You can’t always get what you want. But if you try sometimes, you might find you get… Measure M.
Measure M is the largest infrastructure program in the nation, and it’s just what Democratic Mayor of Los Angeles, Eric Garcetti, wants for the people of his city. Not just wants, but needs. The new system of subways and buses would lift some of the burden of living in a city with gridlocked highways and the notorious L.A. traffic problem. There’s no question that Measure M would make Los Angeles a better city in which to live, and may even reduce some of it’s pollution.
However, there’s a catch. To obtain the funding to make that happen, the Mayor is obliged to work with President Trump and the new administration, despite the strong disapproval of the people who re-elected him as Mayor. Protestors are demanding that he stop working with federal authorities in order to make Measure M a reality. But is that fair?
Mayor Garcetti has always opposed Trump on his stance on LGBT rights, immigration policy, and has called him a racist. In 2015, in a statement on the city of L.A. being awarded a perfect score on the Municipal Equality Index (MEI) issued by the Human Rights Campaign
“Equality and tolerance are values that define what it means to be an Angeleno. Our laws, policies, and attitudes have to reflect those ideals. I’m proud that L.A. is America’s leader in protecting the LGBT community from discrimination and creating opportunities that allow everyone to thrive.”
But on this issue, he suggests that people let social issues take back seat in order to get a job done that will improve the daily lives of all citizens of Los Angeles.
VICE News Tonight correspondent Evan McMorris-Santoro goes to Los Angeles to look at what it means to build a mass infrastructure project in the age of Trump. Watch:
