Nearly 1,000 Layoffs Underway at City Hall After Council Vote

After long deliberations in public and behind closed doors, the Los Angeles City Council today voted to go ahead with a budget-saving plan to eliminate 926 positions and 26 furlough days for civilian employees. However, many members see the decision as a temporary move, which gets the ball rolling on the layoff and furlough process, but buys time to make alternative arrangement to save jobs. The vote “is a safety net, in the event that we aren’t able to come up with an agreement,” Councilman Richard Alarcon was quoted saying in the Los Angeles Times. An agreement with unions must be made before September 28th, when furloughs will begin. Yesterday, the city of Long Beach, LA County's 2nd largest city, voted to eliminate hundreds of jobs to balance the budget.