Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is set to announce the results of labor negotiations, which included an agreement to avoid layoffs in the city’s fiscal year 2025-2026 budget.
Bass signed a spending plan for the city of Los Angeles last June.
The spending plan came together with the city facing with a roughly $1 billion deficit in the upcoming fiscal year. The council gave its second and final approval of the budget last week, which was sent to Bass for her to either approve or veto the plan. It addresses financial constraints and reduces proposed layoffs in an early draft.
Bass touted the following features of the budget, which she called “balanced”:
- Restoration of more than 1,000 city positions at risk of layoff to ensure delivery of vital services like pothole repair, traffic management, positions that support future housing development and more;
- New investments in the Los Angeles Fire Department with more positions, funding for more paramedics and other resources;
- All sworn officers and firefighters are funded;
- Continued funding for 911 emergency dispatchers to lower wait times;
- Protection for homeless funding;
- Resources to continue driving the recovery from the Palisades Fire;
- Library, Recreation and Park facility hours maintained.
- Support for capital infrastructure projects including LA Convention Center, Sepulveda Basin improvements and recreation facilities in the San Fernando Valley and South LA;
- All positions preserved for the Emergency Management Department with a priority to expand with future funding;
- Continued funding for RepresentLA to provide legal representation to Angelenos;
- Funding to keep all animal shelters open and add strategic additional staffing support.
The proposed fiscal year 2025-2026 budget was released after the mayor addressed a wide range of challenges facing Los Angeles, including wildfire recovery, in her address to LA City Hall.
The roughly $14 billion budget plan was approved by City Council, allowing for the preservation of some basic services and the saving of 1,000 jobs.
The proposal represented an 8.2% increase over the 2024-2025 municipal budget.