LA Mayor Karen Bass discusses budget ahead of State of the City address
From the deadly fires, a historic Hollywood production slump and a
budget crisis
, Mayor Karen Bass urged Los Angeles to brace for the future as she prepares to deliver a difficult State of the City address Monday.
"It's going to be a very, very difficult budget," she said. "We are very concerned about the impact that's going to have on the workforce. We're working until the last minute. We hope to avoid layoffs. We hope to avoid drastic cuts. But, we are going to have to make some structural changes."
Faced with seemingly no other options, City Administrative Officer Matt Szabo told Bass and other council members that LA's $1 billion budget shortfall made "layoffs nearly inevitable."
However, thousands of layoffs "cannot and will not be the only solution" to the city's dire situation, according to Szabo. The City Council must consider service cuts to balance its budget. In closed session, city leaders also mulled over the possibility of deferring union-negotiated raises to police officers, firefighters, trash truck drivers and librarians.
During Black Lives Matter Los Angeles' annual presentation of the People's Budget in Leimert Park, Bass said the city had chipped away at the $1 billion deficit by Friday night.
"We started about a month ago with a $1 billion deficit," she said. "We were able to bring that down to about $800 million."
A core mission of BLM LA is to defund the Los Angeles Police Department and allocate the agency's budget to other city programs.
"Why are we spending money on police when we need to figure out how to make sure everyone living on Skid Row is housed?" co-founder Melina Abdullah said. "Why are we spending money on police when we need to make sure that everyone eats?"
Two years ago, Bass and the City Council negotiated substantial raises and benefits boosts for the LAPD to help retain and increase staffing at the severely shorthanded department. She maintained her support for police, though it's not clear what budget cuts they may face.
A recent poll from the
LA Times and UC Berkeley
showed that Bass' popularity has taken a huge hit in the aftermath of the fires. However, Bass said she is focused on the recovery, which she said is way ahead of schedule.
"That is the center of what is happening in our city right now," Bass said. "I don't care how fast we are rebuilding. The people who are still out of their homes, it's still too long. But, I have to tell you, we are months, if not a year, ahead."
Another factor looming over the city's budget is President Trump's tariffs.
"What we're all going through in the country is just the uncertainty," Bass said. "There's only so much we can control here. The decisions that are being made on a federal level impact us. Will there be tariffs? Will there be a trade war? All of that impacts us on a day-to-day basis."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time Magazine
19 minutes ago
- Time Magazine
Why Waymo's Self-Driving Cars Became a Target of Protesters in Los Angeles
As protesters and police clash across Los Angeles and beyond, a striking image from the mayhem has been that of graffiti-strewn white cars engulfed in flames. But these aren't ordinary cars. They've got sensors protruding from the top and sides—and, critically, they've got no drivers. Waymo, a robotaxi company, found itself at the center of the demonstrations against the Trump Administration's Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids after a group of protesters over the weekend, according to the Los Angeles Times, approached a parked row of the autonomous vehicles and smashed their windows, slashed their tires, spray-painted them with anti-ICE slogans, and set them on fire. While eye-catching, the trend is also extremely dangerous. Electric vehicles, like those in Waymo's fleet, have lithium-ion batteries, and in a post on X, the L.A. Police Department warned: 'Burning lithium-ion batteries release toxic gases, including hydrogen fluoride, posing risks to responders and those nearby.' According to Scientific American, first responders exposed to the fumes of burnt lithium-ion batteries without protection historically 'have developed throat burns and breathing difficulties upon arriving,' and, depending on the hydrogen fluoride levels, individuals can start coughing up blood within minutes of exposure. At least six Waymo vehicles across the county have reportedly been the target of vandalism, resulting in the company temporarily suspending operations in the area 'out of an abundance of caution.' California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass have condemned the violence and destruction, which Newsom attributed to 'insurgent groups' and 'anarchists' who have infiltrated otherwise peaceful protests. President Donald Trump, who mobilized the National Guard to respond to the situation, has called the demonstrators ' troublemakers ' and ' paid insurrectionists.' Here's what to know. What is Waymo? Waymo is a subsidiary of Alphabet, Google's parent company, and grew out of the Google Self-Driving Car project that began in 2009. It launched its robotaxi business in 2020 in limited markets, which grew to include Los Angeles in 2024. While the company says its mission 'is to be the world's most trusted driver,' a national survey earlier this year found that '6 in 10 U.S. drivers still report being afraid to ride in a self-driving vehicle' while the proportion of people enthusiastic about the development of the technology has actually decreased from 18% in 2022 to 13% in 2025. Waymo vehicles were involved in 696 accidents across the