Bankrupt San Bernardino Plans To Eliminate More Than 100 City Workers
SAN BERNARDINO (CBSLA.com) — The San Bernardino City Council Tuesday planned to eliminate more than 100 city jobs in order to trim a more than $45 million budget shortfall.
The council asked nine city department heads to make the cuts that would potentially erase more than 30 percent, or $22 million, off of the deficit.
Interim City Manager Andrea Travis-Miller said the budget cuts are necessary before going to bankruptcy court.
"If we do not make the cuts…we are losing about $120,000 a day," she said.
Some councilmembers think it would be cost efficient to close the San Bernardino police and fire departments and pay the county to provide those services.
Many city workers, like sanitation worker Matthew Briones, fear their jobs will be outsourced and their careers will be over.
"My understanding is if they sell us, we're not guaranteed a job with the company that picks up," Briones said.
