Finance

LA City Council sends back financial report on cost of safe streets measure

Published

2 years ago

February 18, 2024

LA City Council sends back financial report on cost of safe streets measure

LOS ANGELES (CNS) — The City Council Friday asked its staff to perform further financial analysis of how the passage of a street safety measure on the March ballot would impact the municipal budget and existing programs that do similar work.

Matt Szabo, the city’s administrative officer, provided the council with an updated report on the implementation costs related to the Healthy Streets LA ballot measure, a resident-led initiative that would require the city to install street modifications described in its Mobility Plan 2035 whenever street improvements are made to at least one-eighth of a mile of roadway.

The Mobility Plan 2035, a 20-year city planning document for improving L.A. streets and promoting other modes of transportation such as walking, biking, or other transit options, was adopted by the City Council nine years ago. But since then, the city has only implemented 5% of the plan — with some staff from the Department of Transportation calling it “aspirational.”

According to Szabo, Measure HLA would cost the city $3.1 billion over 10 years, which is an additional $600 million from his original estimate in November 2023. He noted that, if approved by voters, the measure would become effective roughly five weeks after the election.

The report came before the council as a “note and file,” meaning it required no real action from the council. But several city council members criticized the report for not providing an accurate financial analysis and failing to provide a complete picture of what Measure HLA means for the city.

“I have some real concerns about some of the multipliers we’re using in terms of the costs,” said Councilman Bob Blumenfield, who chairs the council’s Budget, Finance and Innovation Committee.

He added, “I feel like I need to mention that when you talk about multiplier, you also need to talk about both sides of the equation as well.”

The city of Los Angeles has a “serious” traffic safety problem, he said. In 2023, traffic violence took the lives of 336 Angelenos and over the past five years more than 1,500 residents have been seriously injured annually.

“While we can’t put a price on a life, certainly traffic violence affects all of us,” Blumenfield said. “Just less than 24 hours ago, there was a women killed in my district walking across Ventura Boulevard at an unmarked crosswalk, which we intend to ultimately mark.”

He also pointed out that the U.S. Department of Transportation has reported that the value of human life at $11.6 million dollars, and the value of a traffic-related injury is $210,000. The economic cost of traffic deaths and injuries in Los Angeles is more than $4 billion a year, he said.

“When we talk about the cost of traffic safety measures, we should also keep that in mind in terms of the enormous cost that we have right now of not putting in critical traffic safety measures.”

Szabo said the measure would not provide any financial resources to the city to implement the plan, meaning city officials would have to work with existing pools of funding to meet its requirements.

The estimates were conservative, he said, not including escalators. He highlighted mobility plan components — the bicycle lane network, which is 376 miles of planned bike lanes; the bicycle enhanced network, 238 miles of protected bike lanes or bike paths; and pedestrian enhanced districts, and 1,120 miles of sidewalks, that are required to be in good repair and ADA compliant.

It’s estimated that it would cost $670 million to fully establish the bike lane network, $420 million for the bicycle enhanced network and $2 billion for sidewalk repairs.

“There a are number of other priorities, a number of programs, that will have to compete for the same dollars that will be required to implement the mobility plan,” Szabo said.

Streets for All, the organization that led efforts on the ballot measure, has criticized the CAO’s numbers, stating that it would actually cost $286 million over 10 years to implement pedestrian enhanced districts and bike networks.

While Blumenfield stated he did not support Measure HLA because of the possible legal issue attached to it — voters would be able to sue the city if it fails to adhere to the measure — he said aspects of the report conflated prices. He said he would dig into a few areas such as the cost of street resurfacing, implementing American Disability Act compliant curb ramps, street repaving costs, and sidewalk repairs.

He noted that the city is already legally required to make certain modifications to streets that are listed in the mobility plan, mainly ADA requirements.

Szabo noted that costs would increase if the improvements took more than 10 years, ending in 2035, since “costs go up every year.”

Szabo also raised concerns over a backlog of sidewalk repairs, of about 7,700 requests, at some 3,500 to 4,000 locations across the city, costing nearly $900 million over five years to eliminate.

Councilwoman Traci Park called HLA an “unfunded mandate” and questioned staff whether the mobility plan, as enforced by Measure HLA, if approved, would impact the city’s Pavement Preservation Program.

Park has come out against the measure alongside certain groups, including firefighter unions, who have concerns about how the measure will impact their response times to medical emergencies if traffic lanes are reduced to accommodate bike lanes or other features.

A representative from StreetsLA, also known as the Bureau of Street Services, said the measure could lead to the deterioration of streets as a result of delays to repavement and resurfacing services, and increase the city’s liability.

