As Disraeli said, “There are three kinds of lies; lies, damn lies and statistics.”
Even so, “Public Safety” received 25% of the buttons and “Neighborhood, Community and Library Services” received 22%. “Administrative and Government Services” only earned 5.5%. It was clear that residents did not give priority to large infrastructure projects and bloated staff salaries.
These results were amplified by the results of a comprehensive survey published by Council member Lydia Kou asking questions on specific areas of services. With over 640 responses, residents voted 4:1 against cuts in fire and police services, but 13:1 to cut consultants and 10:1 to cut staff salaries. They voted 4:1 to maintain rigorous planning department design review and code enforcement. And they voted as high as 4:1 against every infrastructure project except the animal shelter. You can see all the results and vote at http://lydiakou.com.
So why are staff and the majority of City Council not listening to the residents?
