KTLA News: "Mayor Tom Bradley holds press conference to announce balanced budget" (1974)

[Silence]. [Mayor Tom Bradley] I'm very pleased to say to you that the budget is balanced. And it has not come easily because  as many of you will remember, a year ago there were projections that we would have as much as a fifty or sixty million dollar deficit. And a number of things have happened that have made it possible for this balanced budget to be presented. Starting in July of last year when I took office, I asked the Council to join with me in cutting twelve and a half million dollars from our already adopted budget. The Council cooperated magnificently and cut ten and a half million from that budget. In addition to that I've asked the departments, as they presented their proposed budgets, that they cut back to 95% of their budgets for the prior year. If they had additional add-on items that they thought were high priority they should list them in that sequence and I would then make a judgment as to which would be added. I think that our departments have done well in responding to that request. [Silence]. [Bradley] ...to Councilman Marvin Braude, who is Chairman of the Finance Committee, and Marv I want to tell you that I'm very happy to announce that the goals that I had set last year for a balanced budget, without increasing taxes, is something that we are going to be able to deliver on today. With...pardon me, an unanticipated source of revenue... an increase in revenue this year, and we expect it will   continue into next year, we had not only wiped out that major deficit but we presented what, in my judgment, is a sound, balanced budget that will provide the kind of services that   the people of this community want... deserve...and must have. Now there are a number of items in the budget that we... ...I have taken from the budget the money  for the Human Relations Bureau. I've watched that Bureau over the past year and it  is my judgment that I simply could not justify continuing the expenditure of that $250,000 for the staff. The Commission will be retained because I think there are a number of things  that they can do in helping to identify our problems in Los Angeles City and then providing  a communication link with the County Commission on Human Relations and they will provide that kind of service to the entire City as well as the rest of the County. [Councilmember Marvin Braude] ...projected a $50 million dollar  deficit and I know that it was only through hard work starting nine months ago that this kind of a document could have been delivered by the Mayor. I'm very impressed and I'm going  to look forward to working to review the budget with the Council... we won't agree on everything, I'm sure, but I'm grateful and I think you've done a phenomenal job. Thank you very much, Mr. Mayor. [Bradley] Thank you, Marv. [Bradley] Ladies and gentlemen, we'll take your questions. [Unidentified Reporter] Mayor Bradley, can you tell us where this revenue of $19 million dollars came from? [Bradley] ...selected under civil service procedures and you can't simply go in and and remove the staff and put new staff on. [Unidentified Reporter] So, you're not following a concept? [Unidentified Reporter, cont.] Of dealing with gang problems? Just a failure on the part of people in the department? [Bradley] I think that we have not had the uh...the uh... kind of response from the staff that I thought was needed. Now whether this is uh...some uh... inadequacy on their part in terms of understanding their...their job or simply a lack  of the skills to do it. Uh...you know, I'm not sure. [Unidentified Reporter] Mr. Mayor, do you expect the County Commission will fill that void? [Bradley] Yes. We've had some discussions  with County officials about this and they carried that role and responsibility before   we established our own Bureau and I'm confident that they will continue to perform in the City. [Unidentified Reporter] Mr. Mayor, last July...