Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass released the proposed budget on Monday.
The $14 billion spending plan covering the 2025-26 fiscal year will fund new recruiting scores at the fire station three months after the Palisade fire destroyed thousands of homes and killed 12 people.
However, many other agencies face deep spending cuts, with layoffs reaching 5% of the workforce, and the city dealing with rising personnel costs, rising legal payments, slowing down the local economy.
At the Los Angeles Police Department, more than 400 workers are eligible for layoffs, according to figures prepared by city budget officials. The number of police officers gradually continues on a downward trajectory, as new hires are unable to keep up with the exhaustion.
By July 1, 2026, LAPD has 8,639 officers. This is the lowest level since 1995, according to city budget officials.
Five years ago, the department had around 10,000 executives. Last week, the division reported that there were 8,735.
Bass described the layoff strategy as an “absolute last resort decision” in his city’s speech on Monday. In recent weeks, she and other city officials have been lobbying Gov. Gavin Newsom and the state legislature, offering relief packages that will stave off most or all of those jobs.
The mayor is scheduled to make another trip to Sacramento on Wednesday.
“There are a few solutions like the ones from the state, so I think there are a few solutions to ensure that there is no need to end up layoffs,” Bass said last week at an event hosted by Black Lives Matter-Los Angeles.
Nearly 1,100 positions aimed at elimination by Bass are already vacant, city budget officials said.
The mayor’s spending plan heads to the City Council’s Budget Committee for weeks of deliberation. If the council does not change courses and state financial aid fails, the city will fire an estimated 62 workers in the animal services department and struggle to provide humane care to the animals.
More than 260 workers in the transportation sector are targeting layoffs, according to city budget officials. The Department of Health is planning an additional 159 layoffs. This handles garbage pickup and removal of bulky items such as mattresses and sofas from the curb. According to a summary prepared by the city’s budget analyst, the Street Services Department, which oversees street repairs, recommends 130 layoffs for the mayor’s budget.
On Monday, one union leader vowed to stop those cuts from happening.
“We’re going to fight all the layoffs. Even one layoff is too many,” said David Green, president of Service Employees International Union Local 721, representing more than 10,000 urban workers.
Greene said his union has put together a coalition of Labour leaders to Sacramento to express support for Bass’ state’s demand for financial support.
Councillor Eunisses Hernandez, who represents parts of the East Side, has also expressed an alarm on the planned cuts.
“It’s already 10 years to repair the sidewalk. It takes five years to put a fully-hit curb, and a year to repair the streetlights. We can’t afford to speed up the service of the city,” she said.
The expected pay raises for the workforce next year are expected to add an additional cost of around $250 million. Meanwhile, city manager Matt Sabo recently asked the city to budget an additional $100 million to cover legal settlements and the costs of the ju award.
The city council has begun taking steps to address budget gaps in recent weeks, and voted to approve a massive increase in garbage fees collected from up to four units of single-family homes and apartments. The increase is expected to generate up to $90 million for upcoming budget years.
The mayor’s spending plan protects some core services. According to the mayor’s budget team, time at the library and recreation center will be maintained.
Szabo, the local government’s top budget analyst, said the spending plan would provide funds to the fire department to hire 227 employees. As part of that expansion, the department will create new programs to address the homelessness, including the street medicine team.
Bass’ budget requires the city to combine several small institutions into a single entity. Under her proposal, the Department of Aging, Youth Development and Economic Workforce Development will be integrated into the community and investment sectors.
The city will also close a civic committee focusing on health, innovation and climate change.
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