Most departments in Los Angeles would be shut down every other Friday to accommodate workers' furloughs as a result of the economic crisis, city officials said on Thursday.

The move would save the city 100 million dollars, according to the Los Angeles City Council.

Police officers and firefighters would not be impacted by the plan, nor would the Department of Water and Power, Port of Los Angeles and Los Angeles International Airport, the council said.

Libraries, the zoo and some city council offices may remain open on those days, and sanitation workers would continue to pick up garbage throughout the city.

City Council President Eric Garcetti said the goal is to cluster furloughs within offices or city buildings to achieve additional savings by shutting off utilities for the day.

The plan will take effect July 1, which is the start of the fiscal year.

"We have to balance the budget responsibly on July 1 with real money, not projected money," Garcetti said. "We hope to lessen the number of layoffs and/or furloughs with ongoing discussions with unions, but we don't have an option.

"Mid-month, this month we have to move forward with this otherwise we endanger our fiscal rating, which has a larger impact on services for Angelenos."

Earlier this week, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa signed the city's seven- billion-dollar budget, which included 1,200 layoffs.

City officials plan to partially reduce the city's 530-million-dollar deficit through unpaid days and layoffs.

Further financial difficulties for Los Angeles could be on the horizon as the state looks to withhold 120 million to 180 million dollars in money owed to the city, Garcetti said.

"We hope that discussions with our organizing units and unions can avoid (additional layoffs). We all agree that is the last option we want," Garcetti said.

After four hours of closed-door talks Wednesday night, council members instructed the city administrative officer to meet with union representatives and lay out a furlough implementation plan that would shut down most city offices every other Friday.

Obtaining union approval of the furlough plan is expected to be difficult.

Barbara Maynard of the Coalition of L.A. City Unions, which represents 22,000 employees, said the "unilateral implementation of furloughs violates the spirit of cooperation that we have built with the city leaders and is an illegal change in pay and hours."

"The furlough plan initiated by City Council amounts to a 10 percent cut in workers' pay and in every city service, from public safety to children's programs to libraries," Maynard said. "It is bad budgeting, bad for workers and bad for everyone in Los Angeles."

Source:Xinhua