Tonight's big Powerball lottery is up to $500 million. With that kind of money, there's a lot one could do personally—like actually becoming a home owner in LA (and maybe a few other things here and there). But what could our wonderful city do to improve itself with $500 million?
Here are 9 things we would buy for LA with all that cash. No surprise, we included things that would allow everyone to commute easier, put more money in our pockets in general and help us become more enlightened.
1. Free Wi-Fi for the city. To some, municipal Wi-Fi may seem a little crazy but guess what? Nearly 60 cities in the U.S. already have it (including Santa Monica). Back in 2007, former Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa began talking up a 2009 proposal that never panned out. The plan would have cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $55 million dollars. Even if you adjust for inflation, it's something a Powerball check would easily cover. Just think...if you're hard up for cash but still need to apply for jobs online, you'd save so much on those soy lattes from Starbucks.
2. Bike lanes. LA is one of the most active cities in the country and with an infusion of funds to allow motorists and cyclists to more easily 'share the road,' we could start our own version of Portlandia (with better weather). It'd also help alleviate traffic, help those cross-training for the LA Marathon and assure that some remember how fun it is to ride a bike beyond partaking in CicLAvia.
3. A few years shaved off the Regional Connector timeline. In some form or another, transportation makes our list a few times. This Regional Connector project that's slated to be ready to go by May 2021 broke ground last September and has a budget of $1.4 billion. This would weigh pretty heavily on our winnings, so maybe we'd throw Wi-Fi money at it and have something to look forward to in...say....2018?
4. Some actual talent for the Lakers. At last place in their division, could we at least get Magic Johnson to buy the team and see what happens? Or at least get Magic to play for the team and see what happens?
5. More of the Great Streets Initiative. You may be saying to yourself, 'what the what?' If you're not familiar, LA has the most streets out of any city in the country and the GSI is designed to improve not only various roads throughout town but also public spaces around them. A couple streets have already been singled out for improvement. The idea is to reduce traffic congestion while improving the economies of various parts of the city. While many agree that the project could make a nice impact, the major challenge to the project is funding. But that's where Powerball comes in...
6. More public transit stuff (LAX, the everlasting 405 construction, Westside Metro lines). OK, this may sound like a bit of overkill...but is it? If you live in Santa Monica and you want to get down to a cool downtown spot for drinks (like say, Angel City Brewery) then this Expo line project slated for completion in 2016 couldn't come sooner. Or the Purple Line Extension, for that matter. Not to mention, getting from LAX still requires an overpriced cab ride.
7. Raising money for LACMA's expansion. Boom, there's the $475 million the museum needs to raise for its expansion, plus some extra cash for new acquisitions. How much are Picassos going for these days, anyway? Let's just say we might be in the market.
8. Saving our favorite establishments. Whether it's the recently closed-for-business Asian-fusion pop-up Starry Kitchen, or historical LA fixtures like Bob Baker Marionette Theater or Vidiots, we'd have throw some cash at these spots to keep these relics around just like the tasty Pink's Hot Dogs.
9. You get a taco! And you get a taco! And all 10 million people in LA county get $50 worth of tacos! This may not be the wisest purchase, but quite possibly the tastiest. With the Powerball winnings, wouldn't it be fun to go on a taco binge? With all that money, we've gotta indulge somehow.
Do you think Garcetti has bought a couple Powerball tickets? What in LA would you spend $500 million on?