April 3, 2025 #1 Local News, Information and Event Source for the Century City/Westwood areas.

Los Angeles Council Sends Revised $8.1 Billion Budget to Mayor

Los Angeles
Los Angeles CIty Council News on WestsideToday.com (Thinkstock)

The Los Angeles City Council unanimously approved on May 27 an $8.1 billion spending plan for the 2014-15 fiscal year.

The budget, which would take effect July 1, will be forwarded to Mayor Eric Garcetti for his signature.

The council last week signed off on a package of revisions to Garcetti’s original budget proposal, including $10 million in additional funding for the fire department.

Together with Garcetti’s own proposal to hire 140 more firefighters and rebuild the fire department, the extra $10 million approved by council would bring the LAFD’s budget to $572 million – $22 million above its previous year’s budget.

The added fire spending, which would be funded using short-term reserves and anticipated higher revenue projections, includes $3.65 million to replace fire safety equipment, $3.5 million to hold an extra firefighter recruit training class and $3.34 million to keep 11 more ambulances on the streets for six months.

Councilman Paul Krekorian, who chairs the Budget and Finance Committee, said last week the expanded fire budget was “a huge step forward.”

He added that the mayor’s budget also calls for funding to keep police ranks at the same level and starts to “pay down some of the long-term obligation for police overtime.”

“The first priority is public safety,” Krekorian said. “We’ve made big steps in that direction, but we still have a long way to go.”

Eight city attorneys would be hired for nine months under another council-backed proposal. The added $622,424 would pay salaries for five attorneys to work in the neighborhood prosecutor program and three to handle enforcement of Proposition D, the voter-approved measure restricting the number of medical marijuana dispensaries in Los Angeles.

The council also included an additional $5 million for bulky item pick-up service, $2.1 million to maintaining medians and $1 million for graffiti abatement, but nixed Garcetti’s proposal to hire 50 part-time traffic officers using $915,750.

The mayor’s office estimated the officers would issue traffic and parking citations that would bring in $3 million in revenue, but the council decided instead to spend $207,207 to hire five full-time officers to provide traffic control at congested intersections.

The city would still be hiring an additional 17 already budgeted part-time officers to issue citations that, according to council estimates, would bring in $2.29 million for the city.

Garcetti’s budget proposal includes $20 million for sidewalk repairs, expanded library hours and $14.8 million in funding to keep police ranks at 10,000.

His spending plan, released in April, proposes to bridge a projected shortfall of $242 million in fiscal year 2014-15 with the help of better-than-expected returns from taxes; savings on employee pensions and benefits; the elimination of vacant positions that equal 46 full-time jobs; grants and surplus funds; and, the city’s reserves.

The budget also assumes city employees will agree to go without raises and pay 10 percent of their health-care premiums, but negotiations with city employee unions are still ongoing.

Krekorian warned that without those agreements, services could be “adversely impacted,” and the city may need to dip into its reserves, which would hurt the city’s “credit-worthiness.”

The budget proposal includes putting away 5.5 percent, or $282 million, into reserves in the fiscal year that begins July 1.

Council President Herb Wesson called city employee concessions a “very important piece to our budget.”

“It’s not something that’s going to be done next week, but it’s something that the mayor’s office and the council is focused on trying to make sure happens,” he said.

The city four years ago projected a $1.1 billion deficit for the 2014-15 fiscal year, but steps to cut services and reform pension costs helped eliminate that gap, Krekorian said.

The city is “on the road to begin restoring services and to begin having a stronger economy in Los Angeles,” he said.

But Krekorian and other council members stressed that more still needs to be done despite the city’s continued recovery from the 2008 economic crisis, which forced cuts in services and worker layoffs.

“We’re basically focusing on how to do more with less, and how to be more efficient. That’s the direction we’re trying to move in,” Wesson said.

The Fix L.A. Coalition, a group made up of city employees and Los Angeles residents, issued a statement saying the city needs to act more “aggressively” to cut spending on deals with Wall Street banks — deals the group contends have cost the city millions of dollars a year.

The coalition contends a deal with Bank of NY Mellon and Dexia Group has led to the city being unfairly charged more than $60 million over the past five years. The city stands to lose another $70 million if nothing is done, the coalition said.

