as projected. And every city is seeing increased contributions to pension plans as public employee unions want a very generous defined benefit plan and raises. You can have one or the other, but wanting both is an obvious budget buster. July 1 will come quickly, and L.A.'s full-time city council will be deliberating the next two months on what they will agree to in the mayor's proposed budget and what they propose to modify. It's simple math. So, increasing spending in certain areas will involve decreasing spending elsewhere. Expect Mejia to provide continuing messaging on the process over the coming days and weeks. I had the uncomfortable duty of being the chairman of the Orange County Board of Supervisors in 2008, the year of the Great Recession, requiring the laying off of 1,000 of the county's 18,000 employees. Trust me when I say that this is not an easy or fun function to perform. But, short of unwise internal and external borrowing, making the cuts is the appropriate course of action. And Los Angeles is Kicking the can down the road is not a solution. It's time for action. Continue to keep us informed, Kenneth Mejia. Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
L.A.'s parking enforcement problem
Los Angeles has a budget problem. Well, another budget problem. According to a recent report from independent news organization Crosstown LA, the city is fighting a losing war over parking and parking enforcement. Crosstown analyzed data provided by City Controller Kenneth Mejia, which showed that L.A. is spending tens of millions more on parking enforcement than it is receiving from parking tickets. In the fiscal year that ended in June 2024, after giving out 2 million parking tickets, the city collected about $110 million in parking fines. Meanwhile, according to Mejia's data, it was spending $88 million on parking enforcement expenses like salaries and equipment. But when the cost of pensions and other obligations and liabilities were added to the mix, that figure jumped to more than $176 million. A $65 million shortfall. A $65 million shortfall when the city is experiencing a significant budgetary crisis that it needs to address. The parking enforcement problem isn't new. The city hasn't made money by issuing parking tickets since 2016. But there doesn't seem to be any end in sight. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the existing problem with parking restrictions temporarily or permanently lifted in some places. Revenue in the fiscal year that ended in June 2021 was down 37% from the prior year. Fewer people are also commuting and filling the city centers than pre-pandemic times, meaning less cars overstaying their welcome or parking where they shouldn't. Steet sweeping tickets are lucrative for L.A. — but not enough And the existing budget crisis is likely to only make the problem worse, Crosstown says, citing an interview with Department of Transportation spokesman Colin Sweeney. Staff cuts and open positions left vacant are another main culprit for the decrease in parking enforcement fines. The City eliminated more than 60 positions in the 2024-25 budget, Sweeney said. Dozens of traffic officers have also retired. And since the COVID-19 pandemic, traffic officers have taken up different non-revenue-generating roles, initially helping with COVID-19 testing and vaccination sites, providing traffic control during events, and even helping with Mayor Karen Bass's pet project Inside Safe, which brings the unhoused off the streets and into more appropriate temporary housing. Sweeney says LADOT is advocating for more officers to be hired as part of the next city budget, and the department will hope its pitch will be heard before the budget is finalized April 21. To read the full story, including the methodology used by Crosstown, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
