We’re bringing up some new ideas in the City of Los Angeles—ones that can make the city a whole lot better for our members and all residents. We want to fix LA and restore neighborhood services to every single community in the city.

Last month, we helped initiate the new Fix LA Coalition, a coalition of community groups, working families, small business owners and faith-based organizations that represent hundreds of thousands of members in the City of Los Angeles.

After a series of collaborative meetings, our new Fix LA Coalition held a kick-off press conference and rally on March 25 in front of the Bank of NY Mellon in downtown Los Angeles. We unveiled a groundbreaking research report, called “No Small Fees: LA Spends More on Wall Street than Our Streets.” It reveals that Wall Street charged Los Angeles $204 million in fees last year, more than it spent on street or sidewalk repairs combined.

We called for action to reduce the high fees and put that money back into neighborhood services, like trimming trees, filling potholes, fixing sidewalks, cleaning parks and clearing alleys. After the rally, Fix LA Coalition members delivered the report to elected officials in City Hall. And let me tell you, people at City Hall sure are talking about it. Our action got covered in the LA Times, English- and Spanish-language TV stations, business papers and on radio outlets across the city.

When I say we’ve got new ideas, I mean it. This is the first time anywhere in the country that Wall Street fees have been compiled for any public entity. We spent months digging for all the Wall Street fees, but we still know that we don’t have it all. The $204 million is just the tip of the iceberg. That’s a raw deal for Angelenos.

As a city worker and President of our union, I was proud to speak at the rally. This is a long-term campaign with a real vision to change things. We’re about ready to go into LA City Budget season and contract negotiations. We’re going to put Fixing LA front and center and we’re going to make sure our community allies always have a seat at the table with us.

As I said at the rally: “We’ve got a big challenge ahead of us. But we can do it. We can take back our city. We can make Wall Street pay their fair share. We can restore city services, rebuild the middle-class and put people back to work. We can make Los Angeles a city that works for everyone.”

Sincerely,
Bob Schoonover
SEIU 721 President and LA City
Heavy Duty Equipment Mechanic