Latest news with #Bass'
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Los Angeles Mayor Bass signs city budget to preserve services, bolster police force
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass signed the city budget on Friday. The newly signed budget will preserve city services like street repair, traffic management and parks and library programming maintenance. It will also help to bring new jobs to the Los Angeles Police Department, according to the mayor's office. 'City Council leadership will identify funds for an additional 240 recruits within 90 days,' Bass' office said in a press release. 'The money will be used after LAPD fulfills hiring 240 officers.' Funding for vital services such as street repair, traffic management and parks and library program maintenance is also included in the budget, which according to the mayor herself, was not easy to put forward. $150K Camaro stolen from influencer during Southern California event 'This budget has been delivered under extremely difficult conditions–uncertainty from Washington, the explosion of liability payments, unexpected rising costs and lower than expected revenues,' said Mayor Bass. 'This budget continues to aggressively combat the homelessness crisis and invest in emergency response and vital city services like street repair, parks and libraries. I want to thank the City Council for coming together on this deal as we work together to make Los Angeles safer for all.' According to Mayor Bass' office, the city budget includes: Restoration of more than 1,000 city positions at risk of layoff to ensure delivery of vital services like pothole repair, traffic management, positions that support future housing development and more New investments in the Los Angeles Fire Department with more positions, funding for more paramedics and other resources and support Funding for all sworn officers and firefighters Continued funding for 9-1-1 emergency dispatchers to lower wait times Protection for homeless funding Resources to continue driving the Palisades Fire recovery forward with urgency Maintenance of library and Parks and Recreation facility hours maintained Support for capital infrastructure projects, including staff for the planning and coordination of the LA Convention Center, funding for Sepulveda Basin improvements and recreation facilities in San Fernando Valley & South L.A. Measures to preserve of all positions within the Emergency Management Department with a priority to expand with future funding Continued funding for RepresentLA to provide legal representation to Angelenos Funding to keep all animal shelters open and add strategic additional staffing support More information on the city's budget can be found here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
New York Post
4 days ago
- Politics
- New York Post
Trump admin officials blast LA Mayor Karen Bass' response to ICE raids — as cops clash with violent protesters
Several Trump administration officials fired back at Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass Friday after she pledged to oppose federal efforts to nab illegal immigrants — as cops in her city had to use flash bangs to disperse the violent mob of protesters who descended on the arrest sites. 'We will not stand for this,' Bass said in a statement released after federal immigration authorities arrested 44 people in raids across Los Angeles. 'I am deeply angered by what has taken place,' the Democrat mayor fumed, noting that her office 'is in close coordination with immigrant rights community organizations.' Advertisement 4 Bass slammed the Los Angeles immigration enforcement raids in a social media post. AFP via Getty Images White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller quickly dismissed Bass' declaration. 'You have no say in this at all,' Miller shot back on social media. Advertisement 'Federal law is supreme and federal law will be enforced,' he noted on X. Miller was one of several Trump administration officials that took issue with Bass' statements. 'They're Illegals. Not 'immigrants.' One just tried to burn Americans alive in Boulder,' White House adviser Sebastian Gorka wrote on X, referring to Colorado terror suspect Mohamed Soliman. The Egyptian national overstayed his tourist visa before allegedly firebombing a peaceful march for Israeli hostages still held by Hamas on Sunday in a heinous antisemitic attack. Advertisement 'If you're aiding and abetting them you're a criminal too,' Gorka said in response to the LA mayor's comments. 'Are you ready to be treated as a criminal? 'Because we are ready to treat you as one if you commit a crime,' he warned. 4 Miller noted that Bass has 'no say' in federal immigration enforcement. Chris Kleponis – CNP / MEGA 4 Miller was one of several Trump administration officials who reacted strongly to Bass' statement on the ICE raids. Stephen Miller, /X Advertisement Justice Department official Harmeet K. Dhillon was stunned by Bass' understanding of the law. 'It's amazing the number of elected officials who don't grasp the basics of federalism, or federal sovereignty over immigration issues, or the First Amendment,' Dhillon tweeted. The Los Angeles immigration raids sparked protests at the arrest sites, and at least one person was taken into custody for allegedly obstructing federal law enforcement. 'Federal agents were executing a lawful judicial warrant at a LA worksite this morning when David Huerta deliberately obstructed their access by blocking their vehicle,' US Attorney Bill Essayli said in a statement. 'He was arrested for interfering with federal officers and will face arraignment in federal court on Monday.' 'Let me be clear: I don't care who you are — if you impede federal agents, you will be arrested and prosecuted.' Huerta is president of the California branch of the influential Service Employees International Union. 4 The raids sparked protests in Los Angeles. AP Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin decried the city's response to protesters' clashes with federal agents – which escalated hours after the raids. Advertisement 'Assaulting ICE enforcement officers, slashing tires, defacing buildings. 800 protestors have surrounded and breached the first layer of a federal law enforcement building in LA,' McLaughlin wrote on X. '@LAPD has not responded.' 'This violence against @ICEgov must stop.' Richard Grenell, President Trump's envoy for special missions, blamed Bass for the unrest. 'Karen Bass whipped all of this up. She attacked the rule of law. She undermined democracy,' Grenell wrote on X, sharing images of protesters attempting to block federal law enforcement vehicles. Advertisement 'The @MayorOfLA is creating chaos in LA,' he fumed. With Post wires
