Bass holds town hall on fiscal cliff

By Wayne Neal

Rep. Karen Bass (D-Culver City) was able to get away from the chaos that is Washington D.C, when she visited Los Angles on Dec. 1 and held a town hall meeting with her constituents of the 33rd Congressional District to discuss their concerns regarding the ongoing fiscal crisis in Congress as well as other legislation that could have an economic impact on the communities that she represents.

Those who attended the meeting included community members, service providers and representatives of labor unions and their primary concerns centered on the possibility of raising taxes for the middle class and healthcare service if the debt crisis is not resolved by Dec. 31.

 President Barack Obama and Democrats argue that the Bush takes cuts, set to expire at the end of the year, should be only be maintained for those who make $250, 000 or less. They also want the wealthiest American to pay a higher tax rate.

 Republicans counter that they would like to see all of the tax cuts preserved and have offered to reform the tax code as well as close tax loopholes to generate revenue, although that have not been specific about which deduction they favor eliminating.

 The GOP also wants to see cuts to some entitlement programs like Medicare.

“One of the main highlights was they told stories of the types of services they rely on like healthcare, social services, and work force development,” said Elsa Barboza, the campaign director for Strategic Concepts in Organizing and Policy Education  (SCOPE).  “We talked about how the federal budget impacts the local budget, so if there are cuts at the top level they will filter down.”

  SCOPE is a grassroots organization that works to eliminate structural barriers to social and economic opportunities for the poor and disenfranchised through organizing, leadership training and capacity building.

Members of the audience also talked about voter suppression at the national level in other states and how it affects everyone and not just a particular group of people.  Another highlight was how the city of Los Angeles played a key role in getting Proposition 30 passed on Nov. 6.  Prop. 30 will increase taxes for residents who earn over $250,000 for 10 years to help fund K- 12 schools and community colleges.

 Bass said she enjoyed meeting and listening to her constituents.

“It was a great honor to visit with so many concerned citizens who were eager to share with me their goals for our community as well as feedback for what needs to happen in Washington to improve our community,” said Bass said in a statement. “First and foremost on our minds is the impending fiscal cliff crisis we are negotiating in Washington, D.C., where if a deal is not reached, we will be hit hard with everything from reductions in aid for the unemployed and Headstart as well as a tax increase for middleclass and low-income families

“My goal is to make sure that I carry these voices back to Washington so that we can deal with our fiscal crisis in a reasonable way that doesn’t undermine the social safety net many of my constituents rely on.”