Commentary

Attention job seekers!

Might want to look into being a parking cop in LA: Among people looking to hop up a rung on the social or economic ladder, it’s a job that offers a way in, a union position with salaries that average about $45,000 a year without overtime. Los Angeles parking enforcement chief Jimmy Price, a 30-year veteran who came up through the ranks, willingly shares that he is making $130,000 a year, and points to his own job as an example of how far an enterprising officer can rise. Never mind that budget deficit thing. And notice how the councilman refers to parking cops. “We certainly do appreciate you as our revenue enhancers in this great city,” said Councilman Tony Cardenas, who addressed the group over a lunch of sandwiches and potato salad. Isn’t that law-enforcers-as-revenue-enhancers arrangement still a bit unseemly, one of those things politicians are supposed to know in private but not mention publicly?