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The Sherman Oaks Neighborhood Council in session | Zach Behrens/LAist
The Sherman Oaks Neighborhood Council in session | Zach Behrens/LAist In a continuing effort to solve Los Angeles' massive budget deficit, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa announced the consolidation of two city departments, which would save the city $2 million annually with the elimination of 27 positions. The Department of Neighborhood Empowerment, which oversees neighborhood councils, will be combined with the Community Development Department. “The consolidation effort will not only create cost savings, but will serve to take the bureaucracy out of community empowerment,” Villaraigosa said in a statement. “This consolidation is an opportunity to create the volunteer opportunities that engage communities and foster participation in our neighborhoods.”
The move, which may be controversial to some, must be approved by the city council. Los Angeles currently has around $212 million budget shortfall with an expected $485 million deficit next fiscal year. Other recent cost-saving moves have included a plan to eliminate 4,000 positions and two city departments. The full press release is below:
MAYOR VILLARAIGOSA CONTINUES COMMITMENT TO BALANCING BUDGET WITH CONSOLIDATION OF TWO CITY DEPARTMENTS
The consolidation of the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment and the
Community Development Department will eliminate 27 positions and
approximately save $2 million annually
LOS ANGELES - Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa today continued his
commitment to balancing the City’s budget and announced the
consolidation of the Community Development Department and Department of
Neighborhood Empowerment. If approved by the City Council, the newly
consolidated department—Department of Community Development/Department
of Neighborhood Empowerment—will eliminate 27 positions, approximately
save $2 million annually, and reduce the total number of City
departments and general managers.
“The consolidation effort will not only create cost savings, but will
serve to take the bureaucracy out of community empowerment,” said
Mayor Villaraigosa. “This consolidation is an opportunity to create
the volunteer opportunities that engage communities and foster
participation in our neighborhoods.”
The Mayor ordered the consolidation of the Department of Neighborhood
Empowerment and the Community Development Department as a means to
maintain the necessary support for the City’s 90 Neighborhood Councils
while minimizing general fund cost. The consolidation has allowed the
City to rethink certain functions, automate others, and provide the
Neighborhood Councils with a more efficient entity that works to better
address the needs of the communities they serve.
Complementing the CDD’s long tradition of community service and
organization of volunteers, the newly consolidated CDD/DONE will issue
Requests for Proposals to support training programs, funding program
oversight and other functions essential to fostering community
involvement in our City’s Neighborhood Councils. Furthering
efficiency, the Board of Neighborhood Commissioners will be supported by
CDD resources.
As part of the consolidation, the Mayor has nominated current Community
Development Department General Manager, Richard Benbow, to head the new
Department of Community Development and Neighborhood Empowerment. As a
consequence, current General Manager of the Department of Neighborhood
Empowerment, BongHwan Kim, will step down. (Departure Letter attached.)
On February 4, 2010, the Mayor instructed City Department Heads to
immediately begin the process of eliminating 1,000 filled General Fund
positions and to the extent possible, transfer personnel from these
positions to Special Fund vacancies. This expedited effort has resulted
in close to 200 transfers thus far.
In response to the City’s credit rating being downgraded, the Council
moved to approve the elimination of an additional 3,000 positions. As
Chief Executive Officer, the Mayor is instructing all department heads
to begin the process of targeting these additional positions for
elimination. The identification of positions will be under the guidance
and direction of the Mayor’s office and in coordination with the City
Administrative Officer (CAO). The Mayor’s proposed Fiscal Year
2010-11 budget will serve as the comprehensive report detailing the
position eliminations requested by the City Council.
Fentanyl and other drugs fuel record deaths among people experiencing homelessness in L.A. County. From 2019 to 2021, deaths jumped 70% to more than 2,200 in a single year.
