City of Los Angeles to cut staff, and save $1 billion???

Photo Above - Officer Jim Reed, of TV's "Adam 12", reacts to the news that 25% of the Los Angeles police force will (allegedly) be fired by Mayor Karen Bass.

Los Angeles County (not city) likes to brag that it’s “the 20th largest nation in the world”. Would that make the City of Los Angeles it’s capitol? In any case, the capitol of the People's Democratic Republic of Los Angeles is cutting its payroll. By A LOT. Either 1,600 or 2,700, or 3,500 headcount, depending on which press release you happened to read last. See link below.

This could save a billion dollars annually, but still leave Los Angeles almost a billion dollars in the red.

Let's do some math here: if 1,600 positions are cut, saving $1 billion, that’s an annual compensation per employee of around $600,000. That simply defies belief, even though Ms. Bass has been pilloried for paying several of her cronies in excess of $500,000 a year.

Even if you take the highest number – 3,500 positions – the compensation still is around $300,000 per employee. Either someone is WAAAY bad at math, or Mayor Bass isn’t giving full disclosure – or possibly both.

I would KILL to earn $300,000 a year (but not kill the mayor, or any other politician). I can’t imagine HOW you earn $300,000 working for Los Angeles. Do police make $300,000 a year? Are their squad cars electrified Ford F150 Lightning pickup trucks with platinum trim and the extra battery pack?

Don’t laugh – the biggest part of the headcount reduction is coming from the police. This is EXACTLY the sort of stunt I would pull, if I was mayor. Threaten to increase citizens' crime and misery, and then watch my enemies lose their minds and attack each other. Way to go, Ms. Bass!

Anyone who believes the mayor’s press releases is a fool. Those numbers can’t all be correct. Probably none of them are. Maybe thousands WILL be fired from the police force. Maybe they won’t, and the $700,000 a year city “water chief” still gets to keep her salary, perks, benefits, and whatever high-falutin’ car the city gifted her to drive to work each day. Water Chief Janice Quinones earns THREE TIMES what Mayor Bass herself is paid.

My take: I hope public safety is not endangered by the mayor’s absurd brinksmanship. I hope Janice Quinones is fired, because the city can certainly find a replacement for about $500,000 a year less. Perhaps even a "water chief" with actual water management experience. And I hope newspapers like the LA Times stop taking this sort of budget nonsense at face value, without investigating.

And let’s remember that California’s 2025 “fire season” starts next month. What a perfect opportunity to show that ANY budget cuts cannot be made.

I’m just sayin’ . . .

Mayor Karen Bass' proposed city budget includes over 1,600 layoffs - CBS Los Angeles

Mayor Karen Bass proposes layoffs for about 1,650 L.A. city workers - Los Angeles Times