Mayor's trip called into question

Why is the mayor of Los Angeles spending $500,000 to go to Asia when the money is needed for police officers, healthcare and education? With money so needed for police, the city tried to pass a bond issue during an election to hire police and lost the bond issue.

Where did the money for this trip come from? Why is there suddenly money for a 10-day trip to set up an L.A. business venture and tourism project, but hospital emergency rooms are closing? The Memorial Hospital just announced the closure of its ER due to the highest number of uninsured and indigent people coming into the ER. The King Drew Hospital needs money, and the homeless at the Downtown Mission and the skid row area need housing. Five hundred thousand dollars would help house the people sleeping on the sidewalk.

Yes, we need to improve our business with the Chinese, but conferences with theater screens and our local university networks would be a cheaper and faster way to accomplish this goal. I thought that being mayor meant helping the police, fire, hospitals and education system as well as the Metro, airports and Port of Los Angeles.

Using the telephone and computer is cheaper and will open up $500,000 toward solving crimes and making L.A. safer. Police Chief Bratton would love the money to educate and provide benefits to more officers on the day shift and night shift working the streets of L.A.
Matthew J. Rush
Agoura Hills