Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa made sure before he leaves office that he greased the skids for city employees with more taxpayer money. Villaraigosa’s final budget of $7.7 billion, which goes into effect July 1, includes a 5.5% raise for most of the city’s workers.
Needless to say, the city council rubber-stamped the budget unanimously. Villaraigosa’s office said the budget would give Mayor-Elect Eric Garcetti a “more financially secure city.”
Villaraigosa’s budget keeps the number of police officers the same and also pays for the Gang Reduction and Youth Development program. It also adds more money for sidewalk repair, meals for the elderly, getting rid of graffiti, and trimming back tres.
Still, the city faces a projected $108 million loss. Garcetti said, “We’ve backed quite a bit away from the cliff, but we can still see that cliff. In a year or two, we’re gonna inch closer to it once again if we don’t do some further things to cut costs and to boost our revenues.”
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