The Los Angeles City Council will host a public hearing Wednesday for residents to weigh in on amendments to Mayor Karen Bass’ proposed $13.9 billion budget for fiscal year 2025-26.
The council’s five-member Budget and Finance Committee has finalized its review of the spending plan, and made recommendations to prioritize funds and dramatically reduce the number of proposed layoffs as the city grapples with a roughly $1 billion deficit.
Wednesday will be the final day residents can give a comment on the spending plan in person. Elected officials are expected to vote on the amended spending plan Thursday.
Residents can also provide written comments online at cityclerk.lacity.org/publiccomment, using council file No. 25-0600.
In April, Bass released her proposed spending plan, calling for 1,647 layoffs and the elimination of 1,053 vacant positions. Workforce reductions are intended to help address the $1 billion deficit caused by overspending, costly liability payouts, lower tax revenues, labor contracts and fire recovery, among other challenges.
Those potential layoffs would impact several departments including sanitation, transportation, street lighting and others.
Last week, the committee advanced a list of measures to reduce layoffs and also preserve core city services. Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky, chair of the budget committee, said of the proposal that it would reduce layoffs by more than half.
Chief Legislative Analyst Sharon Tso, whose office led efforts on these revisions, added, “I think we’re going to be able to truly get that number down to less than 500.”
Among the recommendations is a call for a reduction in sworn hiring in the Los Angeles Police Department to 240 recruits in six classes of 40, from a proposed 480 recruits in 12 classes of 40, which would result in a savings of $13.31 million. City officials expect to restore 133 or more LAPD civilian positions of 403 jobs on the chopping block. Those restorations include specialized jobs for investigations.
The committee also recommended not to fund a new homelessness unit within the Los Angeles Fire Department.
Overall, the fire department is poised to see a $46.7 million increase to its operational budget next fiscal year compared to the 2024-25 fiscal year. The department would also receive an increase of $29.1 million, totaling $75.8 million overall, as a result of funding from what is known as MICLA for the replacement of fire-fighting helicopters, according to City Administrative Officer Matt Szabo.
The $29.1 million is on top of some $59 million of MICLA funding for fire vehicles and apparatus, Szabo noted.
The committee authorized a transfer of $5 million from the unappropriated balance fund to the Department of Animal Services, restoring 62 positions and maintaining current service levels across all six city-operated animal shelters.
The proposal would restore funding and position authority for the following:
— 22 positions in the Information Technology Agency;
— 77 positions in the Department of General Services for building maintenance, custodial services, fleet services and building decarbonization;
— 108 positions in the Department of City Planning;
— 63 positions in the Bureau of Sanitation, and funding for five days of CARE/CARE+ services to all Council Districts, and another 43 positions in the bureau to address illegal dumping;
— 67 positions in the Bureau of Engineering;
— 122 positions in the Department of Transportation, including 75 traffic officers; and
— 130 positions in the Department of Recreation and Parks.
Once the City Council formally votes and revises the budget, it will head back to Bass for her consideration.
The city is expected to finalize its budget by the end of the month, but has until the start of the next fiscal year in July to do so.