Faced with shrinking revenue and growing labor costs in Los Angeles, Mayor Karen Bass presented a stark budget Monday that lowers funding for her signature homelessness initiative and reduces the authorized strength of the police force — in part because of recruiting problems.
Bass also proposed eliminating more than 2,100 city jobs, most of them already vacant, including hundreds in the city’s Park and Recreation Department.
The mayor’s $12.8 billion spending plan is for the fiscal year that begins July 1, and represents a 2.3% reduction from the current fiscal year’s budget of $13.1 billion.
The City Council, which must approve it, will consider her proposal in the coming weeks.
Bass said her plan addresses the needs of Angelenos, and she said her budget comes “amidst national, state and local economic uncertainty driven by broad economic trends and the coming national election.”
“This budget continues our momentum toward change by prioritizing core city services,” the mayor said.
L.A.’s Chief Administrative Officer Matt Szabo said sales, hotel and property taxes were projected to grow at a paltry 1% in the coming year largely because of higher interest rates and rising inflation.
Proposed LA Budget Reduces Spending On Homelessness Program, Eliminates Vacant Jobs
Szabo called eliminating vacant jobs “the essential component” to balancing the budget, saving approximately $180 million.
“The mayor’s proposed budget provides a path to absorb sluggish revenue and rising costs and it puts the city on…
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