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Mayor Bass taps AECOM to assist with Palisades rebuilding
Nearly five months after a firestorm laid waste to a wide swath of Pacific Palisades, Mayor Karen Bass announced Friday that the global infrastructure firm AECOM will help develop a master plan for rebuilding the area, as well as a plan for reconstructing utilities and other infrastructure. The firm will work alongside both the city and Hagerty Consulting, which Bass tapped as a recovery contractor in early February, according to the mayor's office. Hagerty, an Illinois-based disaster recovery firm, has a yearlong contract with the city for up to $10 million but has faced persistent questions about the specifics of its work. Read more: As L.A. rebuilds from the Palisades fire, residents ask: What's the plan? The mayor's office did not immediately answer when asked Friday whether Hagerty's role was being scaled back. In late January, the mayor, along with four council members and other city officials, heard presentations from Hagerty, AECOM and a third firm also seeking to be the city's disaster recovery contractor. After Bass selected Hagerty in February, she said the city was still in discussions with AECOM about a separate contract. 'An unprecedented natural disaster requires an unprecedented, all-hands-on-deck response — all levels of government, philanthropy, the private sector and educational institutions coming together to support the community and rebuild as quickly and safely as possible,' Bass said in a written statement Friday. 'AECOM's expertise in long-term infrastructure planning and design will only further expedite our work to get families home.' The mayor's office also did not immediately respond when asked whether the city now has a contract with AECOM, or what the specifics of that contract, including the compensation, are. Steve Soboroff, a longtime local developer and Bass' former chief recovery officer, publicly criticized Bass' decision to choose Hagerty over AECOM as the city's initial disaster recovery contractor. In an interview in mid-April as he was leaving his post, Soboroff raised questions about Hagerty's role and said he thought AECOM should have been hired instead. Along with developing a comprehensive rebuilding master plan and supporting the Palisades' infrastructure reconstruction, AECOM will help coordinate broader public and private rebuilding efforts. The company will work on a "logistics plan for materials management in coordination with local builders and suppliers" as well as a master traffic plan as more homeowners leap into the rebuilding process, according to a news release. AECOM is also the "official venue infrastructure partner" for the 2028 Olympic Games, according to a March news release from LA28. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
4 days ago
- Business
- Los Angeles Times
Mayor Bass taps AECOM to assist with Palisades rebuilding
Nearly five months after a firestorm laid waste to a wide swath of Pacific Palisades, Mayor Karen Bass announced Friday that the global infrastructure firm AECOM will help develop a master plan for rebuilding the area, as well as a plan for reconstructing utilities and other infrastructure. The firm will work alongside both the city and Hagerty Consulting, which Bass tapped as a recovery contractor in early February, according to the mayor's office. Hagerty, an Illinois-based disaster recovery firm, has a yearlong contract with the city for up to $10 million but has faced persistent questions about the specifics of its work. The mayor's office did not immediately answer when asked Friday whether Hagerty's role was being scaled back. In late January, the mayor, along with four council members and other city officials, heard presentations from Hagerty, AECOM and a third firm also seeking to be the city's disaster recovery contractor. After Bass selected Hagerty in February, she said the city was still in discussions with AECOM about a separate contract. 'An unprecedented natural disaster requires an unprecedented, all-hands-on-deck response — all levels of government, philanthropy, the private sector and educational institutions coming together to support the community and rebuild as quickly and safely as possible,' Bass said in a written statement Friday. 'AECOM's expertise in long-term infrastructure planning and design will only further expedite our work to get families home.' The mayor's office also did not immediately respond when asked whether the city now has a contract with AECOM, or what the specifics of that contract, including the compensation, are. Steve Soboroff, a longtime local developer and Bass' former chief recovery officer, publicly criticized Bass' decision to choose Hagerty over AECOM as the city's initial disaster recovery contractor. In an interview in mid-April as he was leaving his post, Soboroff raised questions about Hagerty's role and said he thought AECOM should have been hired instead. Along with developing a comprehensive rebuilding master plan and supporting the Palisades' infrastructure reconstruction, AECOM will help coordinate broader public and private rebuilding efforts. The company will work on a 'logistics plan for materials management in coordination with local builders and suppliers' as well as a master traffic plan as more homeowners leap into the rebuilding process, according to a news release. AECOM is also the 'official venue infrastructure partner' for the 2028 Olympic Games, according to a March news release from LA28.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
L.A. City Council approves $14-billion budget, scaling back Bass' public safety plans
