Time for a sweeping revolt!

Letter to the Editor – The City of Compton is in serious trouble. The upcoming city election in March 2024 may be the last chance to turn the corner to sanity because the last 20 plus years in politics in Compton can be measured in corruption and incompetence which is totally insane. We all have been fooled and duped.

2022 STATE AUDIT TELLS THE STORY

If you are not aware, the State of California in 2022 called for a thorough state audit of the City of Compton because we were ranked dead last financially out of all 482 cities in California for several years in a row.

That’s the reality—our city is a failure.

Voters no longer have to fight or argue with each other over whether the city is making progress and what politician was effective or not. The arguing back and forth was just a cover anyway for politicians hiding the fact they were getting nothing significant done.

The State of California made it plainer than plain. Open your eyes. No politician in the last 20 years and this means Mayor Eric Perrodin, Mayor Aja Brown and now Mayor Emma Sharif have been effective in moving this city significantly forward like surrounding cities. Compton is in shambles and falling further behind after all three mayors and their collective years of effort in office.

A CALL FOR STATE TAKEOVER

The city is in such terrible condition that California Governor Gavin Newsom was placed on notice Compton might have to be taken over by the state to protect your rapidly disappearing taxpayer dollars. Some residents pray for the intervention to happen because Compton taxpayers are literally working for the government and not the other way around.

Our citywide water and sewer system is neglected and on the verge of collapse and spilling into other cities. Our public safety is neglected and no longer dependable according to rank and file Compton firemen protesting their deplorable working conditions.

Our city is involved in gross overspending and bloated department budgets while city streets and buildings and even fire stations are notoriously deteriorating. There has been no professional top HR executive and many employees the state reports are inadequate in their positions.

Your past and present leadership is not at all up to the task to turn the ship around. The problem is so severe the state had to impose a step-by-step recovery plan because Compton has neither the talent nor capacity to lead its own turnaround.

Compton City Hall according to the audit is broken and ineffective and our leaders so inadequate the city council need training on what is their duties and responsibilities. They need reminding their basic job is to set policies and priorities and not host events, take pictures and attend giveaways. Fiddling while Rome burns.

PAST DECISIONS AND CONSEQUENCES

So how did we get here when right next door in the City of Carson their Mayor Lula Davis-Holmes just announced their city has a $120 million dollar surplus, paved 234 streets and put cameras in all their parks, all while being known for offering first rate outstanding community services and events.

Carson’s revenue in 2022 was $170.05 million while Compton’s was similar at $168.50 million according to state records. But Compton in comparison to all its surrounding cities looks like a third world country called “Can’t Get Right.”  Compton has been left behind to twist in the wind.

This commentary/op-ed was written by Cynthia Macon