Los Angeles: Home of the $5 Cup of Coffee, $2 Million Job

Los Angeles City Controller Wendy Greuel audits ARRA stimulus spending by two important city agencies and finds that the American people have spent $111,450,000 to retain or create a mere 54 jobs in La La Land.

The Controller's reports on the L.A. Departments of Transportation [pdf] and Public Works [pdf] breaks it down as follows:

Out of the city's total $549,000,000 ARRA award, the LADOT received $40,800,000, which it has so far used to create or retain nine jobs.

The DPW did considerably better with its $70,650,000, retaining or creating a suspiciously precise 45.46 jobs. Of those all but 6.89 were public sector jobs retained. Less than one job was actually created.

Greuel's report contains many variants on a phrase familiar from previous reports on ARRA spending: "The Department's processes need to be strengthened to ensure transparent, accurate and segregated tracking of ARRA funds and related expenditures." In one section, Greuel notes that the LADOT's record-keeping is so poor that the department may have undercounted some jobs. So don't be surprised if the department's crusade to install new left-turn signals ends up creating as many as ten jobs.

Courtesy of Charlotte Laws.