Newest articles on The Sacramento Press tagged as "city budget crisis"

Layoffs of 35 city cops avoided

2011-06-15T05:37:18Z

Thirty-five police jobs were saved from proposed layoffs after the Sacramento Police Department received a waiver on a federal grant that funds officer positions, spokesman Sgt. Norm Leong confirmed late Tuesday night.

The number of proposed layoffs in the 2011/2012 budget for Sacramento police officers has dropped from 81 to 46.

The City Council will vote next week on proposed budget cuts that include layoffs of cops and other Police Department staffers. Council members were weighing whether to lay off 81 police officers, but the grant waiver means they will decide whether to lay off 46 officers. The council will also choose whether to lay off 68 civilian police department staffers – those proposed cuts were not affected by the federal grant waiver.

The city is facing a $39 million budget gap for the 2011/2012 fiscal year.

"This grant exemption is a positive in an otherwise difficult budget year,” Police Chief Rick Braziel wrote in a Tuesday night press statement. “We are thankful for the quick approval of this grant exemption, which would not have been possible without the efforts of Bernard Melekian from the Department of Justice, the support of Congresswoman Doris Matsui and the hard work of our police staff.”

Meanwhile, Interim Deputy City Manager Betty Masuoka told the City Council at a Tuesday night budget hearing that she had no update on any labor concessions from city unions. Despite the standstill, “staff continues to have an open door” to negotiations with city unions, she said.

In addition, the city could still negotiate with the unions for possible concessions after the budget is approved, Masuoka said.

While Councilman Darrell Fong, a retired police captain, has said he intends to vote for the police cuts, he announced at Tuesday’s council meeting that he would redirect his City Council salary for the 2011/2012 fiscal year to the Police Department’s budget.

The base pay for Sacramento City Council members is $60,800 annually.

“I’m hopeful as we continue between now and next week to keep having discussions and hope to get to a better place,” Mayor Kevin Johnson said at the meeting.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Firefighters make deal with city; union to cast votes on agreement

2009-06-02T02:43:42Z

Sacramento's firefighters’ union and city management have made a preliminary deal to maintain jobs that city officials hope will be approved by union members later this week. A union spokeswoman, meanwhile, is saying that no one is “thrilled” about the proposed agreement.

The deal, which was arranged Friday and made public Monday, would maintain 50 positions in the city’s fire department and take $5 million off the city's deficit, said Gus Vina, an assistant city manager who is negotiating with the city’s unions. A key part of the agreement is that the firefighters would give up their 5 percent cost-of-living pay increases that had been scheduled for July, Vina said.

Instead of the 5 percent in July, the firefighters would receive a 1 percent raise in July 2010, and a 2 percent raise in 2011. “So they get basically 3 percent back on the 5 percent they forego,” he said.

“We’ve been working towards an agreement for many months now,” Vina said. “So I’m very happy that we’ve reached tentative agreement with the fire union.”

Sacramento Area Firefighters Local 522 spokeswoman Robin Swanson said that the union’s firefighters don’t want to see layoffs, adding that it’s their job to save lives. The firefighters have been willing to make major concessions, she said, including cutting their own pay. She said she didn’t think anyone was “thrilled about” the tentative deal.

The union’s members will vote on the proposed agreement Wednesday, Thursday and Friday this week, according to Swanson.

The city’s $50 million deficit has shrunk to $43.6 as a result of a recent deal that was approved by the Sacramento Police Officers Association, Vina said. If Local 522 accepts the proposed agreement, the city's deficit would be $38.6, he noted.

Vina said he hopes to know whether the agreement passes by Friday afternoon.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

City budget crisis: The weekly roundup

2009-05-25T02:23:36Z

The past week saw several major developments in Sacramento’s budget crisis, from the city’s forecasts of major deficits in 2010 to a campaign by residents against proposed budget cuts to local parks.

Here’s a roundup of the past week’s budget news:

Huge deficit predicted for 2010
The Sacramento City Council is studying a slew of proposed cuts to resolve its $50 million deficit. But once the city deals with the current $50 million deficit, it will face a projected $30 million deficit for the 2010/2011 fiscal year, according to Leyne Milstein, the city’s finance director.

“Gap will grow to $30 million as revenues continue to decline and expenses increase in FY 2010/2011,” Milstein wrote in her recent report to the city council.

Read Milstein’s budget forecast here. Her presentation begins on page 59 of the document.

State may take local funds
On May 19,Californians voted down propositions that aimed to lessen the state’s budget crisis. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s office said that the failure of the propositions – five of the six died at the polls – means that the state’s budget gap of $15 billion has risen to $21 billion.

Schwarzenegger recently proposed to borrow $2 billion in local funds from local governments if the propositions fail. Local governments, including Sacramento, are afraid the state will take their funds. Schwarzenegger's office told The Sacramento Press May 20 that Schwarzenegger’s proposal to borrow from local governments is still on the table.

The Sacramento City Council declared the city was in a “fiscal crisis” with the aim of telling the state to stay away from Sacramento’s revenues.

Residents create group to oppose planned cuts to parks
A group of residents is challenging the city’s planned cuts to the Department of Parks and Recreation. The group, which is called Rescue Sacramento Parks, is pitching alternative actions the city could take instead of slashing parks services.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Send your tips about local politics to kathleen@sacramentopress.com.