L.A. Mayor Calls for Three-Day Workweek to Address Budget Crisis

2 years ago

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The mayor of Los Angeles is calling for a shut down of all city services twice each week to address a budget shortfall, CNN reports. The plan for a three-day workweek would exempt public safety and revenue-generating positions.

"There are no easy decisions or simple ways to solve this budget crisis," Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said. "But as the CEO of this great city, it is my responsibility to make these difficult, but necessary, decisions to steer the city out of this crisis and onto solid financial ground."

The announcement came on the heels of word from the city's Department of Water and Power that it will not pay $73 million into the municipal general fund after being denied a utility rate increase by the City Council. Without the transfer, the general fund will be in the red within several weeks.

A union official told the Los Angeles Times that the mayor would be "endangering services and people's lives" if he follows through on his plan. "We take this absolutely seriously," said Julie Butcher, regional director for Service Employees International Union Local 721, which represents more than 10,000 city employees.

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