KTLA News: "Councilman Tom Bradley speaks out against Mayor Sam Yorty's proposed spending" (1972)

[Tom Bradley:] There are some who already suggest that city officials don't know how to spend that money, therefore shouldn't get it. I don't want to prove that statement true, by supporting this, I think, almost idiotic suggestion that we spend all of that money in the fashion the Mayor suggested. [Reporter:] Mr. Bradley, do you agree with the Mayor that the 15 million should be allocated toward budget deficit? [Bradley:] Unquestionably. That's a deficit that we have to meet, and the only way we can meet it is either through levying taxes, which he has suggested and urged for the past several months, or through this revenue sharing. We thought we would get this money, and I think that budget deficit should be wiped out. The Mayor, a few days ago, has recommended to the City Council that the 44 million dollars that we expect to get from revenue sharing should be spent, one, to wipe out a 15 million dollar deficit, and secondly, to spend about 28 million dollars to build a Plaza Technical Center near City Hall. After we have struggled for over 10 years to get adequate federal funding through revenue sharing, I think it's a grotesque distortion of priorities to suggest that we ought to spend money in this way. I see very critical needs, immediate needs in our community that ought to be dealt with, instead of building some monument to the Mayor or anybody else. For example, I see that we need to expand our mini-bus system. We could provide a more flexible transportation system for many who need it, in addition to the Civic Center plan. We need to, for example, provide funds for our Consumer Affairs Bureau, which has been one of the most successful in the country. But it needs to be expanded. As a matter of fact, there is even some threat that the money we're now getting to fund it could be cut off. We need to provide for long-term employment by many people whom we promise to hire through the Emergency Employment Plan. When the federal government provided the money, they said, "You have to put these people on regular city payroll, at least 50% of them." We have no provisions for that. We need a Housing Coordinator and a Housing Program in our city, to begin now - to develop a policy and a plan to build housing for this community. We need that funding. The Fire Department and the Police Department need helicopters right now. One, to replace some that they are now using. And with regard to the Fire Department, to expand their fleet to give them a greater flexibility and capability to deal with the many fires that we are having in our city, and in particular, those large brush fires. There is a need, for example, to develop an economic development program for this city that ties in with the entire county region. These are just some of the priority issues, as I see them, that are not being dealt with in this recommendation. And I am introducing a motion to the City Council that would call for us to set those priorities, and to spend that money properly. Otherwise, I'm afraid... [Bradley, almost inaudible:] ...revenue sharing programs that, as the money is funneled down from Washington, to states and municipalities, there are going to be drain offs at various points. [Bradley:] Because we are the governing body that makes that final decision as to these expenditures. Now, in... [Reporter:] In anticipation of this money, have any studies been made as to its allocation? [Bradley:] The City Administrative Officer was asked to take a look at the possibilities for the expenditure, but beyond that study, nothing else has been done. And I think that that's a critical need. We've got a plan for the use of money of this size, and I think that, a very serious plan must be developed before we can begin to say that it ought to be spent on any one of several dozen projects. [Reporter:] Do you agree with the recommendations that have been presented to you? [Bradley:] No, because the recommendation, the only one we have, is this expenditure for the 28 million dollars on the Plaza Technical Center. [Reporter:] What do you suggest it then...?