The Los Angeles City Council signed off on a $14-billion spending plan for 2025-26 on Thursday, scaling back Mayor Karen Bass' public safety initiatives as they attempted to spare 1,000 city workers from layoffs. Faced with a nearly $1-billion budget shortfall, the council voted 12 to 3 for a plan that would cut funding for recruitment at the Los Angeles Police Department, leaving the agency with fewer officers than at any point since 1995. The council provided enough money for the LAPD to hire 240 new officers over the coming year, down from the 480 proposed by Bass last month. That reduction would leave the LAPD with about 8,400 officers in June 2026, down from about 8,700 this year and 10,000 in 2020. The council also scaled back the number of new hires the mayor proposed for the Los Angeles Fire Department in the wake of the wildfire that ravaged huge stretches of Pacific Palisades. Bass' budget called for the hiring of 227 additional fire department employees. The council provided funding for the department to expand by an estimated 58 employees. Three council members — John Lee, Traci Park and Monica Rodriguez — voted against the budget, in large part due to cost-cutting efforts at the two public safety agencies. Park, whose district includes Pacific Palisades, voiced alarm over those and other reductions. "I just can't in good conscience vote for a budget that makes our city less safe, less physically sound and even less responsive to our constituents," she said. Rodriguez offered a similar message, saying the council should have shifted more money out of Inside Safe, Bass' signature program to address homelessness. That program, which received a 10% cut, lacks oversight and has been extraordinarily expensive, said Rodriguez, who represents the northeast San Fernando Valley. "Inside Safe currently spends upwards of $7,000 a month to house a single individual. That's just room and board and services," she said. "That doesn't include all of the other ancillary services that are tapped from our city family in order to make it work, including LAPD overtime, including sanitation services, including the Department of Transportation." Councilmember Tim McOsker, who sits on the budget committee, said the fire department would still see an overall increase in funding under the council's budget. Putting more money into the police and fire departments would mean laying off workers who fix streets, curbs and sidewalks, said McOsker, who represents neighborhoods stretching from Watts south to L.A.'s harbor. McOsker said it's still possible that the city could increase funding for LAPD recruitment if the city's economic picture improves or other savings are identified in the budget. The council authorized the LAPD to ramp up hiring if more money can be found later in the year. "I would love to put ourselves in a position where we could hire more than 240 officers, and maybe we will. I don't know. But today we can't," McOsker told his colleagues. Councilmember Ysabel Jurado, who joined the council in December, also defended the budget plan, saying it would help create "a more just, equitable and inclusive Los Angeles." "This budget doesn't fix everything. It doesn't close every gap. But it does show a willingness to make some structural changes," she said. Bass aides did not immediately respond to inquiries about the council's actions. A second budget vote by the council is required next week before the plan can head to the mayor's desk for her consideration. Bass' spending plan proposed about 1,600 city employee layoffs over the coming year, with deep reductions in agencies that handle trash pickup, streetlight repair and city planning. The decisions made Thursday would reduce the number to around 700, said City Administrative Officer Matt Szabo, who helps prepare the spending plan. The remaining layoffs could still be avoided if the city's unions offer financial concessions, said Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky, who heads the council's budget committee. For example, she said, civilian city workers could cut costs by taking four to five unpaid furlough days. "My goal, my fervent goal and hope, is that labor comes to the table and says 'We'll take some furloughs, we'll take some comp time off,'" Yaroslavsky said. The city entered a full-blown financial crisis earlier this year, driven in large part by rapidly rising legal payouts, weaker than expected tax revenues and scheduled raises for city employees. Those pay increases are expected to consume $250 million over the coming fiscal year. To bring the city's budget into balance, council members tapped $29 million in the city's budget stabilization fund, which was set up to help the city weather periods of slower economic growth. They took steps to collect an extra $20 million in business tax revenue. And they backed a plan to hike the cost of parking tickets, which could generate another $14 million. At the same time, the council scaled back an array of cuts proposed in Bass' budget. Over the course of Thursday's six-hour meeting, the council: * Restored positions at the Department of Cultural Affairs, averting the closure of the historic Hollyhock House in East Hollywood, protecting its status as a UNESCO World Heritage site. * Provided the funds to continue operating the Climate Emergency Mobilization Office, which had been threatened with elimination. * Provided $1 million for Represent LA, which pays for legal defense of residents facing deportation, detention or other immigration proceedings. That funding would have been eliminated under Bass' original proposal, Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez said. * Moved $5 million into the animal services department — a move requested by Bass — to ensure that all of the city's animal shelters remain open. * Restored funding for streetlight repairs, street resurfacing and removal of "bulky items," such as mattresses and couches, from sidewalks and alleys. Even with those changes, the city is still facing the potential for hundreds of layoffs, around a third of them at the LAPD. Although the council saved the jobs of an estimated 150 civilian workers in that department — many of them specialists, such as workers who handle DNA rape kits — another 250 are still targeted for layoff. 'We took a horrible budget proposal, and we made it into one that is just very bad,' said Councilmember Bob Blumenfield, who represents part of the west San Fernando Valley. 'It took a lot of work to do that, but it is better and we did save jobs. But the fundamentals are still very bad.' Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
