---

 ![](https://www.citywatchla.com/images/stories/Dec-2019/102e.png)

 [ BUDGET ADVOCATES ](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&id=369)

#  All I Want 4 Xmas

December 19 2019

Written by Liz Amsden.

<a class="a2a_button_facebook"></a><a class="a2a_button_twitter"></a><a class="a2a_button_email"></a><a class="a2a_button_print"></a>[](https://www.addtoany.com/share)

NEIGHBORHOOD POLITICS- Let’s talk about getting back-to-the-basics in these days of government-by-for-profit-interests.

It’s usually genies who grant three wishes. But in this season of commercialized gifting, I’d like to rub the Aladdin’s lamp of Los Angeles.

Our Councilmembers have stuffed their view for the City’s future with visionary plans. At times, these are driven by those who fund their campaigns but many with all the best intentions. However, each plan comes with a price tag.

What would it take to thank them for these aspirational ideas but encourage them to give back to those who elected them by *first* providing the back-to-the-basics approach to Angelenos’ most urgent needs, and *then* pursuing ways to further improve our quality of life?

My three wishes to the LA Genie:

- Beg the Council to stop burying our kids in a mountain of debt and pension liabilities.
- Request the Councilmembers rebuild the city’s infrastructure before trying to graft bells and tinsel onto an increasingly shaky foundation.

- Grant all our elected the huevos – uh, that’s Spanish for guts – to break up the current city bureaucracy to find the savings needed to fulfill their existing obligations to the people of Los Angeles.

We’ve all had the experience of overspending, especially when the good times are rolling, to please friends and family or, in this case, supporters, only to have the initial euphoria come crashing down when the bills are due.

Mayor Garcetti and the 15 reindeer: Please stop trying to be everything to all people and just go back to those basics you talk about, first and foremost. And then build prudently and holistically to ensure a good future for our children, all our children.

And to the rest of us – please cease with trying to buy universal goodwill with a plethora of items, too often mass-produced in China, headed all too soon to our over-stuffed landfills.

Instead, let’s look at giving something of ourselves this holiday season through volunteering our time and experience.

*(The Budget Advocates are an elected, all volunteer, independent advisory body charged with making constructive recommendations to the Mayor and the City Council regarding the Budget, and to City Departments on ways to improve their operations, and with obtaining input, updating and educating all Angelenos on the City’s fiscal management.) Prepped for CityWatch by Linda Abrams.*

 [ ![save up to 4000 on used evs](https://www.citywatchla.com/images/LADWP/dwp%20ev%20ad2.png) ](https://www.citywatchla.com/component/banners/click/107 "LA DWP | Save $4K, Green | Priority Ad")

 [ ![Donna Tryfman](https://www.citywatchla.com/images/ADS%20FOR%202026/Donna-Tryfman-Ad-Final-Complete-Border-White-Margin.png) ](https://www.citywatchla.com/component/banners/click/98 "Donna Tryfman - HS1-1")

 [ ![LA DWP #2 (Pay Your Bill Help)](https://www.citywatchla.com/images/LADWP/dwp%20level%20pay%205-7-25.jpg) ](https://www.citywatchla.com/component/banners/click/82 "LA DWP #2 (Pay Your Bill Help)")

 [ ![David DeJute Campaign](https://www.citywatchla.com/images/ADS%20FOR%202026/DejuteAd.png) ](https://www.citywatchla.com/component/banners/click/111 "David DeJute Campaign")

 [ ![Pay Water Bill Help](https://www.citywatchla.com/images/LADWP/dwp%20-%20cares-ad.jpg) ](https://www.citywatchla.com/component/banners/click/97 "Home - LA DWP #2 (Pay Water Bill Help)")

 [ ![Anna Reitano Vertical R. Col](https://www.citywatchla.com/images/ADS%20FOR%202026/reitano%20vertical%20rework.png) ](https://www.citywatchla.com/component/banners/click/112 "Anna Reitano Vertical R. Col")

 ![](https://www.citywatchla.com/images/banners/signup-for-cw.png)

## Get The News In Your Email Inbox Mondays &amp; Thursdays

 Name

 ---

##  Featured CityWatch Stories

 [ ![](https://www.citywatchla.com/media/yootheme/cache/1c/072d-1c016ddf.jpg) ](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33319:when-the-last-minute-power-play-failed-sacramento-finally-ran-out-of-time&catid=375)

### [When the Last-Minute Power Play Failed: Sacramento Finally Ran Out of Time](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33319:when-the-last-minute-power-play-failed-sacramento-finally-ran-out-of-time&catid=375)

