Statement by SEIU 721 President Bob Schoonover on Los Angeles County Budget for Fiscal Year 2018-2019

 

‘We Intend to Fight Hard for a Better Deal’ Schoonover Says, adding that Proposed Budget Falls Far Short of Keeping Up with Cost of Living in Los Angeles Especially Given Skyrocketing Housing Costs

 

LOS ANGELES—SEIU 721 President Bob Schoonover released the following statement today in reaction to the Los Angeles County budget for Fiscal Year 2018-2019.

“The wealth of services enjoyed by more than 10 million Los Angeles County residents are made possible by the men and women of Los Angeles County’s workforce. It doesn’t matter where you live, who you are, or what you do: Our workforce impacts your life. We maintain the streets you drive on every day to go to work, and we maintain the beaches and bike paths you enjoy on your days off. Our law enforcement workforce keeps LA County’s neighborhoods safe, while our social services members protect LA County’s most vulnerable children and families. Our water reclamation team treats 165 million gallons of recycled water per day, which is enough to fill the Rose Bowl twice every three days. We are the backbone of LA County – and the LA County budget should respect this fact. Currently, it does not.

“We take care of Los Angeles County, but the proposed budget shortchanges us and the communities we serve. It is not too much to ask that the men and women who comprise Los Angeles County’s workforce can afford to live here. Under the proposed LA County budget, this scenario is in doubt. Over the next three years, housing costs alone are projected to rise by almost 18 percent. If current trends continue, consumer prices in the Los Angeles area will rise more than ten percent over the next three years. Yet the currently proposed Los Angeles County budget offers the average county worker a compensation increase of just five percent over that same time period, falling far short of keeping up with the skyrocketing cost of living in Los Angeles. It’s unacceptable and we intend to fight hard for a better deal.”

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Contact:

Mike Long, SEIU Local 721, (213) 304-9777

Roxane Marquez, SEIU Local 721, (213) 705-1078

 

 

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