Some Los Angeles City Council members didn\u2019t appreciate the tone of the audit released Wednesday by their former colleague, City Controller Wendy Greuel.<\/p>\n
The morning after Greuel called on them to give up some of the money in their council-controlled accounts so it could be used to help rebuild budget reserves, multiple copies of a document detailing some of Greuel\u2019s own discretionary spending while she represented the San Fernando Valley mysteriously appeared on a table in the council chamber. <\/p>\n
Greuel\u2019s audit<\/a> showed that $25 million had flowed into the accounts over the last 12 years from fees and the sale of city properties — though only $10.7 million is still available. Half of the money from most city property sales historically has been deposited in the discretionary account of the council district where the property was located. The controller called on members to permanently change the city\u2019s policy to ensure that 100% of the money gets deposited in the general fund, which pays for basic services like police. That fund is currently $212 million short.<\/p>\n But even one of the council\u2019s fiscal hawks, budget chairman Bernard C. Parks, said\u00a0Greuel’s policy change proposal didn\u2019t make sense because it would prevent council members from taking immediate action on safety issues. <\/p>\n \u201cWhat does a council office do if they have a burning problem of fixing a stoplight so that they don\u2019t have a child killed?\u201d Parks said in an interview Wednesday. \u201cDo you tell a parent in the community: \u2018We know this is an unsafe crosswalk, but you\u2019re on the list for eight years.\u2019\u201d\u00a0 <\/p>\n "I don\u2019t think\u00a0[Greuel] was ever reluctant in using them while she was in office," Parks\u00a0said. \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n