Candidates for mayor of Los Angeles take aim at business taxes

[alp227]

Source: Reuters

Leading candidates for mayor of Los Angeles are trumpeting the need to reduce business taxes to grow the city's economy, even as the nation's second-largest metropolis scrounges for new revenue to plug a budget hole set to top $1 billion over the next four years.

A non-partisan primary will be held on Tuesday, and if no candidate secures a majority, the top two will advance to a May runoff to decide who will replace Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. One of the nation's most high-profile Latino politicians, Villaraigosa has held the office for eight years and cannot run for re-election due to term limits.

A recent independent poll shows that two Democratic elected officials from inside City Hall, Wendy Greuel and Eric Garcetti, and conservative talk-show host Kevin James are the top three contenders for the post.

Greuel and Garcetti have at times borrowed a theme promoted by Republican candidates at the national level by calling for a reduction in business taxes to promote economic growth and increase city revenues. James, the only Republican among the top candidates, has taken a similar position.

Read more: http://reuters.com/article/idUSBRE92104320130302

[Cleita]

1. That's not the solution LA needs.

However, the office of the mayor has little power in governing anyway so it's mostly hot air.

[L0oniX]

2. Assholes! Yea ...reduce business taxes so the sociopath CEO's can pile up more money.

Reduction in business taxes does NOT promote economic growth. That's a fucking Reagan trickle piss down the leg lie. Want to increase tax revenue? ...then create some fucking jobs. Stupid fuckers!

Example: Wallmart gets tax breaks and subsidies to build a super centre and then the workers all have to get food stamps to survive ...of course at the cost to the tax payers ....who are getting screwed hard from both ends. 1 Wallmart job eliminates 1.4 other jobs in every community it plants itself.

This shit is about the fucking city officials getting more future campaign funds from the economic vampires that are taking over our cities, states and federal government.

[allinthegame]

3. LA has a history

Of awful mayors with bad ideas....these two, shall pass

[LiberalFighter]

4. Do they even bother to confirm the reduction of business taxes will work?

[harmonicon]

6. Of course not.

It's because they either have no interest in knowing the truth or simply know that it's a lie. It's the same crap conservatives have been peddling for I don't know how long... at least 100 years.

[OffWithTheirHeads]

5. Welcome to the new Detroit.

[Ken Burch]

7. How inspiring...three right-wing candidates for LA.

What part of "cutting business taxes means cutting services down to nothing" do Garcetti and Greuel not get.

Or do they buy into the "we can do more with less" canard?

God help Los Angeles. If He won't, a municipal revolution will be needed.

[Selatius]

8. It seems the rich in Los Angeles have a virtual monopoly on the mayoral candidate race.

For a seat such as the mayor of Los Angeles, I'm sure you could find many wealthy individuals with right wing ideas to run.

I'm sure there are plenty of working class and working poor people who would also make great candidates for office. It's just that they don't have hundreds of thousands or perhaps millions of dollars necessary to run a full-bore campaign. Many of these candidates also are likely to advocate more left wing/egalitarian economic policies as well.

[KamaAina]

9. Two DINOs and a repuke.

Even Villaraigosa hasn't been that progressive; for instance, he's taken the bait on ed deform. Why can't a place as true Blue as L.A. come up with a decent progressive candidate?

[apocalypsehow]

10. That's interesting info. It would seem like a very Blue city like L.A. would have all progressives

or very liberal candidates running.