Council President Paul Krekorian and Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez expressed their concerns on how HLA would interact with the city’s sidewalk repair efforts and impacts to the General Fund, respectively. Szabo reiterated that sidewalk repairs are done during resurfacing efforts and performed to conform with ADA.

Councilwoman Imelda Padilla, who had concerns with HLA, zoned in on grant funding, and elicited a response from Szabo acknowledging that the departments need a coordinated office for grant work.

Both council members Eunisses Hernandez and Hugo Soto-Martinez were frustrated with the report.

Hernandez noted that the city made a $1 billion investment in the Los Angeles Police Department to cover raises, and the city needs to invest in safer streets “because we have failed to save lives.”

Krekorian also made a point that HLA may inhibit Metro transit projects or construction, so that will be another topic to look into at the committee level.

Councilwoman Nithya Raman said the mobility plan may have some intersection with existing obligations.

“I’m not quite sure how those overlap with what is required of us in the mobility plan and what additional costs we would be incurring from doing this work under the aegis of the mobility plan,” Raman said. “I think untangling that will help us have a much more straightforward discussion.”

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Finance

Military Troops and Retirees: Here’s the First Financial Step to Take in 2026

Published

10 hours ago

January 9, 2026

Press Room

Military Troops and Retirees: Here’s the First Financial Step to Take in 2026

Editor’s note: This is the fourth installment of New Year, New You, a weeklong look at your financial health headed into 2026.

You get your W-2 in January and realize you either owe thousands in taxes or get a massive refund. Both mean your withholding was wrong all year.

Most service members set their tax withholding once during in-processing and never look at it again. Life changes. You get married, have kids, buy a house or pick up a second job. Your tax situation changes, but your withholding stays the same.

Adjusting your withholding takes five minutes and can save you from owing the IRS or giving the government an interest-free loan all year.

Use the IRS Tax Withholding Estimator First

Before changing anything, run your numbers through the IRS Tax Withholding Estimator at www.irs.gov/individuals/tax-withholding-estimator. The calculator asks about your filing status, income, current withholding, deductions and credits. It tells you whether you need to adjust.

The calculator considers multiple jobs, spouse income and other factors that affect your tax bill. Running it takes about 10 minutes and prevents you from withholding too much or too little.

Read More: The Cost of Skipping Sick Call: How Active-Duty Service Members Can Protect Future VA Claims

Changing Withholding in myPay (Most Services)

Army, Navy, Air Force, Space Force and Marine Corps members use myPay at mypay.dfas.mil. Log in and click Federal Withholding. Click the yellow pencil icon to edit.

The page lets you enter information about multiple jobs, change dependents, add additional income, make deductions or withhold extra tax. You can see when the changes take effect on the blue bar at the top of the page.

Changes typically show up on your next pay statement. If you make changes early in the month, they might appear on your mid-month paycheck. If you make them later, expect them on the end-of-month check.

State tax withholding works differently. DFAS can only withhold for states with signed agreements. Changes require submitting DD Form 2866 through myPay or by mail. Not all states allow DFAS to withhold state tax.

Changing Withholding in Direct Access (Coast Guard)

Coast Guard members use Direct Access at hcm.direct-access.uscg.mil. The system processes changes the same way as myPay. Log in, navigate to tax withholding and update your information.

Coast Guard members can also submit written requests using IRS Form W-4. Mail completed forms to the Pay and Personnel Center in Topeka, Kansas, or submit them through your Personnel and Administration office.

Read More: Here’s Why January Is the Best Time to File Your VA Disability Claim

When to Adjust Withholding

Check your withholding when major life events happen. Marriage or divorce changes your filing status. Having kids adds dependents. Buying a house affects deductions. A spouse starting or stopping work changes household income.

Military-specific events matter, too. Deploying to a combat zone makes some pay tax-free. PCS moves change state tax situations. Separation from service means losing military income but potentially gaining civilian income.

Check at the start of each year, even if your circumstances seemingly stayed the same. Tax laws change. Brackets adjust for inflation. Your situation might be different even if it seems the same.

The Balance

Withholding too little means owing taxes in April plus potential penalties. Withholding too much means getting a refund but losing access to that money all year.

Some people like big refunds and treat it like forced savings. Others would rather have the money in each paycheck to pay bills, invest or set aside in normal savings.

Neither approach is wrong. What matters is that your withholding matches your tax situation and your preference for how you receive your money.

Run the estimator. Adjust your withholding. Check it annually. This simple process prevents tax surprises.

Previously In This series:

Part 1: 2026 Guide to Pay and Allowances for Military Service Members, Veterans and Retirees

Part 2: Understanding All the Deductions on Your 2026 Military Leave and Earnings Statements

Part 3: Should You Let the Military Set Aside Allotments from Your Pay?

