Los Angeles Mayor Announces No Layoffs Amid Budget Challenges
Five months ago, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass indicated during a city speech that over 1,600 city employees might face layoffs to address a $100 million budget gap.
On Tuesday, after extensive negotiations, Bass, flanked by union leaders at city hall, announced that her administration had successfully avoided all layoffs.
“Some people said it wasn’t possible, but I’m really pleased to stand here today and say we’ve proved the skeptics wrong,” Bass stated.
This announcement comes after a deal with the LA City Union, which represents various workers, including gardeners and mechanics, who will take up to five unpaid days off in 2026.
Since the mayor introduced the proposed budget in late April, she and the city council have pursued several cost-saving measures to minimize layoffs. This included increasing employment within the LAPD and limiting new hires at fire stations, ultimately preserving around 1,000 jobs.
The Los Angeles Police Protection League, which represents newly sworn LAPD officers, along with the Association of Engineers and Architects, has reached an understanding allowing officers to take unpaid days off in return for extra overtime. Members will be expected to take up to five unpaid holidays.
During the negotiation process, the city began to lay off workers, leading to some engineers and architects being sent home, as reported by Marlene Fonseca, the executive director of the union.
On Monday, Fonseca updated members who had faced hospitalization over the weekend, sharing the positive news that they had regained their employment. “If we hadn’t secured this agreement, they would have been dealing with a medical crisis without health insurance,” she remarked. “This illustrates the real human impact of solidarity.”
The city also reassigned employees who were at risk of layoffs to vacant positions in other departments. The city council made efforts to identify these openings throughout numerous committee meetings, according to Councillor Tim McOsker.
“This is fantastic news for this fiscal year, but we must remain vigilant. Our city faces ongoing budget issues that require focused long-term solutions to safeguard both the workforce and essential services,” McOsker noted.
