Message From 3090 President Alice Goff on the Mayor’s Proposed Budget

This past Monday, April 21, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa released his proposed 2008-09 budget. He is calling for job cuts and increasing fees. Let’s keep in mind this is a proposal, this is not the final budget. This proposal now goes to the City Council and hearings about the budget start on April 28th. We here at Local 3090, as well as our other brothers and sisters in the Coalition of L.A. City Unions, will be presenting our proposals and ideas to balance the budget – but not on the backs of you, our membership!

Know that we will be meeting and strategizing with leaders and members of this local and leadership of our other city locals to advance our counter proposals to protect your jobs. We will also be meeting with the staff of the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO). As you know, the CAO is the chief financial advisor to the Mayor and the City Council, and reports directly to both. The CAO conducts studies and investigations, carries out research and makes recommendations on a wide variety of City management matters for the Mayor and Council including budget matters.

Please keep in mind talk of mandatory furloughs or whatever rumors are going around such as “temporary layoffs,” CAN NOT happen without the City reopening negotiations. Your union will be working overtime to protect City worker jobs and maintain support for the vital services you provide.

If you have any ideas you’d like us to include in our budget talks, please feel free to log onto www.lacitycoaliton.com and click on Budget Ideas to post them there.

Expect to hear more from me soon on how the budget talks are progressing.

- Alice Goff