L.A. City Council Votes To Eliminate 3,000 Jobs

The Los Angeles City Council, facing a $212-million budget deficit, voted Thursday to eliminate 3,000 city jobs. These cuts are in addition to Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s mandate to cut 1,000 jobs by July 1 to close a budget gap in next year’s budget.

The council passed the measure on a 9-3 vote. City officials say the layoffs could be minimized if the unions that represent city workers agreed to pay cuts. That doesn’t appear likely at the moment, as an attorney for a coalition that represents 22,000 city workers told the Associated Press the council should have looked at increasing revenue and trimming expenses before ordering pay cuts.