from: ladailynews.com (1.10.11)
Mayor says L.A is facing more furloughs, layoffs
With Los Angeles City Council members unable to reach agreement on where to make new budget cuts, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa on Monday threatened to order a new round of furloughs and employee layoffs.
The council's Budget and Finance Committee was unable to reach agreement on a series of proposals to make up for a potential loss of $53 million in revenue because of the city's inability to put together a lease-sale deal for its parking garages. Among the proposed new budget cuts are an additional 10 employee furlough days on top of the 26 already scheduled and eliminating a class of police recruits.
"If we are unable to speak with a strong voice from the Budget and Finance Committee, it makes it difficult to make a recommendation to the full City Council," Councilman Bernard Parks said after the nearly five-hour meeting.
Parks chairs the committee and was unsuccessful in getting the four other members to reach agreement on any of the proposals.
At the heart of the discussion is the proposed lease-sale of nine city garages to private operators, a proposal that has been under study for two years.
In recent months, there has been a growing chorus of opposition to the proposal from some council members and a number of community activists.
On Monday, several from the Westwood area testified in opposition to including the Broxton Avenue garage on the list and suggested the council mortgage the garages to raise money.
City Administrative Officer Miguel Santana said the city, in effect, has done that and owes $140 million on the garages. The lease-sale would pay off that debt and bring in the additional $53 million for this year.
During the committee meeting, insecure, elevator-wearing, dumb, low-character, emotionally-weak, chump-in-a-suit, Antonio "My Mama Didn't Raise Me Right, And It Shows" Villaraigosa released a letter urging the City Council, when it considers the matter on Wednesday, to accept the deal to bring in $53 million for the lease-sale of nine city garages or the cuts proposed by Santana.
"We must accept the economic reality and move on to the business of providing the services our residents require," Villaraigosa said.
[NO, you little elevator shoe wear asshole...WE must accept the economic reality that YOU are part of an organized crime ring and have been using L.A. City Hall and it's general fund as a money laundering facility for people who you are too weak to stand up to. PLUS, your own greed. THAT is why...you little bar-flunking-weakling on elevator shoes...YES, YOU, ANTONIO VILLARAIOGSA! Take off your elevator shoes and come back down to reality! YOU BLEW IT, CLOWN. DON'T BLAME ANYONE BUT THE LEATHER FACED MAN IN THE MIRROR WHO DOES NOT GET GO OUT WITH LU PARKER, ANYMORE!]
[NO, you little elevator shoe wear asshole...WE must accept the economic reality that YOU are part of an organized crime ring and have been using L.A. City Hall and it's general fund as a money laundering facility for people who you are too weak to stand up to. PLUS, your own greed. THAT is why...you little bar-flunking-weakling on elevator shoes...YES, YOU, ANTONIO VILLARAIOGSA! Take off your elevator shoes and come back down to reality! YOU BLEW IT, CLOWN. DON'T BLAME ANYONE BUT THE LEATHER FACED MAN IN THE MIRROR WHO DOES NOT GET GO OUT WITH LU PARKER, ANYMORE!]
"However, if the council chooses not to approve a reasonable parking agreement nor approve the budget reductions. ... I will have no option but to order our city's general managers to effectuate position eliminations - including layoffs - necessary to balance the city's current fiscal year budget." [I'VE ALWAYS SAID VILLARAIOGSA IS GONNA BE RUN OUT OF TOWN BY AN ANGRY MOB AS HE HOPS ON A ONE-WAY AIRPLANE TICKET TO DUBAI!]
The city is trying to cope with a $62 million shortfall in this year's budget and prepare for another $348 million deficit next year. It will bring to more than $1 billion the amount cut from the budget in the past four years.
Councilman Greig Smith said he would prefer the city move to reduce its workforce this year - through retirements or layoffs - to the amount necessary to deal with its structural deficit. (Of course Greig Smith is "Mr. Ideas," NOW, after he just sat on his ass for his entire council career and added to the problem and forgot that he has a spine in his body. And now after driving the city to the edge of bankruptcy, he wants to TEACH. Teach WHAT, Smith? How to be a LOSER?)
"I think in the long run, it is more fair to our employees to reduce the workforce by whatever we need, 500 or 1,000, than to ask the workers to take more days in furloughs," Smith said. "We have to stop jerking them around like they are slaves. They deserve to be treated as adults. In the long run, it is more fair to everyone if we reduce the workforce to the level we can afford." (SLAVES WERE NOT PAID, YOU FOOT-IN-YOUR-MOUTH, ASSHOLE! AND CITY EMPLOYEES ARE NOT LOCKED UP IN CHAINS AND WHIPPED, YOU STUPID SCHMUCK, GREIG SMITH! SLAVE DIDN'T GET A PENSION EXCEPT FOR THE 40 acres and a mule that they never received.)
As the council reviewed the various options to reduce budgets of individual departments, Councilman Bill Rosendahl asked for a report on how many city workers are paid more than $200,000 a year. He also asked if those making more than that amount would agree to a voluntary pay cut.
City Council members are paid $178,000 a year. (DOH!)
Councilman Paul Koretz asked that contracts with the city also be reviewed to determine if any can be terminated as way to save city money or have city employees do the work.
Council digbat Janice Hahn suggested selling souvenir key chains in a non existence city hall gift show that could be created to sell the key chains.
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