Watch CBS News

Proposed Villaraigosa Budget To Include Furloughs

LOS ANGELES (CBS) — Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa Wednesday is expected to release a proposed $6.9 billion budget in which city employees will get more than a month of furlough days per year.

Podcast

KNX 1070's Bill Cooper reports.

In an effort to close a nearly $457 million deficit, the mayor is calling for 26 furlough days for city workers who will not get cost-of-living raises as part of their contracts, and 36 days for employees scheduled to get raises.

The Coalition of City Unions worked out a tentative deal with the city in March to avoid furloughs. In exchange, coalition members, which account for about 60 percent of city workers, would begin contributing 4 percent of their salaries to retirement health care and defer their cost of living raises until the end of their contracts in 2014.

Union members are reportedly voting on the agreement now with the Coalition expected to release the tally April 26.

Villaraigosa's proposed budget is expected to set aside funds to fill nearly 300,000 potholes and calls for the restoration of public library hours. The mayor is also expected to announce a new redeployment plan for the Los Angeles Fire Department that aims at saving money by matching the department's response focus to the city's needs.

Over the past several years, Villaraigosa has trimmed nearly $1 billion in spending from the city's budget and eliminated about 4,000 mostly unfilled city positions, according to the Mayor's Office.

(©2011 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.