With Los Angeles facing budget challenges brought on in part by $289 million in overspending, a City Council committee voted unanimously Wednesday to continue discussions on a plan to eliminate nearly 2,000 vacant positions across a range of departments.
The three-member Personnel, Audits and Hiring Committee noted that the list of vacant positions is expected to be published alongside Mayor Karen Bass’ proposed 2024-25 budget, which should be announced later this month. Councilman Tim McOsker, who chairs the committee, instructed staff to bring back the list at its next meeting so members can review it in detail.
“I think it’s really important for us to know that should we eliminate positions, whether it’s one position or 2,000 positions — while it’s real for those departments, it also puts us inextricably on a course where we are going to spend less on something,” McOsker said prior to the vote.
“It is important to make sure that we are funding our departments in a way that is rational, sustainable and structurally sound,” he added.
City Administrative Officer Matt Szabo told the panel that the plan is an attempt to cover $289 million in overspending, below-planned revenues and new labor contracts.
The city previously implemented a “critical hiring prioritization” plan, placing a freeze on most vacant positions unless deemed high-need. Officials are now working on a plan to eliminate nearly 2,000 of those vacant positions, which could save $155.6 million to the general fund and about $7.3 million to other special funds, according to Szabo.
Szabo had also previously recommended city officials draw $86.6 million from the city’s reserve fund — an account to ensure the city continues operations during certain emergencies — to reduce the deficit.
“Taking these risks together, we conclude that unless conditions improve, the reserve fund will drop below the 5% policy minimum by the end of this fiscal year for only the second time in…
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