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Los Angeles Times
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
L.A. immigration protest costs reach nearly $20 million for police and city repairs
The city of Los Angeles has racked up nearly $20 million in police costs and other expenses in response to protests that have erupted over federal immigration raids, the city's top budget analyst said Monday. City Administrative Officer Matt Szabo said in a memo to the City Council that the city has incurred at least $19.7 million in costs through June 16. The Los Angeles Police Department has spent $16.9 million, including $11.7 million for overtime. Other costs include $780,601 to repair damage at City Hall, the LAPD's headquarters on First Street, and other city buildings. Some estimates, excluding the police, run only through June 13 and the tally is expected to increase. Protesters have held near-daily demonstrations in downtown L.A. since immigration agents raided a fast-fashion warehouse on June 6. Some protests have become violent and police have deployed tear gas canisters and shot less-lethal munitions. The LAPD said Monday that 575 people have been arrested since the demonstrations started. President Trump has vowed to carry out the biggest mass deportation operation in U.S. history and called on federal agents to detain and deport undocumented people in Los Angeles, Chicago and New York. The additional costs from the protests will strain L.A.'s already-shaky finances. The city is spending more on legal payouts and labor costs, but bringing in less tax revenues due to a variety of reasons, including a drop in tourism. During protests in 2020 over the murder of George Floyd by a Minnesota police officer, the LAPD spent $40 million on overtime. Also, police actions related to those protests cost the city at least $11.9 million in settlements and jury awards, according to The Times' analysis in May. On Monday, a group representing reporters sued the LAPD in federal court over the department's treatment of media, arguing Constitutional and state rights are being violated. The suit cites multiple instances of officers firing foam projectiles at members of the media and otherwise flouting state laws that restrict the use of so-called less-lethal weapons in crowd control situations and protect journalists covering the unrest. Times staff writer Libor Jany contributed reporting
CBS News
26-03-2025
- Business
- CBS News
California lawmakers ask for nearly $2 billion to fund LA's fire recovery
After a visit from Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and a handful of council members, California lawmakers asked the state legislature for nearly $2 billion to help the city's wildfire recovery effort. "Los Angeles is facing a budget crisis while recovering from devastating and unprecedented wildfires, and it's important that we advocate directly to state leaders for support," said Mayor Karen Bass. The massive request for $1.893 billion comes a week after LA's Administrative Officer Matt Szabo warned the council about a $1 billion shortfall that made thousands of layoffs for city employees "nearly inevitable." During his presentation to the city council, Szabo said the layoffs "cannot and will not be the only solution." The city delegation's pleas resulted in 22 state lawmakers, most of whom represent Southern California, signing the budgetary request, mainly focusing on wildfire recovery. However, roughly a third of the request will address the problems plaguing the city's revenue shortfall. "The recent fires put our budget challenges on steroids and it's imperative that state leaders continue to partner with local governments so we can preserve critical services for our shared constituents," Councilmember Bob Blumenfield said. Out of the six budgetary concerns listed in the lawmakers' letter , the bulk of the nearly $2 billion request, $750 million, would go towards "mitigation and resilience for city residents:" The letter also requests $638 million to pay for the city's budget gap: Of the remaining $505 million, roughly $430 million would help improve LA's firefighting capabilities and pay for recovery efforts, including debris removal, building permit waivers and centers to help connect residents to resources. The final $75.5 million will expedite processing of FEMA funds from previous emergencies, mainly the COVID-19 pandemic. "But this trip to Sacramento wasn't about a one-time fix, it was about laying the foundation for a stronger, more resilient city," said Council Budget Chairwoman Katy Yaroslavsky. With the Olympic and Paralympic Games on the horizon, the urgency is real, and so is the opportunity to shape a future where Los Angeles doesn't just recover, but thrives."
CBS News
20-03-2025
- Business
- CBS News
"Layoffs nearly inevitable" amid LA's $1 billion shortfall, says city financial advisor
Faced with seemingly no other options, Los Angeles leaders may lay off thousands of city employees during the upcoming fiscal year to remedy its $1 billion shortfall. "The severity of the revenue decline, paired with rising costs, has created a budget gap that makes layoffs nearly inevitable," City Administrative Officer Matt Szabo said during the council meeting Wednesday. "We are not looking at dozens or even hundreds of layoffs, but thousands." 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. "The closest this would compare to would be, I believe, it was the '09,'10 budget, which was the first year that the city felt the full impact of the crash in 2008 and the subsequent recession," Szabo said. Szabo attributed the fiscal crisis to the tax revenue missing its projections by $315 million, firefighter and police pension payments increasing to $100 million, $80 million in solid waste fees, more than $100 million in legal payouts and the $275 million needed to replenish the city's reserve fund. Despite the economic constraints, Szabo said the Mayor's Office is "absolutely committed to preserving as many jobs and city services as possible." In a statement, Mayor Karen Bass, whose budget will be presented next month, said the city must implement "fundamental change" to its operations. "This year, we must deliver fundamental change in the way the city operates and base our budget on how the city can best serve the people of Los Angeles and to best use their scarce budget dollars," she said in a statement. Bass also attributed the city's financial turmoil to the destructive Palisades Fire.
