Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa co-hosted a party at the official mayoral residence on March 4th to honor Oscar nominees--but Hollywood stars weren't the only LA residents to make an appearance on the Red Carpet.
As the Mayor greeted Hollywood celebrities at his pre-Oscars party, it was SEIU Local 721 engineers, librarians, chemists, street workers and animal service employees who stole the spotlight. More than 75 LA City workers took part in the mock red carpet event honoring the best in City services, to illuminate the impact that 4,000 layoffs and drastic service cuts will have on the entertainment industry.
Mayor Villaraigosa recently referred to the entertainment industry as the "lifeblood" of Los Angeles. The irony of that statement (and his lavish gala) in the wake of his proposed pay cuts--or possibly, mass lay-offs--is not lost on us....or Tinsletown blogger Perez Hilton, for that matter:
[...] Mista Mayor was hosting a pre-Oscars party for nominees at his home, where we're fairly sure he didn't ask a single soul if they would be willing to take a pay cut out of their celebrity paychecks to help the state.
Celebrities are the public faces of the Hollywood film industry, and it's undeniable that entertainment brings a lot to the city. But what about the middle class working people behind the cameras and curtains whose services keep Tinseltown running? Without LA City workers, the silver screen might not shine so bright.
Instead of slashing public services, real solutions to solve CA's budget deficit could include collecting millions in uncollected debt owed to the City, implementing 10% fee cuts to privatized contracts, and cutting costly outsourced service contracts that city workers can do for much less. Click here to view a photo gallery.
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