Council Delays Vote On Layoffs
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The Los Angeles City Council temporarily tabled the proposed layoffs of 1,000 city employees Wednesday.
Council members said they hope the 30-day reprieve will buy the city enough time to find money outside the general fund to cover the salaries of the targeted employees, making it possible to avoid a round of lay offs altogether.
However, the danger has not yet passed. Given a lack of other options, the city may find itself forced to go through with the layoffs in the end, and so council members gave permission for the City Administrative Office to identify positions for elimination.
"The goal is to find ways to preserve those jobs," Councilwoman Janice Hahn said, adding that she hopes to have "1,000 transfers, not layoffs."
The proposed layoffs are part of City Administrative Officer Miguel Santana's three-year plan to fiscal stability. The plan includes partnerships with public and private agencies, and the elimination or restructuring of various services and departments.
Wednesday's council meeting kicked off what will be a difficult budget planning season as the city struggles to close a $208 million shortfall, which is expected to grow to $400 million by next fiscal year.
Hundreds of people stormed City Hall Wednesday to protest the proposed layoffs and other cuts. The council rejected a proposal to cut funding to the Department of Cultural Affairs, and earlier in the week decided not to fold the Department on Disability into two other departments.
Uniformed city employees filled row after row of the council chambers, cheering when council members vowed to explore all options before resorting to layoffs.
Several positions on the chopping block may be saved if the city can find money, such as grants, that fall outside the the general fund. The city has already found alternate funding sources for 306 of the 1,000 positions it plans to eliminate from its budget.
Timothy Butcher, who works in the Street Services Department, said he was relieved by the council's decision.
"I'm grateful to the council for working as hard as they dare. It's really looking like they're trying to avoid layoffs at all costs," he said. However, "nothing's been set yet. (Council members) have got a lot of good ideas ... but nothing is settled."
He and other city employees felt "betrayed" when they first learned of the proposed layoffs, Butcher said. Last summer, they gave up an annual cost of living salary increase and agreed to furlough days in exchange for no layoffs.
"We gave up a lot more than we should have," Butcher said.
Custodial Supervisor Erica Nicholson said the struggle has united city employees across department lines.
"Today is a hard day," she said. "Today is a day we'll never forget ... Today is a day that taught us one thing: Together we stand, divided we fall."
