Mayor Karen Bass and four city council members traveled to Sacramento on Monday to represent Los Angeles, defending wildfire recovery assistance and other potential funds, addressing budget concerns.
Bass, Council President Markie Harris Dawson, Councilman Bob Blumenfield, Councilman Eidlyn Nazarian, and Budget Committee Chairman Councilman Kati Yaroslavsky will meet with state legislators on Monday and will be back in the evening.
“We certainly want support here — not only have our general budget, but also for the wildfires,” Bass told City News Service.
“This is actually the first time in recent history where the chairman or (state) senator has come from the LA area,” she added.
“Both of them came from the Bay Area. It’s important that we are here, what we see and be clear about what we need to be there and what we need to see for Los Angeles to have a great recovery and prepare for next year’s World Cup.”
The LA Group will meet with Senate Senate President Mike McGuire, Senate Budget Committee Chairman Scott Weiner, and Senator Maria Elena Durazo, vice-chairman of the LA County Legislative Delegation. Collectively, the delegation’s 39 Congressional members and the state senator represent nearly 10 million Californians.
He will also meet with Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, chairman of the LA County legislative delegation, and Assemblyman Tina McKinner.
Bass represented California’s 47th state legislative district in 2004 and later served as the 67th Chair of the Legislature in 2008. She also represented California’s 33rd Congressional District from 2011 to 2022.
The mayor promoted her experience and said that relationships at the state and federal level are “very important.”
The city may not receive state aid anytime soon, but Bass hopes that a meeting with state legislators will move the LA needle.
“We know the budget here. We have a May revision that happens 30 days after the taxes are paid,” Bass told CNS. “So the nation will have a better picture of its economy.”
“They have their budgets prepared by mid-June, so we hope there will be some additions to the budget that will provide resources to cities and counties,” Bass added.
The trip to Sacramento comes a week after we learned that elected officials are facing a gap of about $1 billion for next year’s fiscal year. Bass and the city council are already exploring potential solutions to the right size budget. This will require tough financial decisions that could lead to thousands of layoffs and reduced services.
City Manager Matt Sabo reported a $61 million start gap. This increased $315 million with expected low revenues from taxes, $100 million in liability payments, $275 million, $275 million needed to recover reserve funds, $80 million related to solid waste fees, and $100 million to cover Les Angel police and firefighter pensition.
The financial crisis could also be attributed to new labor contracts with police, civil workers and firefighters, which are expected to add an additional $250 million in fiscal year 2025.
He also continued to warn of increased legal payments. Szabo previously reported a debt expense of $112 million, and most recently predicted that its expenses would increase to $320 million by the end of fiscal year 2024-25.
In the letter, Bus said, “It will bring about a fundamental change in the way cities operate.” She instructed the CAO to report to her with a strategy of “reducing spending significantly while protecting essential services.”
“This year, we must make a fundamental change in the way cities operate. We must budget based on how cities can best serve the people of Los Angeles and spend their rare budget dollars the best,” Bass said in a statement.
The downward economic trend means cities are projected to cost hundreds of millions of dollars more than previously predicted, according to Bass’ office. In addition to these trends, costs associated with recent wildfires are expected to increase the burden.
The mayor is scheduled to release the proposed budget on April 21st.
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