Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
LA City Council Approves Major Police Salary Hike
The L.A. City Council has approved adding $384 million annually to the LAPD budget by 2027.
(
Mario Tama
/
Getty Images
)
The L.A. City Council on Wednesday voted 12-3 to approve a police contract that increases spending on officer pay by $1 billion over the next four years.
Mayor Karen Bass had sought to boost raises and bonuses, contending the city could better recruit and retain officers whose ranks had fallen below 9,000 at the start of the fiscal year — the lowest number in the past decade.
The starting salary for an officer would rise from the current $74,000 to more than $86,000 in the first year of the agreement, with further increases over the life of the contract.
Councilmember Traci Park said the contract with the Los Angeles Police Protective League demonstrates a "long-overdue" commitment to the officers it represents.
Support for LAist comes from
"And it sends a message that Los Angeles takes public safety seriously," Park said.
But critics of the contract say funneling more money to LAPD — already the most expensive department, costing the city more than $3 billion annually — will burden future budgets and shortchange other agencies.
"It shouldn't take us seven years to fix a sidewalk," said Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez before casting a "no" vote, along with Hugo Soto-Martinez and Nithya Raman. "We shouldn't be limited in the number of alleys we can repave."
Raman said the "enormous" police expenditures "potentially prevents us from being able to build out an alternative response to nonviolent calls for service which are the majority of 911 calls." Many of those calls, she said, involve homelessness and mental health issues.
Newly-elected Councilmember Imelda Padilla brought up her incarcerated brother as she expressed the need for more investment in social services. But she voted for the contract, reasoning that the council had to address LAPD staffing levels.
"We also need our police officers to do their basic duties, such as helping us clean up encampments that my constituents no longer want to see anymore," Padilla said.
Support for LAist comes from
The first year of the contract with the police union would add $123 million to the LAPD's budget, followed by $75 million in FY '24-25; $91 million in FY '25-26 and another $95 million in FY '26-27. By the last year of the contract, $384 million will have been tacked on to what the city spends annually on police payroll.
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
Heavy rain is expected to fall in the L.A. area between tonight and Thursday. So take your poncho if you're headed to Dodger Stadium. -
First aspiring spectators must register online, then later in 2026 there will be a series of drawings.
-
It's thanks to Tropical Storm Mario, so also be ready for heat and humidity, and possibly thunder and lightning.
-
L.A. Mayor Karen Bass suspended a state law allowing duplexes, calling more housing unsafe. But in Altadena, L.A. County leaders say these projects could be key for rebuilding.
-
L.A. County investigators have launched a probe into allegations about Va Lecia Adams Kellum and people she hired at the L.A. Homeless Services Authority.
-
This measure on the Nov. 4, 2025, California ballot is part of a larger battle for control of the U.S. House of Representatives next year.
![A Black woman sits at a dais with a flag in the background. A name placard in front of her reads: Dr. Va Lecia Adams Kell[um].](https://scpr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/5425437/2147483647/strip/true/crop/6298x3897+0+0/resize/640x396!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fscpr-brightspot.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com%2F76%2F00%2Febed9a7a4fbd9e5ba12997e51d59%2Fgettyimages-1258669633.jpg)
Best of LAist