LOS ANGELES - The City of Los Angeles just launched a new online portal that will help maximize the value of city property, and more efficiently provide options for affordable housing, homeless service facilities and other priorities. The comprehensive, searchable property database will enable staff to manage city property more effectively, and allow the public to track the development of community assets, like police and fire stations, libraries and public parks. The portal is available at lacity.org/property.

LOS ANGELES - At this week's Budget and Finance Committee hearing, members discussed an initial report on how the White House's proposed budget, as well as its threats on immigration, could impact the city's coffers. Councilmember Krekorian, who chairs the committee, authored the motion calling for the report with the aim of clarifying the degree of danger the city faces if Congress approves massive federal budget cuts.

This week, we marked the beginning of a new fiscal year in the City of Los Angeles with a new City Council and a renewed vision to serve the people. We celebrated the many historic achievements in recent years, including better wages for Angelenos, getting on a path toward clean energy, leading the way in the region's transit revolution, making it easier to do business in LA and investing in our sidewalks.

LOS ANGELES - Councilmember Krekorian joined Mayor Garcetti at the signing of LA's fiscal year 2017-2018 budget. The $9.2 billion spending plan builds on the city's ongoing work to restore community services, fix streets and sidewalks, prioritize housing and services to resolve homelessness issues, and improve public safety through safer roads. 

Budget season in Los Angeles is in full swing. As the Budget and Finance Committee makes its final recommendations to the City Council this week about LA's $9.2 million budget, Metro has also begun deliberating on the agency's fiscal year 2018 $6.1 billion expenditure plan. The budget is a statement of the agency's priorities and reflects the will of riders and voters, who approved Measure M in November 2016.

This week, I joined my colleagues at the annual State of the City address by Mayor Eric Garcetti, where he also discussed his fiscal year 2017-2018 budget proposal. 

In the coming weeks, I will once again lead the Budget and Finance Committee in deliberations on the budget. This intense three week process will help shape our city's priorities and set the path for our future as a safer, more prosperous, sustainable, livable and well-run city. 

LOS ANGELES - Councilmember Krekorian recently introduced a motion to tackle the high cost of police overtime as a result of court appearances for traffic citation cases. 

LOS ANGELES - Earlier this week, Councilmembers Paul Koretz and Paul Krekorian introduced a motion calling on the City of Los Angeles to consider enacting a sales tax on firearm and ammunition sales. The motion requests a report from city staff on the feasibility of enacting a sales tax and suggests that the money collected could be used to fund gun violence prevention research and programs throughout the city.

LOS ANGELES - The City Council created a new committee to discuss LA's bid for the 2024 Olympics. Councilmember Krekorian, who chairs the city's Budget and Finance Committee, was appointed to the Ad Hoc Committee on the 2024 Summer Olympics.

As the chair of the City Council's Budget and Finance Committee, Councilmember Krekorian oversees the $9.2 billion city budget. He has been a fiscal watchdog for the city and is responsible for reforming LA's finances and putting the city on a path to economic recovery. 

When Councilmember Krekorian took office in 2010, the projected deficit for the year was more than $1 billion. Over the next years, Krekorian helped the city reduce costs by more than $800 million, nearly eliminating the entire structural deficit. Under his leadership, the city established the highest reserve fund in decades.

Krekorian has also made improvements to the budget that benefit our neighborhoods by investing in infrastructure, public safety and people. He has restored needed funds to the Los Angeles Fire Dept., improved library hours, and directed funding toward sidewalk repair, tree trimming, graffiti abatement, neighborhood beautification projects, cleaning up illegally dumped items, and senior and student programs at our city's parks.