One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
1,000 City Hall Layoffs, Cuts to Cultural Affairs & Other Programs Not Recommended for Approval by City Panel
A full house at Monday's Budget & Finance Committee meeting at City Hall | Photo by Alex Thompson/Westside Bikeside
Close to ten hours into a Los Angeles City Council budget committee meeting late Monday night, the money-saving move to layoff 1,000 employees was not approved, despite a $208 million budget deficit. At first, the layoffs were approved by Councilmembers Bernard Parks, Greig Smith and Bill Rosendahl with Paul Koretz and Jose Huizar against it, but Rosendahl quickly balked, siding against the layoffs.
Miguel Santana, the city's top budget official, warned that by not acting on the layoffs only pushes the issue until a later time. "There'll be more [layoffs]," he said, referring to his report that states "the daily cost of postponing 1,000 layoffs is approximately $338,000, which equals four more positions that need to be eliminated to generate the targeted savings."
Additionally, enough votes were secured to recommend saving a handful of other controversial proposals, including the suspension of Cultural Affairs Grant Programs and the elimination of Environmental Affairs, Disability, Neighborhood Empowerment and Human Services Department.
"Can I ask where we're going to get 1,000 people if we keep on saving these departments?" the fiscally conservative Smith, who was clearly exasperated, asked in response to attempts at stopping the cuts.
Although some of the cuts and layoffs were saved by the committee--it's merely a recommendation, some would even call it a symbolic move--they will still likely be discussed and possibly voted on during the full City Council meeting on Wednesday.
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
