MAYOR VILLARAIGOSA TAKES UNPRECEDENTED ACTION TO ADDRESS BUDGET
SHORTFALL
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa took immediate action yesterday to balance the Los Angeles city budget and commit the City to long-term fiscal health and sustainability.
Using the authority invested in the Office of the Mayor by the City Charter, Villaraigosa directed the Personnel Department to eliminate 1,000 general fund positions and begin calculating layoffs, displacement seniority, and/or transfers of employees to fill these targeted positions.
“Every budget is a balancing act,” Mayor Villaraigosa said. “We
have been living beyond our means and now we have difficult choices to make. Each day we fail to act we lose an estimated $300,000. We must protect our fiscal health and economic future.”
On Wednesday, the City Council postponed decision-making on plans to address the budget shortfall. In doing so, they added an estimated $4 million to the deficit for this fiscal year, already calculated at $212 million.
In addition to directing the layoffs and transferring as many general funded employees as possible into special funded and proprietary departments, the Mayor has asked the Council to adopt an ordinance that would allow City employees to retire without the 30 to 60 day advance application typically required. The Mayor is also requesting that the Council move their uncommitted funds - currently totaling up to $40million - into the City’s Reserve Fund until such time that the fund
reaches 5% of the overall budget.
“I do not relish these decisions, but neither will I shy away from them or pretend they don’t exist,” the Mayor said. “Angelenos all over our City are making tougher choices between food or their prescription drugs, between school supplies and a doctor’s visit for their child, or between their electric bill and their rent. It is time that we at City Hall follow their lead, set priorities, and make the tough choices necessary to protect our core responsibilities.”
BUDGET SURVEY
Please visit http://labudgetchallenge.lacity.org to take the LA Budget
Challenge. This is your chance to share your input on the City Budget
with the Mayor. This year's Budget survey is more informational and
more interactive than ever before.
FORECLOSURE CLINIC
The LA County NeighborWorks Center for Foreclosure Solutions is proud
to announce we will continue to serve with our weekly foreclosure
clinics and monthly fairs in 2010. The next fair is scheduled for
Saturday February 6th at Cal State Northridge
from 9:00am-2pm, University Student Union Building, parking Structure
G3. To learn more about foreclosure scams and how to report and stop
scammers, you can visit NeighborWorks America's website at
http://www.loanscamalert.org/about-neighborworks.aspx
FAMILY SOURCE CENTER GRAND OPENING
New Economics for Women invites you to please join Mayor Antonio
Villaraigosa, Councilman Dennis P. Zine, Congressman Brad Sherman, State Sen. Alex Padilla, Assemblymember Bob Blumenfield, Supervisor Zev
Yaroslavsky, LAPD Chief Charlie Beck, CRA Board Chair Bruce Ackerman,
and LA Community Development Department Gen. Manager Richard Benbow for
the grand opening of the Canoga Park Family Source Center at the Dennis
P. Zine Community Center. Services to be offered at the Community
Center include: Child Care Resource Center, Family Source Center
Collaborative: NEW (lead agency), El Centro De Amistad, El Nido Family
Centers, Independent Living Center of Southern California, Neighborhood
Legal Services, and New Directions for Youth.
Thursday, Feb. 18
2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
21400 Saticoy Ave.
Canoga Park, CA 91303
RSVP by Feb. 12
(213) 483-2062
neweconomicsforwomen.rsvp@gmail.com
2010 EARNED INCOME TAX CREDIT PROGRAM
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, joined by State Controller John Chiang,
Council President Eric Garcetti, and President and CEO of the United Way Elise Buik, last week announced the Greater Los Angeles Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) Campaign Partnership. Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) sites, supported by the EITC partnership, can provide families with free tax assistance and help them apply for tax credits. The City of Los Angeles has added 21 additional free tax preparation sites which include screening for EITC eligibility through the FamilySource Centers and One-e-App system. Asset-building programs that include financial education and resources to help families open low-cost bank accounts are also offered at the City’s FamilySource Centers. Visit http://www.eitc-la.com for more information.
DAY OF SERVICE WITH LAUSD
Please join Mayor Villaraigosa in a Day of Service in partnership with
LAUSD on Saturday, Mar. 20. This is a chance to roll up our sleeves and make a difference in our schools and in our community.
Next planning meeting will take place on:
Wednesday, Feb. 10
12:45 p.m.
Where:
Limerick Elementary School
8530 Limerick Avenue
Canoga Park, CA 91306
Please join us!
CENSUS
Happy Census Year! Please join Mayor Villaraigosa's Call to Action to
ensure that ALL people living in the SF Valley get counted in the
Census. 2010 is an important year, especially with these tough economic times, and an accurate count will ensure that we get our fair share of federal funds.
The Mayor's Office of Census 2010 is currently calling on all of our
community partners to join our planning efforts for March 2010 to
GET-OUT-THE-COUNT (GOTC) in the SF Valley. We will be dedicating a
month of service to the Census, and we can't do it without you.
Please visit our website: www.LAcounts2010.org
CRISIS RESPONSE TEAM
The Mayor's Office of Homeland Security & Public Safety is recruiting
Crisis Response Team (CRT) members. CRT members are community
volunteers who respond to traumatic incidents at the request of the Los
Angeles Police and Fire Departments. CRT provides immediate on-scene
crisis intervention, attends to survival and comfort needs, acts as a
liaison between the victim and emergency personnel, and gives referrals
to victims and their families affected by death, serious injury, violent crimes, and other traumatic incidents.
Training will take place Tuesday and Thursday evenings from Feb. 2 -
Mar. 25 at the L.A. Police Academy in Westchester.
Please submit resume to Jeffrey Zimerman, M.S.W. and CRT Manager, at
LACRT@lacity.org
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