I'm an L.A. native, so that strange, big city will always have a place in my heart. But last year I moved back to Portland because our Rose City has so much more than my hometown. Portland beats L.A. in the following places: pace of life, sustainability, progressive politics, green spaces, kindness of people, local cuisine, cleanliness/pollution, public transit, beer, and cost-of-living. I can't stress that last one enough: my wife and I were paying almost twice as much per month to live in a city that drove us crazy on a daily basis. But, as I learned the other week, it can get a lot worse for the poor people still trying to survive there (my family included).

This is the point of the blog where I start to pity L.A.

Not long ago, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa addressed the city's massive budget shortfall. This isn't a small chunk of change: the gap is presently $155 million, and it could balloon to between $300 and $500 million by July 1. As a result, essential city services will be trimmed, and the Council will have to invent creative measures to keep the city afloat. From the L.A. Times article:

Faced with a budget shortfall that has doubled in three months, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa called... for paring city spending by suspending most hiring, asking thousands of workers to take unpaid furloughs and selling vacant fire stations.

Budget analysts attributed the $155-million deficit mostly to the flagging economy, saying larger than expected decreases in sales taxes, real estate transfer taxes, fees and state reimbursements have left the city $69 million short of anticipated revenues.

L.A. is quickly becoming a city where the American Dream is out-of-reach for the working poor. If you live in the city, then you will be paying hand-over-fist to rent a small apartment, as my wife and I were. If you live outside the limits, then multiple-hour commutes become your fate; and, considering that L.A. public transit leaves much to be desired, you'll be lucky to not be shelling out big wads of cash for gas.

It's crowded. It's expensive. And soon the city will be scrambling to avoid fiscal ruin. How do they fix the problem? Shave bureaucracy, it seems, and hope to balance the numbers while trimming down work hours and some services.

So, how can we look down at this problem from our perch here in the rainy Pacific Northwest? I don't mean to be engaging in schadenfreude; far from it, as L.A. will always be mine and I lament for those who are slowly being squeezed while living there. In other words, time will tell. While some may argue that we need to heed this as a cautionary tale and avoid undue fiscal burdens in the face of a slumping economy, the forms that will take are as-yet unclear. Take Commissioner Sam Adams' safe, sound, and green streets proposal. While it would add to our tax burden, it would also address a problem early, nipping it in the bud. After all, the last thing we need is a spiraling problem that foresight and prudent investment could have forestalled. And no one can really argue that the benefit of immaculate roads, bike boulevards, and infrastructure investment doesn't benefit the city long-term.

Moreover, finding ways to invest in our local business infrastructure is crucial. If we can keep our local companies, breweries, restaurants, and shops afloat, and create jobs in the process, then we'll be in decent shape. Perhaps this is a problem L.A. had: although there certainly were local endeavors, relatively few places felt "local" in the same way Portland does. There wasn't the same self-sustaining fervor; there wasn't as great a concerted effort to support local businesses. It's hard to do that, I guess, when you're barely afloat.

So, I suppose I'll do my part as I can, supporting fine local cuisine, excellent drink, and other local products. It's both delicious and worth it. In the meanwhile, do you have any thoughts on Portland's economy or future? Are we really as affordable as I think we are, or are my eyes colored by the really, really, really expensive nature of L.A.?

Disclaimer: I worked for Sam Adams' office in 2005 and an ardent supporter of his, but I speak and write only for myself.