LA mayor backs down, says shutdown a last resort

[The Northerner]

Source: Associated Press

LOS ANGELES – Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa backed down from his hardline stance over the budget crisis on Wednesday, admitting he cannot shut down city services without the City Council's approval and requesting $20 million from the power utility to keep the city solvent.

The mayor's plan to shut down services that don't make money, such as parks and libraries, for two days a week starting on Monday is a "plan of last resort," said his deputy chief of staff, Matt Szabo.

"We understand that we need to work with the council if, in fact, we would need to implement such a plan," Szabo said. "But we have to have a final contingency plan that we're not going to run out of money."

The statements capped a day of ramped-up pressure on the mayor from the City Council, the controller and labor unions after he announced Tuesday that he was going to furlough about 22,000 city employees two days a week because the city will run out of cash next month.

The City Council's chief legislative analyst, Gerry Miller, told councilors on Wednesday that the mayor cannot shut down city services without council approval.

"The mayor does not have the unilateral authority to do that," Miller said.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100407/ap_on_bi_ge/us_la_city_budget_6

[kestrel91316]

1. What idiocy. Guess it finally occurred to V to ask about the legality and

appropriateness of his idea.

[Bette Noir]

2. Illegality didn't keep him from trying to take over the schools.

The man's a power-hungry jackass.

[tomm2thumbs]

3. +1

add idiot to that

[kestrel91316]

4. Jackass and smarmy philanderer. Too true. But I do love his very pro-active

environmental/sustainability plan for the city. It's very progressive.