LAPD Union And Mayor Garcetti Announce Tentative Deal To Delay Raises And Avoid Layoffs

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and the union representing LAPD officers said Tuesday evening they have reached a tentative deal to delay contracted raises in future fiscal years. But the deal will not help bridge the city of L.A.'s estimated $675 million budget gap for the current fiscal year.

If ratified by rank-and-file members, the agreement would eliminate the possibility of 355 officer layoffs. A recent report from the LAPD indicated those cuts would eliminate some specialized patrols in Venice, Hollywood and near USC

The Los Angeles Police Protective League said the plan includes deferring raises that had been scheduled to take effect in January (3%) and June (1.5%) of 2022 until 2023. Last year, the union declined to put off a 3.25% pay raise that took effect last month, which would have helped with the city's current fiscal crisis.

Under the agreement, the city also commits to not laying off any officers this fiscal year, which ends June 30, and to paying out a minimum of $70 million in officer overtime in each of the next three years.

In December, city budget analysts recommended laying off close to a thousand Los Angeles police officers to help the city dig itself out of the budget hole created by the loss of tax revenue due to COVID-19 and its effect on the economy.

The City Council approved across-the-board cuts to department budgets and other last-ditch actions such as borrowing to pay for daily operations, a first in the city's history. Civilian worker and firefighter unions heeded calls from city leaders and Mayor Garcetti to pitch in, agreeing last month to extend contracts and defer raises to help the city scrape by. Before Tuesday’s announcement, the Protective League had spurned calls to come to the bargaining table.

Our news is free on LAist. To make sure you get our coverage: Sign up for our daily newsletters. To support our non-profit public service journalism: Donate Now.