Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa announced on Wednesday that a projected multimillion-U.S. dollar deficit would probably lead to many layoffs among city employees.
"In order to maintain our commitment to expanding public safety and providing essential city services, it is only prudent to prepare ourselves for the tough actions which may be necessary in the budget ahead," Villaraigosa said.
He said the planned layoffs would be inevitable as department heads were trying to reduce the projected multimillion-dollar deficit in the next fiscal year.
The Personnel Department was preparing for workers to be displaced or fired by updating the work history of all city employees, he said. Those records are expected to be completed by April 7.
The mayor's office said it was too soon to speculate on how many employees may be impacted.
Workers who are targeted in the layoffs may not actually be fired. Under the City Charter, the person with the least seniority in a particular position will be "suspended." Suspended workers can then displace employees who have the same classification but less experience.
The city is facing a projected 155-million-dollar deficit in the fiscal year which ends June 30, and a 300-million-dollar to 500-million-dollar deficit in 2008-09. The deficit is the result of lower-than-anticipated revenue from sales taxes, the taxes from the sale of residential and commercial property and the suspension of anticipated reimbursements from the state.
There are 25,000 civilian employees in City Council-controlled departments, which excludes the airport, harbor and water and power departments.
The city's 9,700 sworn police officers and roughly 3,000 firefighters will not be subjected to layoffs.
"Fundamentally, a budget is a statement of values, and in tough times we need to focus on our core mission as a city," Villaraigosa said. "LA is the most under-policed big city in America, and I am committed to putting cops on the street."
Barbara Maynard, speaking for the Coalition of L.A. City Unions, which represents about 22,000 city employees, said union representatives have been working with the city to avoid layoffs.
The unions cannot stop the city from moving forward with layoffs. However, union officials must be consulted on the impacts those firings will have on employees.
City employees have not been subjected to layoffs since 1983.
Source:Xinhua
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