Exactly. As a taxpayer and former "Public Servant" we have an obligation to hold our elected officials and employees accountable to balance the budget (just as we must in our personal lives) instead of allowing them to just look for more ways to increase revenue.
Thanks and keep up the great reporting.

Mr. Spillman. GREAT POINT! Public servents work for the citizens. Can you deliver a blog about the upcoming Presidential Election? No need to endorse anyone, just give us an idea about what makes you Shake your fist.

Folks, if I worked in government, I'd have no problem with anyone learning what my salary and benefits are. I work in the private sector. Taxpayers don't pay my wages. But government employees are EMPLOYED by us taxpayers.... So we all have a right to know how much we're paying, don't you agree?

So Eric,
How much are you making a year? What type of benefits do you receive from KTLA, so that you can provide for your wife and children? Maybe LA does need to cut back, but that also means that services will be cut. If people don't care about municipal service then I believe they should lay off people. What do I care? I don't work for LA. See, I can be callous too.

George, YOU SIR, are awesome. I agree on every point. Sadly, I cannot comment on KTLA talent and their comments. I have joined the boycott of KTLA, entirely. ( I do watch the Web based news clips. So, I get to see Eric every couple days and I don't have to put up with the C.R.A.P. Team produced segments) Still, if Mr. Rubin suggested that it is time to raise property taxes, I gotta wonder. How would he feel if he were not one of the highest paid Entertainment reporters on the west coast. I am reminded of my original statement. It seems like alot of Upperclass folks adopt the attitude of "Let them Eat Cake..." (Mr. Rubin. Can you SHIELD your daughter? Don't put her in the public eye. Protect her. That's your job, damn it!)

Eric, the first thing that came to mind when I read your blog were the salaries of the LAPD. Those numbers aren't that far off when you consider the "overtime." Do they deserve it? Well they are out there risking their lives for our protection. On the other hand when misconduct by LAPD ends in a ligation that goes against them, who pays for it? While we as families may do the best to be responsible and live by our means, we don't have the overhead of having to pay out for lawsuits. Oh, wait a second, maybe we do have to pay for their lawsuits through our tax dollars. But we're talking city taxes here. I just heard that 60% of Americans have a net worth of zero or in the negative. While some of us may be balancing our books right it appears the majority are failing. Today on the 9:00 hour I happen to catch a bit and the discussion was whether to use some of the money from the lottery and to not give it all towards schools but to use some for the state budget. Everyone gave good arguments pro and con. Sam (And yes Sam, if you're reading this, here comes that flak you were expecting)says that property taxes need to be raised because inflation merits it (something to that effect). Now we're talking about "county" taxes paying for state responsibilites. Playing devil advocates to Sam's argument - I'm a homeowner on a fixed income, don't tell me inflation hasn't hurt. And if you're talking about "county" taxes paying for state responsibilities, how is it that the Federal government is bailing out homeowners who made the wrong choices in taking variable interest rates instead of fixed ones. Not just homeowners, as Eric said in another blog - A FINANCIAL INSTITUTION. So why should someone who PAID his dues through taking the fixed rate have to bail out the variable ones? Like I said, playing devil advocates here. I know it's for the overall good to help prevent the Gross National Production from drowning. So in closing there are no easy answers. As for my vote regarding the lottery - When I voted for it - it was meant to benefit the schools. Our education program is in trouble already. We need that money for our kids who are our future. They already have a bad start. If you can't budget without stealing the money from kids don't govern.

What happened to the layoffs Villarigosa was considering a few months ago?

Call me old school, but it's unethical to publicize a person's salary without asking permission unless they're an elected official or an executive. TMI!

It’s kinda funny that you wrote about this Eric. I say that because there is a Message Board that addressed the cut in schools and the Lottery. I find it boggling that both our State and Federal Governments “spend beyond their means”. If we ran our households the way our Governments run theirs, we would ALL be bankrupt.

You are absolutely RIGHT. With everything from utilities, food, gas and beyond going up…we have had to cut back. This means things that we want to be able to have…need to be put on hold for a while. Why can’t our government do the same? There is TOO much “Pork Spending” going on!! Why do the PEOPLE have to cut back but those WE put into office feel as if they are “of a different class”? It makes me SICK. I realize there are things that we need, as a State…BUT come on! There are many things that can be put on the back burner until we AS A STATE and GOVERNMENT get our CHECK BOOKS back in balance.

Grrrr, Talk about a “pet peeve”!!

O.K. That's just harsh. Still, it's like "...Let them eat cake..." Mr. Spillman, (Pause for dramatic effect) did you ever consider running for public office?