Name: 'Horrific': LA City Council Gets An Earful About Mayor Garcetti's Pared-Down Proposed Budget
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'Horrific': LA City Council Gets An Earful About Mayor Garcetti's Pared-Down Proposed Budget

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Support for LAist comes fromWe Explain L.A.Stay ConnectedLAist is part of Southern California Public Radio (SCPR), a member-supported public media network. Hear our news on-air at our partner site:Our top stories delivered weeknightsShare ThisThis is an archival story that predates current editorial management.This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click.Stories like these are only possible with your help!You have the power to keep local news strong for the coming months. Your financial support today keeps our reporters ready to meet the needs of our city. Thank you for investing in your community.Sign up for How To LA, delivered weekday mornings.Our news is free on LAist. To make sure you get our coverage: . To support our nonprofit public service journalism: Donate now.The L.A. City Council heard from dozens of people opposed to Mayor Garcetti's proposed 2020-21 budget Wednesday as members weighed the plan, which is filled with cuts for city departments and furloughs for roughly 16,000 civilian city workers. The plan "does not reflect the values of Los Angelenos," said Izzy Rojas, a caller during the council's public comment period, which these days are done by phone. "Right now...you have a moral imperative to provide services that keep people housed and healthy...not to allocate more money to policing those people," Rojas said.Support for LAist comes fromIn response to COVID-19 decimating tax revenues, last month Garcetti released a budget with slated to take effect when the new fiscal year begins July 1. (A large chunk of L.A.'s rainy day fund was already swallowed up to cover the shortfall from the coronavirus crisis for the current year.)The cuts include:Sanitation workers, firefighters and uniformed police officers were spared from furloughs. But most civilian city workers will face a 10% pay cut. There's also a hard freeze on hiring that will carry over into the new budget year.Callers objecting to the austerity measures in the mayor's budget filled phone lines and prompted Council President Nury Martinez to extend the comment period. Many callers echoed Black Lives Matter organizer Melina Abdullah who said she was "outraged" that Garcetti's plan boosts spending on the city's police and fire departments, while imposing belt-tightening on social programs."It increases the LAPD budget at a time when crime is down," Abdullah said. "When funds are most needed for things like housing, for things like good jobs for our people, for things like mental health resources."A big point of contention: the city had already put itself in a tight financial spot because it negotiated pay raises for police, fire, and other city employees after the council adopted last year's budget. Those increases in spending wiped out projected surpluses -- something critics say set L.A. up for fiscal trouble before coronavirus appeared and stalled the economy. An October projected $200-400 million in deficits in the coming years, and city department managers were asked to be on the hunt for savings. Nithya Raman, a candidate for L.A. City Council District 4 running against incumbent David Ryu, pointed out the cost of the pay bumps on Twitter.All of the proposed cuts to services total $230 million. LAPD officer pay is simultaneously being increased by $144 million.If officers were to receive the same pay they did last year, we could be saved from two-thirds of the cuts.— Nithya Raman (@nithyavraman)During Wednesday's meeting, caller Kim Isaac called the proposed budget "horrific."Support for LAist comes from"We are in the middle of a pandemic. People need services," she said. "We don't need more money for the police." WHAT'S NEXT? With the mayor's budget on the table, the ball's now in the city council's court. The Budget and Finance Committee -- but so far, as the pandemic continues, this process is moving along without the usual number of hearings. City departments submitted comments in writing instead of presenting to the committee.L.A.'s revenue problems could get much worse before they get better. Garcetti's proposal is probably overly optimistic about when tax dollars will be flowing again, according to estimates from the Office of Finance, which projects revenues could be lower by an additional $45 to $400 million in fiscal year 2020-21. , published Tuesday, recommends the council adopt the mayor's budget as is, without any spending cuts restored.Last month, Garcettiwho hosts our newsroom's public affairs show AirTalk on 89.3 KPCC, the council will likely have to meet regularly to update the spending plan."This will be the most dynamic budget I think we've ever had," Garcetti said then. "We'll probably be reassessing it every two or three weeks."Federal reimbursements, new stimulus spending, state money, and changes in the timeline for reopening major parts of the economy would all affect the city's financial situation, the mayor noted.On Thursday, the CAO and Chief Legislative Analyst their findings on Garcetti's budget and its impact on the city.

Support for LAist comes fromWe Explain L.A.Stay ConnectedLAist is part of Southern California Public Radio (SCPR), a member-supported public media network. Hear our news on-air at our partner site:Our top stories delivered weeknightsShare ThisThis is an archival story that predates current editorial management.This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial...

'Horrific': LA City Council Gets An Earful About Mayor Garcetti's Pared-Down Proposed Budget

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