State bailouts are not the solution for Los Angeles’ budget woes

Los Angeles is facing a crushing $1 billion budget deficit, leading to calls for layoffs of as much as 5% of city staff, service cuts and higher fees. S&P Global Ratings has already lowered the city’s bond ratings and the public is frustrated. Mayor Karen Bass—fresh off of her failures in response to the city’s wildfires—is caught flatfooted after Gov. Gavin Newsom wisely rejected her lobbying for a state bailout.
City officials would like us to believe that those wil