In efforts to salvage as many jobs as possible, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa wants all city employees to take pay cuts.
With the city council bluntly announcing that 3,000 jobs would be cut in addition to the 1,000 that are already being removed, Villaraigosa thought he could save the day by announcing a way around cutting more jobs. However, his plan does not make much sense.
As of now, the percentage of the cut is still uncertain. Villaraigosa’s plan seems more of dumb idea than anything else. Demanding that city employees make a salary concession as a “shared sacrifice” may only work in the short run.
Villaraigosa’s efforts involve trying to call the employees of Los Angeles to come together — and suffer together. However, a truly authentic unification would be if he took a salary cut.
Although his intentions are in the right place, cutting salaries may cause more harm than it would help. Unfortunately, jobs are still being cut, and this proposed idea would only add to the mayhem.
In regards to the Los Angeles Police Department, Villaraigosa claims that he wants to sustain the current size of the force. He aims to hire police officers, as necessary. In other words, those already working for the LAPD will be punished and others would be brought in to share in the burden. Apparently, he just wants to reach his 10,000-officer quota. Doesn’t it make more sense to stop hiring. The LAPD has already carried out several cutbacks such as, relinquishing overtime pay and pay for unused sick days.
The mayor also wants to get rid of certain departments within the environmental services and human services programs.
In addition to getting rid of some services, he plans on merging some departments into others. For example, a program that focuses on at-risk young females will be moved under the mayor’s gang intervention program. Who would have thought that he could do that?
If he is taking time to temporarily eliminate services that are unnecessary, then it is unnecessary to be slashing salaries along the way.
The merging of certain services is similar to when Villaraigosa merged his original last name-Villa-with his former wife’s last name-Raigosa. And we all know how that turned out.
Concerning other programs, Villaraigosa wants to create jobs for his office. This will allow him to control and oversee the newly merged programs. Apparently, Villaraigosa will have plenty of help. Shouldn’t he be the one helping?
If Villaraigosa’s plan comes to play, let’s hope that the L.A Council Members are going to be make major sacrifices as well.
Recently, council members were given brand new cars to make their jobs easier. We hope that the cars were not given out in an effort to help save money- which is the main goal of Villaraigosa’s agenda.
Freshman psychology major, Jessica Pena believes that “if he’s going to be forcing L.A. city employees to give up a part of their salary, then he should be making major sacrifices as the mayor.”
Strong leadership is vital for any sort of progress in Los Angeles; ironically, have a man who is going around threatening workers who are already doing their part for the city.
Villaraigosa has gone from exploiting the members of Los Angeles, all while calling it gang intervention-we all remember the L.A. Gang Tours that took people through the city somehow make L.A. a better place-to punishing city employees by depriving them of pay they earn.
There is something we can thank him for, though. Villaraigosa will not be running for governor this year.