Is Parks’ Representation Worth The $2.3 Million Paid Over The Next Four Years?
February 11, 2011 by Staff
Filed under News, Weekly Columns
(Akiit.com) The whole issue of the poor representation for the poorest council district in the City of Los Angeles is never more in evidence than when you look at the disparities between the quality of life between the people and their city council representation.
Particularly, pay inequity between Bernard Parks, his son (Junior) and the people who live in the 8th district. Before I lay it out for you, I must tell you that the Parks are not happy with the “love” they’ve received from my column. I saw them recently and they all came rolling up on me, whining about the last column I wrote.
It was like a fairy tale, Goldielocks and the Three Bears. Except it was the three Parks, and I was Rastalocks. First came Baby Parks, telling me how my column was chickensh*t. Given how I was writing about chickensh*t representation, I’m surprised got that. Obviously, Baby Parks wants to be on his daddy’s stage, wants to be part of the show. He just became part of the show. We’ll drop him into this column along side his double dipping daddy (more on that in a minute).
Then there was Momma Parks, who rolled up talking about I lied on her. She claimed never met or ever talked to Forescee (www.Forescee.com) and challenged me to write that in my column. Well, there it is, Momma Parks. Even though I fact-checked it and Forescee said she’s met you and talked to you a few times. So, WHOOP! There is it. Who do you think I’m going to believe? Then there was old, gruff Daddy Parks, stating a far claiming, “It’s gonna be like it was before,” meaning the outcome of the election. The problem with the civil rights generation is they tend to get stick in a time warp. Shhh…don’t wake him up.
Let’s wake him up March 9th and tell him happened the night before. So, I’m jus sayin’, I got nothing but “love” for them Parks, until election day, or what we are calling “Good Riddance to Bernard Parks” Day. Now, back to the lecture at hand…
Over the next four years, the city of Los Angeles stands to pay both Bernard Parks $2.3 million to continue to misrepresent the residents of the 8th district. Let me help you understand why that’s a problem. According to an economic report released last October (Los Angeles City Council Districts: 2010 Economic Report), the average annual wage of a person living in the 8th District is $38,808. Councilman Bernard Parks makes $178,000 (and some change) while he collects a retirement pension from the city of Los Angeles of $265,000. So, Daddy Parks bites the city taxpayers for $444,000 a year, or $37,000 A MONTH. Almost as much as his average constituent makes A YEAR. Bernard Parks, Jr. is his father’s “Chief of Staff.” Now, the City of Los Angeles has laws against hiring direct relatives, and by everybody accounts, Daddy Parks is breaking the law. He’s also his father’s campaign spokesperson, very blurred line because staffers are not allowed to work on campaigns during city time.
He takes (and makes) press calls during the day about his father’s re-election campaign. So when does he work for the city? In the middle of the night? Another violation of the law. But now get this…thanks to City Controller Wendy Gruel’s transparency initiative, all of your city worker’s salaries are on-line. Daddy Parks has three persons on staff who make over $109,000. The highest staff salary is $154,846. The middle salary is $128,746. Stands to reason that nobody in the office makes more than the Chief of Staff, but let’s go with the middle salary (just to show I’m not trying to be chickensh*t). That means the City will pay Junior $514,984 over the next four years. For what?
Most people can’t tell what he does now (besides bump into the back of his Dad every time he stops). And who else in the city would hire Baby Parks for a similarly paid position in any other department? You know that answer. When you throw-in Baby Parks (and believe me, he is a “throw-in”), the city taxpayers are paying the Parks $2,290,984 for the next four years, or $47,728 A MONTH to do what for the residents of the 8th District. Nearly nothing. If I’m gonna pay someone $2.3 million dollars for the next four years, nearly $50,000 A MONTH, I wanna know what I’m getting. The constituents of the 8th District know what they’re getting, based on eight years of knowing what they’ve got. And it ain’t worth nearly $50,000 a month to get more of the same. That’s why this election is so important. Them boys over there just collecting checks, and district is suffering.
The Parks campaign insists on calling people “puppets” because they support or have the support of working people. Parks is the puppet for big business, liquor stores (his biggest donor) and apartment owners (should I throw in the Republicans too, or would that be considered chickensh*t?). They bend him over every which way they can and the residents of the 8th get nothing in return except representation working against their interest. Oh yeah, and they get a Christmas tree lighting…and I can’t forget the proclamations.
The 8th District has the best “proclamation giver” on the council. He gives em to everybody, like business cards. Even people who don’t want em. Hell, I got five Parks proclamations and we don’t even like each other. There’s one at the bottom of my daughter’s kitty litter box right now. Sorry…yet I digress…the point is the residents of the 8th get little for $50,000 a month. But they deserve much more. They’ve been getting nothing for so long, the Parks (who really do think they own South L.A.) can tell them, “Re-elect me-I’ma give you some more of nothing.” And that’s supposed to be alright. I call the Parks’ re-election effort, a multi-million dollar heist. The targeted victims; The residents of the 8th and the City of Los Angeles. Question is, do they get away with it?
The 8th District has more city employed workers than any other district in the city. With the highest unemployment rate in the city, the 8th district needs representation that can empathize with the furloughs and the pay cuts and the layoffs. Not exploit them. This whole notion that Bernie Parks is the city budget’s only watchdog is bullsh*t. Not when he’s not watching the budget in his own office, and double dipping all the while. How do you take seriously someone who wants to cut everybody’s pension but his own?
That’s right…you don’t. Not when both Parks have refused to take pay cuts to share in their constituents’ pain. Instead, you ask yourself the question if you’re an 8th District voter, “Am I getting $50,000 a month value out of the leadership (the) Parks provide in this district?” That’s an easy one to answer. It will be another $2.3 million if he gets another four years, and if the next four are anything like the last eights-the ones who’s quality of life will change is the Parks. Daddy Parks…Momma Parks…and even that ding dong of Nitwit, Baby Parks will come up on the city taxpayers’ dime. No…that’s NOT alright.
The 8th District can’t afford another four years of Bernard Parks, and neither can the city of Los Angeles.
Written By Anthony Asadullah Samad