Inglewood Mayor addresses city's pension crisis

The opening of the multi-billion dollar NFL stadium is months away and this week’s regular city council agenda seeks to establish a park and ride facility on the Hollywood Park campus.

Griffith and Company will embark on building much needed parking, near the intersection of Prairie and Arbor Vitae, that includes: 161 parking spaces, EV charging stations, bus terminals and commercial driveways. The city has received a grant from LA County Metro (MTA) which will cover 80% of the costs with the city mandated to provide the additional 20%.

The staff report originates from the Public Works (PW) department but it is unclear as to why is signing the report on behalf of PW Director Luis Atwell.

This project was originally approved during a special council meeting in late December 2019, which has been amended from its original approval.

The city attorney’s office is seeking to award Meyers Nave Riback Silver & Wilson an additional $500,000 contract for legal fees related to eminent domain and inverse condemnation.

2UrbanGirls previously reported on a claim submitted to the city by the Erwin Rautenberg Foundation related to the installment of jumbo-tron screens along their property on LaCienega near Arbor Vitae. The foundation is alleging the installation has reduced the valuation of their property.

The city’s Economic and Community Development department is requesting a Public Hearing related to a convenience store requesting to sell beer and wine. The store located at 400 W. Manchester Blvd, and formerly known as Big G Liquor, submitted their appeal after public testimony delivered at the Planning Commission meeting held on December 4th, found their special use permit (SUP) application denied.

A detailed staff report was not included with the public hearing request, however, the report states more documents will be made available during the newly scheduled public hearing for the 25th of this month.

Finally, the city’s warrant register shows a decrease in payroll deductions paid to BMG Money, Inc. BMG provides payday loans to city of Inglewood employees at a rate of 24.99%.

The decrease indicates employees are paying off their debt while simultaneously receiving citywide emails, from Mayor James Butts, discussing the city of Covington, KY, threats to “lay off staff or cut services” due to pension payment costs.

Related: City manager: Covington may “have to lay off people or cut services” over pension payments

This email to staff is most likely in response to last week’s city council meeting where City Treasurer Wanda Brown alluded to a report by Sen. John Moorlach that detailed the city’s debt management related to pension costs. The report stated the city wouldn’t be able to meet its pension payments and perhaps Mayor Butts is giving city employees a glimpse of harsh realities of what could come.

Before Butts’ election, in 2011, the city council, which included Brown and Council members Eloy Morales and Ralph Franklin, famously declared the city to be in a fiscal emergency, which laid off staff and reduced city services which closed a fire station and put city hall employees on furlough.
The mayor continues to tout the NFL stadium and planned NBA arena as a savior to the city’s financial woes.

Maybe there simply won’t be enough revenue to payback infrastructure costs to the stadium developers, keep the city afloat and pay its pensioners.

View last week’s city council meeting, where at the 27:00 mark, Mayor Butts discusses the city’s unfunded pension liability which is $450 million dollars.