The adopted budget is “a step in the right direction,” but still a “far cry” from being able to “address our neglected neighborhoods, shrinking middle class and, for many whose access to public services has declined, a sharply diminished quality of life,” according to the coalition.

Related Posts

Scoop Dreams Come True: Van Leeuwen Launches New Beverly Hills Shop

April 3, 2025

April 3, 2025

Van Leeuwen’s Beverly Hills Opening Comes With Sweet Perks Van Leeuwen Ice Cream, a New York City-born brand celebrated for...

WeHo’s WeHappy Wednesdays Serve Up Big Discounts In Addition to Zero Parking Fees

April 3, 2025

April 3, 2025

Free Parking and $5 Cocktails? WeHo Makes Wednesdays Worth It The City of West Hollywood and the West Hollywood Chamber...

Saijo Hand Roll Rolls into Culver City with Premium Japanese Ingredients

April 2, 2025

April 2, 2025

Binchotan-Fired Perfection: Saijo Rolls Out Premium Sushi in West LA A new destination for hand rolls and Japanese culinary craftsmanship...

(Video) Check Out Bernie’s, a New Pop Up at Citizen Public Market in Culver City

April 2, 2025

April 2, 2025

Made with fresh frozen fruit and a toasted merengue topping these flavors are irresistible. The pop up will be at...

From Cocktails to Coffee: U.S. Tariffs Threaten Imports, Jobs, and Your Grocery Bill

April 2, 2025

April 2, 2025

Major Price Hikes Expected for Coffee, Wine, Chocolate, and Butter  A sweeping new set of tariffs announced by former President...

Levain Bakery to Open Venice Location with Special Guests and Charitable Twist

April 2, 2025

April 2, 2025

Bigger Than a Cookie: Levain’s Venice Opening Is a Flavorful Fundraiser Levain Bakery, the cult-favorite cookie destination founded in New...

LAX Airport Server Finds Hate-Filled Message From Unidentified Diners

April 2, 2025

April 2, 2025

Waiter Says He Was Stunned by the Message Left by Customers Guillermo Ortiz, who works at Planet Hollywood inside the...

Sunset Strip Staple Le Petit Four Shuts Down After Landlord Pulls the Plug

April 2, 2025

April 2, 2025

End of an Era: Le Petit Four Forced to Close in West Hollywood In a stunning reversal to the upbeat...

Metro LA Pushes Back Sepulveda Transit Community Meetings

April 2, 2025

April 2, 2025

Environmental Review Delay Prompts Metro to Reschedule  Metro announced that community meetings scheduled for early April to discuss the Sepulveda...

WeHo Unveils ‘WeHappy Wednesdays’ to Support Shops and Restaurants

April 2, 2025

April 2, 2025

New West Hollywood Plan Makes Midweek Outings Easier and Cheaper In a bid to boost foot traffic and economic recovery...

County Board Approves New Homeless Agency, Redirecting Millions from Existing System

April 2, 2025

April 2, 2025

With Billions on the Line, LA County Moves to Centralize Homeless Response Los Angeles County is making a dramatic shift...

Put the Phone Down: LAPD and CHP Targets Distracted Drivers in April Crackdown

April 1, 2025

April 1, 2025

Hands-Free Law Violations Could Now Cost You More Than Just a Fine Throughout April, the Los Angeles Police Department will...

Kim Delaney, Partner Cleared After Weekend Arrest in Marina del Rey

April 1, 2025

April 1, 2025

Emmy-Winning Actress and Partner James Morgan Released Kim Delaney, the Emmy-winning actress recognized for her roles in NYPD Blue and...

(Video) Spending an Afternoon at Pacific Park on the Santa Monica Pier

April 1, 2025

April 1, 2025

Go To Pacpark.com For Tickets and More Information. Go To https://t.co/HneRcysYh5 For Tickets and More Information. #amusementpark #rides #rollercoaster #summer...

Matū Kai to Debut in Brentwood With Grass Fed Wagyu and Global Flair This Week

April 1, 2025

April 1, 2025

Farm-To-Fork Beef, Wood-Fired Flavors, and Sustainability Meet on San Vicente The team behind Beverly Hills’ acclaimed steakhouse Matū will soon...