Part 4: This Is the Best Thing to Do With Your 2026 Military Pay Raise

Stay on Top of Your Veteran Benefits

Military benefits are always changing. Keep up with everything from pay to health care by subscribing to Military.com, and get access to up-to-date pay charts and more with all latest benefits delivered straight to your inbox.

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Finance

The case against saving when building a business

Published

22 hours ago

January 8, 2026

Press Room

The case against saving when building a business

Listen and subscribe to The Big Idea with Elizabeth Gore on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you find your favorite podcast.Would you rather play it safe, or grow your business? This expert breaks down why investing is everything.This week on The Big Idea with Elizabeth Gore, Howard Enterprise founder and the Wall Street Trapper Leon Howard joins the show to answer the question: How can I use a Wall Street mindset for my business? Howard offers expert insight on why it is absolutely critical that founders take risks and invest capital, versus just saving.To learn more, click here. Yahoo Finance’s The Big Idea with Elizabeth Gore takes you on a journey with America’s entrepreneurs as they navigate the world of small business. This post was written by Lauren Pokedoff

Finance

This Is the Best Thing to Do With Your 2026 Military Pay Raise

Published

1 day ago

January 8, 2026

Press Room

This Is the Best Thing to Do With Your 2026 Military Pay Raise

Editor’s note: This is the fourth installment of New Year, New You, a weeklong look at your financial health headed into 2026.

The military’s regularly occurring pay raises provide an opportunity that many civilians only dream of. Not only do the annual percentage increases troops receive each January provide frequent chances to rebalance financial priorities — savings vs. current standard of living — so do time-in-service increases for every two years of military service, not to mention promotions.

Two experts in military pay and personal finance — a retired admiral and a retired general, each at the head of their respective military mutual aid associations — advised taking a similarly predictable approach to managing each new raise:

Cut it in half.

In one variation of the strategy, a service member simply adds to their savings: whatever it is they prioritize. In the other, consistent increases in retirement contributions soon add up to a desirable threshold.

Rainy Day Fund

The active military’s 3.8% pay raise in 2026 came in a percentage point higher than retirees and disabled veterans received, meaning troops “should be able to afford the market basket of goods that the average American is afforded,” said Michael Meese, a retired Army brigadier general and president of Armed Forces Mutual.

While the veterans’ lower rate relies exclusively on the rate of inflation, Congress has the option to offer more; and in doing so is making up for recent years when the pay raise didn’t keep up with unusually high inflation, Meese said.

“So this is helping us catch up a little bit.”

He also speculated that the government shutdown “upset a lot of people” and that widespread support of the 3.8% raise across party lines and in both houses of Congress showed “that it has confidence in the military and wants to take care of the military and restore government credibility with service men and women,” Meese said.

His suggestion for managing pay raises:

“If you’ve been living already without the pay raise and now you see this pay raise, if you can,” Meese advised, “I always said … you should save half and spend half,” Meese said. “That way, you don’t instantly increase your spending habits just because you see more money at the end of the month.”

A service member who makes only $1,000 every two weeks, for example, gets another $38 every two weeks starting this month. Put $19 into savings, and you can put the other $19 toward “beer and pizza or whatever you’re going to do,” Meese said.

“That way you’re putting money away for a rainy day,” he said — to help prepare for a vacation, for example, “so you’re not putting those on a credit card.” If you set aside only $25 more per pay period, “at the end of the year, you’ve got an extra $300 in there, and that may be great for Christmas vacation or Christmas presents or something like that.”

Retirement Strategy

Brian Luther, retired rear admiral and the president and chief executive officer of Navy Mutual, recognizes that “personal finance is personal” — in other words, “every situation is different.” Nevertheless, he insists that “everyone should have a plan” that includes:

What your cash flow is
Where your money is going
Where you need to go in the future

But even if you don’t know a lot of those details, Luther said, the most important thing:

Luther also advised an approach based on cutting the 3.8% pay raise in half, keeping half for expenses and putting the other half into the Thrift Savings Plan. Then “that pay will work for you until you need it in retirement,” Luther said. With every subsequent increase, put half into the TSP until you’re setting aside a full 15% of your pay.

For a relatively young service member, “Once you hit 15%, and [with] the 5% match from the government, that’s enough for your future,” Luther said.

Previously in this series:

Part 1: 2026 Guide to Pay and Allowances for Military Service Members, Veterans and Retirees

Part 2: Understanding All the Deductions on Your 2026 Military Leave and Earnings Statements

Part 3: Should You Let the Military Set Aside Allotments from Your Pay?

Get the Latest Financial Tips

Whether you’re trying to balance your budget, build up your credit, select a good life insurance program or are gearing up for a home purchase, Military.com has you covered. Subscribe to Military.com and get the latest military benefit updates and tips delivered straight to your inbox.

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