A second special hearing by the Los Angeles City Council’s Budget and Finance Committee on Monday afternoon brought emotional appeals and urgent warnings from city workers, advocates and residents over proposed budget cuts.
The five-member committee met to weigh in on Mayor Karen Bass’ proposed fiscal year 2025–26 budget — a $13.9 billion plan that outlines spending on public safety, housing, homelessness and other city programs and services.
The meeting marked the second day of public comment following the mayor’s release of her proposed budget last Monday, which calls for 1,647 layoffs and potential cuts to city services.
It came after days of public outcry, including an April 25 protest where hundreds of unionized city workers, animal advocates and residents rallied outside the Van Nuys City Hall during the first day of public comment on the mayor’s proposed budget.
Similar demonstrations took place Monday, with hundreds of speakers—including union representatives from city planning, LAPD civilian workforce, street services, as well as Neighborhood Council Budget Advocates and animal welfare advocates—crowding the Los Angeles City Hall Council Chamber. Speakers warned of the wide-reaching impacts the proposed cuts could have on city operations.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass delivered her State of the City address on Monday, April 21 from City Hall, in the Chambers of the Los Angeles City Council. (Photo by Dean Musgrove, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNGAn hour into the meeting, city staff said there were still people waiting outside City Hall for their turn to enter Council Chamber, as the room had reached capacity. Committee Chair Katy Yaroslavsky noted that no action would be taken Monday, as public comment was expected to continue until at least 8 pm.
Union representatives urged the committee to reconsider the proposed layoffs, warning of widespread service disruption.
“Balancing the budget on the backs of essential workers and services means these cuts equal threats to public safety, and will increase future liabilities,” said Jenita Igwealor, SEIU Local 721’s regional director.
Lisa Palombi, president of the Librarians’ Guild AFSCME Local 2626, said that the reduction in workforce would cut vital services.
“Cuts in jobs means cut in services,” she said. “The workforce impact will be substantial and will be easily visible. The proposed budget will eliminate a total of 2,721 jobs, including from the current workforce and vacancies that are funded but will remain unfilled, translating into services that will not be provided to our communities in the coming year.”
Neighborhood Council Budget Advocates similarly urged the committee to reconsider key funding decisions.
Kay Hartman, a budget advocate, said the proposed cuts would be devastating for the city’s 99 Neighborhood Councils already struggling with limited resources. Although the city once allocated $50,000 per Neighborhood Council, budgets were reduced during the COVID-19 pandemic and never fully restored, she noted.
“It would be a shame to cripple this exercise in local democracy that is now hanging on by a thread,” she said.
Budget Advocate Jack Humphreville said the advocates have recommended a series of financial reforms to avoid another fiscal crisis. Among them: develop a four-year general fund outlook that realistically reflects rising labor costs; conduct open and transparent labor negotiations — possibly with outside negotiators — and place a measure on the ballot that would prohibit the city from entering into new labor agreements that create future deficits.
Lionel Mares, a budget advocate speaking in his capacity as a resident, said in an interview before the meeting that across-the-board budget cuts could lead to significant service reductions, affecting departments like sanitation, recreation and parks, general services, and personnel.
“So in the future, if the economy starts to be healthy again, then the personnel department will be understaffed … it will slow things down in terms of hiring,” Mares said.
Animal welfare advocates focused Monday on the impact of proposed budget cuts to the Los Angeles Animal Services Department, which they warned could force the closure of three of the city’s six animal shelters: Harbor, West Los Angeles, and West Valley.
The cuts would eliminate roughly one-third of the department’s staff positions and strain shelters already operating over capacity.
“These animals, they don’t have a voice. We are their voice,” said Suzanne Gutierrez, a Van Nuys resident and longtime animal advocate. “We are the voice for the voiceless and we have to stand up for them.”
The mayor’s proposed budget includes about $4.8 million in cuts to Animal Services. But the mayor’s spokesperson Zach Seidl said $5 million has been set aside in the city’s unappropriated balance for the department.
“This proposed budget includes $5 million in additional funding specifically for the Department of Animal Services,” he said. “If the council approves this part of Mayor Bass’s budget, no shelters would close. We understand the need to continue operating all six city shelters and will work with the City Council to assure that the priority for animal care and well-being is reflected in the final city budget.”
Animal Services officials said they also recommend applying an additional $1.48 million in one-time salary funding to maintain current staffing and services.
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