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.
LAPD chief: Proposed cuts to non-police staff could hurt department and public safety
LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell warned that eliminating more than 400 civilian Police Department employees would endanger public safety.
(
Frank Stoltze
/
LAist
)
The Los Angeles police chief warned members of the City Council on Wednesday that the mayor's proposal to lay off more than 400 civilian workers in the department represents a “staggering” reduction to the workforce and would endanger public safety.
Those who would be laid off include criminologists, forensic scientists and crime scene photographers, said Chief Jim McDonnell, who spoke to the council’s Budget and Finance Committee.
Mayor Karen Bass has proposed laying off 1,647 city employees as part of her plan to address a nearly $1 billion shortfall facing the city for the fiscal year that starts July 1. The most layoffs would come from the Police Department — 15.2% non-sworn employees, for a total of 403.
Support for LAist comes from
What the chief said
"These professionals undergo years of specialized training and their expertise is irreplaceable,” McDonnell said. “Eliminating or slowing this work will delay justice for victims and allow dangerous offenders to stay on the streets longer than they should.”
The chief said Wednesday that if the mayor’s plan is approved by the council, he would be forced to backfill some civilian jobs with uniformed police officers. He said 133 of the civilian jobs are so specialized that they could not be backfilled.
Reactions from councilmembers
Councilmember Ted McOsker, who represents District 15, which includes San Pedro, said pulling officers from the streets would be “disastrous” and would “effectively cripple” the Police Department. McOsker, a member of the budget committee, suggested recruiting fewer officers and using the money to keep the civilian workers.
Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez of northeast L.A.'s District 1 asked the department for more information on how it operates its fleet of 17 helicopters and how money might be saved there.
What’s next
The Budget and Finance Committee is in the midst of a series of hearings on the mayor’s proposed budget. The next one is scheduled for Thursday at 1 p.m. at City Hall.
Support for LAist comes from
Find the committee's agenda here.
The full council will take up the budget in about a month.
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
-
The critical findings are part of long-awaited after-action report was released Thursday. It contains recommendations for increasing emergency staffing and updating old systems. -
Diving has changed, mountain biking has been added. Here's where to watch the Olympics in person in 2028. -
'A Great Day in the Stoke' is a free, daylong event in Orange County billed as 'the largest gathering of Black surfers in history.' The fourth annual festival is set for Saturday in Huntington Beach. -
Kimmel returned less than a week after ABC suspended his show over comments he made about the assassination of right wing activist Charlie Kirk. -
Southern California might see some light rain tonight into Wednesday morning. After that, cooler weather is on the way, but expect the humidity to remain. -
A gate tax at Disney? It's a possibility.
Best of LAist