May 12, 2009 5:16 pm US/Pacific
L.A. Mayor Seeks 1,000 Layoffs Amid Budget Deficit
LOS ANGELES (AP) ―
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has urged the City Council to declare a fiscal emergency and has called for up to 1,000 city workers to be laid off and mandatory furloughs.
Villaraigosa made his pitch to the council on Tuesday, noting that the city faces a $529 million deficit in the budget year that starts July 1. The budget gap could balloon to $1 billion in the next fiscal year.
Under a fiscal emergency, the city could require city workers to take 26 days of unpaid leave without the approval of city employees' unions. Police and firefighters would be exempt.
Barbara Maynard, a spokesman for Coalition of LA City Unions, says the council should "question the integrity" of the emergency declaration because layoffs would cut services and damage the regional economy.
(© 2010 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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