Good evening #LosAngeles,

Let’s discuss budget creep.

Personally, I don’t think moore and villanueva deserve a cent.

But your conservative grandpa might disagree. Let’s give him a sense of scale, and check out how bloated cops have gotten since 2013.

2013-2014 was the safest time on record for Los Angeles.

So what were we needing to “equip” the cops back then?

But boy howdy,

Look how @MayorOfLA’s cop spending has grown.

Crime isn’t going anywhere significant, but I guess we need 135% more ammo... for?

Protesters, oh yes. For shooting #blacklivesmatter protesters.

Thanks @ericgarcetti! Here’s to all the gas!

But screw the guns. Guns don’t feed families—what about the pay?

Well, back when things were safer, this is what we spent to employ roughly the same number of cops.

But here’s post @MayorOfLA!

Wow! While most of us have been taking pay cuts and going on unemployment, their salary spending went up 31%!

And they got a 14% ABOVE inflation raise!

That’s a $124,901 average, while the median LA income is $62,474!

Cops make double what we do!

So, what would it look like to restore the spending to the level of the SAFEST years in LA?

A 20.6% haircut.

That’s not even close to what we need to do to #DefundThePolice, but check out what it does anyway.

Boy! That’s a big number. Why don’t we visit a few things we could to by simply reversing the cops’ budget bloat.

Given 31% of renters in LA couldn’t make rent, what would the cops return to them if they stopped stealing their money?

$902.40 each.

Is how much moore has stolen from you to give the cops raises—and they could give that back to you yearly.

I bet you could use that right now.

But what about the share of businesses expected to be in crisis in LA?

The ones that supply 29% of our incomes?

Good news. If the cops gave back their raises, the cops could cut every one of those businesses a check for $5,332.40. Each year.

And heck: how many homeless could be housed with that budget raise they gave themselves? With no crime impact?

How many homeless could we house a year, just by returning to 2013 levels?

50,736 people. On the streets. A year.

So the cops can make twice what you do.

But what would they ever do if they lost that money?

Well, don’t sweat it. They’ll still be fine.

Anyhow. Back to infrastructure tomorrow. Two unexpected speaking engagements today.

Sleep tight, #LosAngeles:

You’re only being robbed.

Go fucking hog with these.

And today, let’s bug the media about this, today, too. Remember to share with grandpa.

@KPCC @kcrw @latimes @NPRWest @LAist @LATACO @KTLA @TheAdvocateMag @Univision34LA @KPFK @ABC7

Yes, we’re aware the word “Surplus” has two s’s in the slides. No, that’s not really what we’re worried about at this particular moment.