Council agrees to keep hiring LAPD officers despite budget crisis

Five hours into a meeting on Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s proposed budget Monday, the Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously to preserve the mayor’s plan for hiring enough police officers to replace those who resign or retire.

On a 13-0 vote, the council agreed to keep the Los Angeles Police Department at 9,963 sworn officers, the same amount budgeted last year. Those officers will be hired at the same time that the city is shedding thousands of civilian employees to help balance the budget.

So far, 2,400 civilian employees have retired early. An additional 100 have been laid off. And more than 300 have moved into departments that are unaffected by the "general fund" budget crisis, such as the Department of Water and Power.

Councilmen Paul Krekorian and Paul Koretz were absent during the vote. The council still has not decided whether to approve another major component of Villaraigosa’s budget: eliminating 761 civilian jobs, through layoffs if necessary.

Councilman Herb Wesson is pushing an alternative plan to close the budget gap without additional layoffs or furloughs. The unions that represent city employees support Wesson’s plan -– which contains many of their own proposals -- and have been looking for the eight votes that would ensure passage.

More than an hour of Monday’s meeting was devoted to a proposal for closing an animal shelter in the San Fernando Valley. That facility does not serve the public but provides a place for the Department of Animal Services to store certain animals.

The council tabled that proposal, at least for a few hours, after animal officials revealed that at least 2,400 animals could be killed if the Northeast Shelter were closed next year. Councilman Tony Cardenas said he is trying to find other sources of money to keep the facility open.

-- David Zahniser and Phil Willon at Los Angeles City Hall

Photo: L.A. Times Staff

Comments

[Brett Schulte]

I really think we need two tiers of law enforcement not unlike the courtesy officers in many downtown locations. We just don't need every cop armed and trained to the same standards, less expensive patrol officers can always call in for the higher paid armed officers "as needed".

[Paul]

For a while I thought Riordan was crazy suggesting bankruptcy. Now I realize that it's inevitable given this council's inability to tackle the budget problem for fear of what it will mean to their political careers. But before we go bankrupt, taxpayers will have many more services cut. The only thing we'll have left are two police and fire forces (Active and Retired) and trash pick-ups.

[BruceWayne]

Why are the cops and the firemen always the "Sacred Cows" that no one can touch? They are people just like the rest of us, so why are they always put on a pedestal and treated like their above everybody else.

Yeah sure some of them (not all) put their life on the line now and then but just like our military personal, they volunteered for the job as well as getting paid very well to do the job. I just don't get it.

[Steve Rodriguez]

Yes, the LA City Council needs to hire more police to fight the illegal immigrant crime, that they support!!!
God bless Arizona!!!

[meline cortez- musa]

Here we go again. I wonder what kind of mathematics the Mayor and Councilmembers learned in school. Hire more officers - where is the money? Only 30% of total City employees are forced to solve the budget deficit. 1700 employees from the 30% are the ones affected for layoffs. What is inside the heads of our City officials?

The Police Union printed an ad regarding the compressed work schedule of the officers saying that it contributed to sworn employee morale. What it does not include is the vacation days, training days and sick days used and holidays used by each sworn employee. Do research on each officers actual time at work (minus vacation, holiday, training days and sick days taken) and you will see that they are doing actual police work less than 20 days each deployment (28 day cycle) period.

[Curtis Lemanski]

Smaller cities save money by increasing the amount of overtime given to officers and fire fighters. The more public safety employees on the job, the more money the city contributes to their training, uniforms, medical/dental insurance subsidies and let's not forget their pensions.

However, it seems the public and politcians in Los Angeles tend to have salary envy. They don't like seeing officers or fire fighters making $120K-$130K, despite the fact that the salary is earned and not given (remember the Daily New investigative report about LA City Fire and how much some made in overtime). People either forget or just don't care that those public safety employees who made that much were on the clock and working, not just sitting at home collecting a free salary.

[TheBigPicture]

Since Los Angeles is pretty much Gangland...They need to employ as many hired guns as possible...

Get rid of the tree trimmers, keep the hired guns...

[Birdman]

Good to see everyone, including firemen, are sucking wind while cops get away scott free. In hard times everyone shares the burden.

[ashya]

Please stop voting for any elected official who is endorsed by any union. The unions are a big part of our financial problem in the city and state. The money unions use to donate to campaigns should be used toward their retirement funds, salaries, and all those other benefits they have for a job not so well done. The CalPERS retirement fund structure should be dismantled and converted to 401k's manged by each individual employee like it is done in the private sector. I do not understand why we are responsible for these unrealistic demands when the chances of finding a job with the same type of benefits package in the private sector are not that great. If we all seek city and state government jobs who will then pay for all these benefits? CA is a Greece in the making it is time to get some leadership that will enforce our laws and stand up to these gangs/unions. It is obvious our City Council has sold out to the unions and illegal immigration, not to mention the constant increase in fees and taxes. Every bill you pay have increased fees and taxes this is in addition to the highest sales tax (9.75%) in the country (with the worst and unprofessional service) and all this money is constantly mismanaged and unaccounted for. I wonder if our Mayor will be collecting a check from the Calderon while he is in Washington because it appears that our city, state, and country is for sale to the highest bidder.