EDITORIAL GRAND THEFT DOWNTOWN PROJECT STEALS FROM THE POOR, GIVES TO THE RICH.

THE lawsuit filed by the Westin Bonaventure Hotel challenging public subsidies for the $2.05 billion Grand Avenue project claims they will rob millions from local schools.

The claim is that the massive project's tax structure is flawed, and would deny as much as $25 million over eight years to the Los Angeles Unified School District as well as the local community colleges.

As is the case with many things claimed in a civil lawsuit, this claim may or may not be accurate.

But, nonetheless, it is true in the larger sense. The Grand Avenue project steals from everyone in Los Angeles -- and including students -- to give to the rich.

The rich in this case are developers who are getting $176 million in taxpayer help to build high-end condos, a luxury hotel, swanky restaurants and shops that most Angelenos won't be able to afford.

Plus, there's some "park space." In order to dupe the public into believing this investment of their money is anything more than a giveaway to the developers of an outdoor mall, the project has been promoted as some sort of L.A. version of Central Park. But all promoters have done is tack a 16-acre park onto the development, add some trees and landscaping to the rest and called the whole thing a park.

What taxpayers will get for their investment in Grand Avenue is, for the most part, a lot less money to improve their neighborhoods and some low-paying service and retail jobs. City Hall will undoubtedly make taxpayers subsidize those, too, with a "living wage" requirement.

The LAUSD and the Los Angeles Community College District ought to join the lawsuit, as well as any other group that believes taking from the poor and giving to the rich is a crime.

The judge will decide whether or not Grand Avenue steals directly from students. But one thing is for sure, there's no doubt that the project steals from us all.