Saying Los Angeles' financial troubles are grave and expected to grow far worse in the years ahead, the City Council on Monday approved widespread layoffs and furloughs for city workers but set aside enough money to back away from a proposal to freeze police hiring.
The severity of the cuts remains in flux, however, as city officials and public employee unions continue to negotiate possible salary and benefit concessions that could save the city more than $230 million.
But with no agreement in place and a June 1 deadline to pass a balanced budget, the council approved a $7.05-billion spending plan that will force cuts at practically every city agency.
To make up for the city's expected $530-million shortfall in 2009-2010, public library and swimming pool hours likely will be reduced, sidewalks won't be repaired and left-turn signals will be installed at fewer intersections.
The budget also imposes 800 city worker layoffs, on top of 400 layoffs approved by the council earlier this month. It also requires many of the remaining civilian employees to take 26 unpaid furlough days. The entire city workforce numbers about 50,000.
The council was able to find more than $26 million to avoid imposing a hiring freeze at the Los Angeles Police Department. The council's budget committee last week recommended halting Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's police hiring program, a move that would have prevented the LAPD from replacing the roughly 520 officers who leave through normal attrition during a typical year.
Council President Eric Garcetti said 480 replacement officers would be paid for by an unexpected $22-million increase in property tax revenue and a $4-million reimbursement to the city from the U.S. Department of Justice.
Garcetti, a Navy Reserve officer who returned from a training mission to help address the police hiring issue, also took a not-too-subtle swipe at Police Chief William J. Bratton, who last week threatened to pull officers out of Councilman Bill Rosendahl's district after his budget committee vote to freeze police hiring.
"There is no room or space for that . . . in this city," Garcetti said. "No mayor, no council member, no chief, nobody, has a monopoly on fiscal prudence."
The mayor had proposed expanding the LAPD to 10,000 officers by the end of summer, and that goal now appears unlikely to be met, although that could change by year's end if the city receives federal stimulus money for police hiring. But the mayor praised the council's efforts to find funding to keep the department near its current staffing level.
