Culver City Observer -

By Neil Rubenstein

Observer Columnist

Recently I had coffee with Marcus Tiggs, a 20-plus-year Culver City resident and candidate for the upcoming council election. He shared his view that one of the biggest challenges for the city and residents is maintaining what we have all come to love about Culver City.

When I asked about rumors that he would want to contract police/fire services or privatize sanitation to save money, Marcus looked me straight in the eye and said, “Absolutely not. Control of our own police and fire is part of the fabric of Culver City and its residents. There is no way I would support contracting public safety.” As for privatizing sanitation, Marcus calmly said this makes absolutely no long term sense, especially in light of it being part of the city enterprise fund and a profit center.

It was on January 2, 2004 that U.S. Army Captain Kimberly Nicole Hampton was killed in action when her Kiowa helicopter was shot down by enemy ground fire in Fallujah, Iraq. Captain Hampton became the first female military pilot in United States history to be shot down and killed, as reported by the Military Order of the Purple Heart.

President Obama recently announced a 1.3 percent pay raise for all service members effective on January 1, 2016. For an Army E-4 Specialist with three years of service, for example, making roughly $28, 000 in 2015, the White House’s 1.3 percent plan means a boost of around $360 in 2016. A dollar a day increase isn’t very much.

Many of us read a whistleblower’s allegations made almost three months ago that nearly a third of 847,882 veterans listed in the VA enrollment system died while awaiting care. In fact, 307,000 vets on the list are deceased. What about Scott Davis, the whistleblower, you ask? He has been assigned a lesser job in a secluded office since he notified Congress.

And from the October 2015 American Legion Magazine:

50 million Taxpayers who contacted the IRS for assistance this filing season

8.8 million Number of times IRS hung up on taxpayers this filing season

544,000 Number of times IRS hung up on taxpayers last filing season

Less than 10 percent Fraction of taxpayers calling about alleged identity theft who got through to the IRS help line

23 minutes Average hold time this filing season

14 minutes Average hold time last filing season

Ever wonder what the Culver City Unified School District received from Sacramento to educate our students? Starting in 2013-2014, the amount received is under the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) and is a different amount per Average