Councilmember Traci Park is at it again—talking a big game about public safety while making decisions that do the exact opposite. Recently, she took to the right-wing New York Post to complain about how LA’s budget is being handled. But let’s be real—Park’s track record makes it clear she’s not actually interested in fixing anything, unless “fixing” means throwing even more money at the LAPD while cutting funding for the services that actually keep people safe.
Let’s talk about why the New York Post gave Park this platform. The Post is owned by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp, the same conservative media giant that controls Fox News. It has a long history of pushing right-wing narratives, attacking progressive policies, and propping up tough-on-crime politicians. The paper has consistently backed Republican candidates, amplified fear-based crime reporting, and smeared movements for social justice and police accountability. When Park wanted to bash social services and justify more spending on police, she knew exactly where to go for a sympathetic audience.
Park’s latest gripe? That emergency services like the fire department aren’t getting enough funding. Sounds reasonable, right? Except she voted to defund the fire department and other critical social services while making sure the LAPD got a massive payday. In 2023, she helped push through a $1 billion police spending increase over four years, including big raises for LAPD officers. Meanwhile, funding for mental health programs, housing initiatives, and yes, the fire department, has been slashed.
It’s not hard to see where her loyalties lie. Park has deep ties to police unions, with the Los Angeles Police Protective League pouring $500,000 into her City Council campaign. When it comes to making policy, she’s looking out for their interests—not the everyday people of LA.
And what do we get for all this police spending? More of the same old failed strategies. Park keeps pumping money into policing while cutting resources that actually prevent crime, like affordable housing, mental health care, and emergency services. Public safety isn’t just about more cops—it’s about making sure people aren’t pushed into desperate situations in the first place. But Park would rather criminalize poverty than address its root causes.
Take her stance on homelessness. Instead of backing real solutions like permanent housing and support programs, she’s helped push cruel ordinances that criminalize people for simply existing near schools or daycare centers. These policies do nothing but increase confrontations between police and vulnerable people while making it even harder for them to get back on their feet.
And now, after gutting fire department funding and ignoring social services, she wants to act like she cares about them? Give us a break. Park’s selective outrage is nothing more than hypocrisy. She’s not fighting for public safety—she’s using budget debates to justify her pro-police, anti-community agenda. LA deserves leadership that actually invests in people, not just policing. If Park really cared about making the city safer, she’d be putting money into fire services, housing, and mental health—not another blank check for the LAPD.