MY THOUGHTS - Gavin Newsom came to the final days of his final regular legislative session with one more major problem…

 [ ![](https://www.citywatchla.com/media/yootheme/cache/4d/073e-4dc54bff.jpg) ](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33336:may-day-international-workers-day-a-major-us-holiday-ignored-by-the-media&catid=398)

### [May Day/International Workers Day, a Major US Holiday Ignored By The Media](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33336:may-day-international-workers-day-a-major-us-holiday-ignored-by-the-media&catid=398)

PLANNING WATCH - Monday, September 7, 2026, was Labor Day, a holiday only celebrated in the United States and Canada as…

 [ ![](https://www.citywatchla.com/media/yootheme/cache/4e/072i-4e4914dd.jpg) ](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33314:olympics-la28s-drip-drip-drip-tactics-leave-los-angeles-holding-the-bag&catid=312)

### [Olympics: LA28’s Drip‑Drip‑Drip Tactics Leave Los Angeles Holding the Bag](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33314:olympics-la28s-drip-drip-drip-tactics-leave-los-angeles-holding-the-bag&catid=312)

NICK'S VIEW - Wonderland Los Angeles, a global symbol of dreams, myths, and possibilities, will take center stage at th…

 [ ![](https://www.citywatchla.com/media/yootheme/cache/e7/072b-e7b222d1.jpg) ](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33321:1-billion-later-congress-comes-knocking-los-angeles-homelessness-machine-faces-its-day-of-reckoning&catid=396)

### [$1 Billion Later, Congress Comes Knocking: Los Angeles’ Homelessness Machine Faces Its Day of Reckoning](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33321:1-billion-later-congress-comes-knocking-los-angeles-homelessness-machine-faces-its-day-of-reckoning&catid=396)

THE BOTTOM LINE - For years, Los Angeles taxpayers have been told the same thing about homelessness: Give us more money…

 [ ![](https://www.citywatchla.com/media/yootheme/cache/09/073i-0998df2d.jpg) ](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33330:cd3-doesnt-need-another-promise-it-needs-a-councilmember-who-can-deliver&catid=401)

### [CD3 Doesn’t Need Another Promise It Needs a Councilmember Who Can Deliver](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33330:cd3-doesnt-need-another-promise-it-needs-a-councilmember-who-can-deliver&catid=401)

THE BOTTOM LINE - Los Angeles voters have heard the promises before: safer streets, cleaner neighborhoods, more housing…

---

##  [ BUDGET ADVOCATES ](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&id=369)

 [ ![](https://www.citywatchla.com/images/stories/June-2025/046p.jpg) ](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=30989:city-budget-advocates-respond-to-las-2025-2026-budget-approval&catid=369)### [City Budget Advocates Respond to LA’s 2025–2026 Budget Approval](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=30989:city-budget-advocates-respond-to-las-2025-2026-budget-approval&catid=369)

 [ ![](https://www.citywatchla.com/images/stories/June-2022/047p.jpg) ](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=24815:what-do-your-tax-dollars-buy-you&catid=369)### [What Do Your Tax Dollars Buy You?](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=24815:what-do-your-tax-dollars-buy-you&catid=369)

 [ ![](https://www.citywatchla.com/images/stories/May-2022/042z.jpg) ](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=24691:budget-day-you-are-invited&catid=369)### [Budget Day: You Are Invited!](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=24691:budget-day-you-are-invited&catid=369)

 [ ![](https://www.citywatchla.com/images/stories/June-2021/046e.png) ](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=21855:cho-stands-for-city-health-officer&catid=369)### [CHO Stands for City Health Officer](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=21855:cho-stands-for-city-health-officer&catid=369)

 [ ![](https://www.citywatchla.com/images/stories/May-2021/042f.png) ](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=21821:spot-zoning-in-los-angeles-initial-approval-is-only-the-tip-of-the-cost-iceberg-for-angelenos&catid=369)### [Spot Zoning in Los Angeles: Initial approval is Only the Tip of the Cost Iceberg for Angelenos](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=21821:spot-zoning-in-los-angeles-initial-approval-is-only-the-tip-of-the-cost-iceberg-for-angelenos&catid=369)
<div data-id="1" 
	class="eb-inst eb-hide eb-emailform eb-1 eboxContentLocker"
	data-options='{"trigger":"onPageLoad","trigger_selector":"","delay":3000,"early_trigger":true,"scroll_depth":"percentage","scroll_depth_value":80,"firing_frequency":1,"reverse_scroll_close":true,"threshold":0,"close_out_viewport":false,"exit_timer":1000,"idle_time":10000,"close_on_esc":false,"animation_open":"slideInDown","animation_close":"fadeOutDown","animation_duration":400,"disable_page_scroll":true,"test_mode":false,"debug":false,"ga_tracking":true,"ga_tracking_id":"G-P16BQ7X1SW","ga_tracking_event_category":"EngageBox","ga_tracking_event_label":"Box #1 - Global Email Signup Form","auto_focus":false}'
	data-type='popup'
	>

	<button type="button" data-ebox-cmd="close" class="eb-close placement-outside" aria-label="Close">
	<img alt="close popup button" />
	<span aria-hidden="true">&times;</span>
</button>
	<div class="eb-dialog eb-formVer" role="dialog" aria-modal="true" id="dialog1" aria-label="dialog1">
		
		<button type="button" data-ebox-cmd="close" class="eb-close placement-inside" aria-label="Close">
	<img alt="close popup button" />
	<span aria-hidden="true">&times;</span>
</button>	
		<div class="eb-container">
						<div class="eb-content">
				
<form action="https://citywatchla.us2.list-manage.com/subscribe/post?u=34d69f33624fd058ee9b56516&amp;id=4bfa422f51&amp;f_id=00d6c2e1f0" class="eb" method="post" id="mcform-1" name="mcform-1" target="_blank">
			<div class="eb-form-header"><p><img src="/images/2023/06/be-a-city-watcher.png" alt="be a city watcher" width="350" height="97" loading="lazy" data-path="local-images:/2023/06/be-a-city-watcher.png"></p>
<p>Sign up to receive our special e-news blasts on Monday and Thursday evenings!</p></div>
	
					<div class="eb-field-row">

			
			
			
			<input class="eb-input" type="email" name="EMAIL"  placeholder="Email address"  id="EMAIL" value="" required>

			
		</div>
										
	<div class="eb-footer">
    	<button class="eb-btn" type="submit" name="subscribe" style="background-color:rgba(93, 183, 93, 1);color:rgba(255, 255, 255, 1)">
    		Sign up    	</button>
    </div>
</form>			</div>
		</div>
	</div>	
</div>
<div data-id="3" 
	class="eb-inst eb-hide eb-yesno eb-3 "
	data-options='{"trigger":"onScrollDepth","trigger_selector":"","delay":0,"early_trigger":false,"scroll_depth":"percentage","scroll_depth_value":80,"firing_frequency":2,"reverse_scroll_close":false,"threshold":0,"close_out_viewport":false,"exit_timer":1000,"idle_time":1000,"close_on_esc":false,"animation_open":"fadeInUp","animation_close":"fadeOut","animation_duration":300,"disable_page_scroll":false,"test_mode":false,"debug":false,"ga_tracking":true,"ga_tracking_id":"G-P16BQ7X1SW","ga_tracking_event_category":"EngageBox","ga_tracking_event_label":"Box #3 - Yes \/ No Donation Popup Box","auto_focus":false}'
	data-type='popup'
	>

	<button type="button" data-ebox-cmd="close" class="eb-close placement-outside" aria-label="Close">
	<img alt="close popup button" />
	<span aria-hidden="true">&times;</span>
</button>
	<div class="eb-dialog " role="dialog" aria-modal="true" id="dialog3" aria-label="dialog3">
		
		<button type="button" data-ebox-cmd="close" class="eb-close placement-inside" aria-label="Close">
	<img alt="close popup button" />
	<span aria-hidden="true">&times;</span>
</button>	
		<div class="eb-container">
						<div class="eb-content">
				
<div class="ebox-yes-no">
	<div class="ebox-yn-text">
		
		
		<div class="ebox-yn-headline" style="font-size:22px;color:#888888">
			<p>If you only give once a month, would you consider giving to CityWatch?</p>
<p>Your support fuels our mission to promote and facilitate civic engagement and neighborhood empowerment, and to hold area government and its politicians accountable.</p>
<p>Would you like to help? Even if you can only give $5, it will make a difference.</p>		</div>
			</div>
	
	<div class="ebox-ys-buttons" style="font-size: 16px;">
		
<a
					data-ebox-prevent="0"
		data-ebox-cmd="close"
				target="_self"
		href="https://www.citywatchla.com/donate"
		rel="noopener"
	
	
	
	
	class="ebox-ys-btn"
	style="background-color:#2ec664;color:#ffffff;min-width:100px">
	Yes
	</a>
<a
	
	
			data-ebox-cmd="close"
		href="#"
	
	
	class="ebox-ys-btn"
	style="background-color:#ef2345;color:#ffffff;min-width:100px">
	Not Right Now
	</a>	</div>

	</div>			</div>
		</div>
	</div>	
</div>