U.S. between 2021 and 2024, or about one accident every other day. MKP Law Group, a Los-Angeles based firm that represents clients involved in accidents, acknowledged in a blog post that this statistic 'is not necessarily indicative of Waymo causing those accidents, as some may have been the fault of the other involved drivers.' Studies show that self-driving technology is likely safer than most human drivers. Waymo has also reportedly annoyed some people, including those who find self-driving vehicles to be an eyesore as well as locals where the vehicles routinely get stuck. Neighbors near a Waymo charging station in Santa Monica have complained about noise pollution caused by the driverless vehicles honking at each other in the parking lot. Waymo vehicles as well as other self-driving cars have previously been the target of vandals, particularly in California, where Waymo is headquartered. In January, a Waymo car was torn apart in Los Angeles. In February 2024, another Waymo car was smashed and set ablaze in San Francisco. And in July 2024, a man was charged with slashing the tires of 17 Waymo cars in San Francisco. Why is Waymo being targeted in the L.A. protests? Several potential explanations have emerged for why Waymo vehicles were targeted during the protests in Los Angeles. The Wall Street Journal reported that part of the reason the cars were vandalized was to obstruct traffic—a traditional, albeit controversial, protest tactic. Some social media users have suggested that self-driving vehicles in particular have become a new target because they are seen by protesters as ' part of the police surveillance state.' Waymo's cars are equipped with cameras that provide a 360-degree view of their surroundings, a tool that has been tapped by law enforcement, according to reports. Independent tech news site 404 Media reported in April that the Los Angeles Police Department obtained footage from a Waymo driverless car to use as part of an investigation into an unrelated hit-and-run. And Bloomberg reported in 2023 that police have increasingly relied on self-driving cars and their cameras for video evidence. Chris Gilliard, a fellow at the Social Science Research Council, told Bloomberg that self-driving vehicles are 'essentially surveillance cameras on wheels,' adding: 'We're supposed to be able to go about our business in our day-to-day lives without being surveilled unless we are suspected of a crime, and each little bit of this technology strips away that ability.' Waymo told Bloomberg at the time that it 'carefully' reviews every request from police 'to make sure it satisfies applicable laws and has a valid legal process.' Some activists have also suggested that the burning of Waymo vehicles should garner less sympathy from onlookers. 'There are people on here saying it's violent and domestic terrorism to set a Waymo car on fire,' racial justice organizer Samuel Sinyangwe posted on X. 'A robot car? Are you going to demand justice for the robot dogs next? But not the human beings repeatedly shot with rubber bullets in the street? What kind of politics is this?' 'There is no human element to Waymo,' climate and labor organizer Elise Joshi similarly posted on X. 'It's expensive and bought-out politicians are using it as an excuse to defund public transit. I pray on Waymo's downfall.'
Yahoo
25 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Proposal to increase SPD salaries by 13.5%
SPRINGFIELD, Mo.- At Monday's city council meeting, council discussed a potential 13.5% increase in Springfield Police Department salaries. This increase would be specifically for sworn officers. Ozarks First asked members of the community how they felt about the potential increase. One person said they would support the increase if there was more information released. Sheila Sharpe tells Ozarks First she understands what it's like to serve the public. 'I've worked in the public sector for all my life, and I feel like most of us are underpaid for what we do,' Sharpe said. 'We do it for the love of what we're doing and helping others.' This ordinance would technically be an amendment to an agreement between the city and the police union. The increase, if approved, would go into effect this July. 'I'm all in favor for that,' Sharpe said. 'I think people that do such dangerous work and put their lives on the line and help us in so many ways. I'm all for any increase in benefits or their salary.' This ordinance is expected to be voted on in two weeks at the next city council meeting. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Greenville City Council hosts public input session for yearly budget review
GREENVILLE, N.C. (WNCT) — The city of Greenville held a public input session regarding their budget for the upcoming year, with city officials looking to spend roughly $118 million towards personnel spending. Officials aim to receive raises as well as improving staffing numbers for the fire and police departments. While this was the public's first and only opportunity to address the council, the only concern that was raised was in regards to the flooding risk in the town commons. 'I was here as an elected official back in 2016 when we had Hurricane Matthew, and we didn't see those floodwaters start to come up at the town commons,' Greenville mayor PJ Connelly said. 'So we do need to be mindful of that as we're making differences and changes down there at the town common.' Mayor Connelly also said that it is a credit to the city staff that more concerns were not raised about this year's budget. For more information, click on the video above. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
