L.A.'s 'Create Your City Budget' tool is good for transparency but has one big flaw

Los Angeles Times

06-05-2025

Buenos dias. I'm California columnista Gustavo Arellano, writing this here newsletter from Orange County for the next two weeks. Here's what you need to know to start your day.
Los Angeles City Controller Kenneth Mejia has revolutionized his historically staid position. He has combined viral know-how, CPA smarts, a millennial's love for self-aggrandizement, a corgi cabinet and a progressive's love to serve the people to demystify the city's byzantine finances.
That's why I was excited when Mejia announced a few weeks ago the launch of 'Create Your City Budget,' an app that allows users to, well, create their own L.A. city budget.
Because, not sure if you've heard, but L.A.'s financial outlook is a headache worthy of Psyduck.
With a projected budget shortfall of nearly $1 billion, Mayor Karen Bass' plan to fix it is pleasing nobody. Layoffs and reduction in services not just expected but have essentially been promised. Expect a lot of negotiations, protests and meetings until we know the final damage in the summer. Mejia's app at least lets people create their own version in the meantime.
The top part of 'Create Your City Budget' shows the current proposed allocations broken down by departments complete with a pie chart that allows users to see what percentage of the $6,591,708,935 total a department takes up. (The library's $257 million? 3.89%. LAPD's 1.98 billion? 30.06%.) Below that, widgets allow you to increase or decrease each department's funding to your desire; another pie chart grows and contracts based on your moves.
Once users have created the budget of their dreams, they can submit the final amount — but it can't go over $6,591,708,935! — and have it sent to council members in the hopes they can sway pols.
City Controller office director of communications Diana Chang told The Times they've received 88 submissions — a good start. The tool is simple to use and easy to understand. It's great to see Mejia try different ways to engage residents about matters far too long the domain of insiders and lobbyists.
But 'Create Your City Budget' doesn't go far enough.
Mejia is probably too young to have played 'Oregon Trail' in elementary school. The pioneering computer game was supposed to teach my generation about the hardships faced by those who helped to conquer the American West. Players could hunt buffalo, talk to Swedes and slowly make their way across the Great Plains and Rockies with pixelated graphics and old-timey music rendered weirdly futuristic by the Apple II's primitive music card.
I had fun playing it, though I couldn't tell you today anything I learned about those pioneer days except one thing: how to budget.
Spent all your money in the beginning of your trek? Good luck buying supplies when they run out. Spent too much money on food instead of bullets? Good luck trying to hunt a buffalo with your extra axle. Too cheap to pay a ferry to take you across a deep river so you decided to ford your covered wagon instead? Now your supplies are soaked, silly!
'Oregon Trail' taught young minds the consequences of their decisions really quick (raise of hands, Gen Xers: how many of you digitally died of dysentery?). Mejia's 'Create Your City Budget' app needs to let its users experience the same — the good, the bad and the WTF.
What actually happens if every department kicked over $100,000 to El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument, thereby doubling its $2-million budget? If the DSA dream of defunding the LAPD actually happened? If the L.A. Zoo and Animal Services combined their departments? Allowing people to do the municipal version of rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic doesn't accomplish much if they can't see the ship sink — or, maybe even survive.
Hey: if 'Dungeons and Dragons' can help people beat monsters with a 20-sided die, I'm sure Mejia's office can create a role-playing game out of L.A.'s budget worthy of Baron Haussmann — or at least Bloomberg CityLab. Freddy Escobar, center, president of United Firefighters of Los Angeles City, speaks at a news conference.
Top LAFD union officers have been suspended
The president and two other top officers were suspended Monday after an investigation by the union's parent organization found $800,000 in credit card purchases that were not properly accounted for.
A former top officer of the union was also removed from his post earlier this year over allegations that he engaged in financial improprieties involving the union's charity for injured firefighters, including using $5,000 for personal expenses.
Don't worry, the weather is turning around
This week is kicking off with more showers and cool temperatures, but Southern California will slowly transition into a period of warm, dry weather.
'If you're sick of the cold weather, you'll like this week,' said Ryan Kittell, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Oxnard.
More on Trump's call to reopen Alcatraz
Trump's call to reopen Alcatraz fell flat with tourists at the prison, who asked: Why and how?
What's really behind President Trump's order to reopen Alcatraz as a prison? It's about empowering authorities to act without fear of consequence, columnist Anita Chabria wrote.
Speaking of Trump
What else is going on
L.A. County has declared a Hepatitis A outbreak. Here's what you need to know.
An L.A. County firefighter assaulted his neighbor. But his bosses couldn't fire him.
Indigenous tribes without federal recognition fiercely opposed a bill that would treat tribes with and without federal recognition differently during land development disputes, prompting the author to pull it.
The Manhattan Beach-based footwear company Skechers will be sold to investment firm 3G Capital for $9.4 billion.
Three people are dead and nine others are missing after a 'panga-style vessel' overturned in Del Mar early Monday, authorities said.
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Have a great day, from the Essential California team
Gustavo Arellano, California columnist
Karim Doumar, head of newsletters
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