Responses Of LB Fire Chief & Police Chief On City Mgm't/Mayor Proposed Proportional Budget Reductions on LBFD/LBPD Services

(July 24, 2010) -- LBReport.com provides video below of Q & A with LB Fire Chief Alan Patalano and LB Police Chief Jim McDonnell on the City Mgm't/Mayor proposed proportional budget reductions on LBFD/LBPD services. Their remarks came during the July 23, 2010 presentation of the City Manager/Mayor proposed budget.

As previously reported by LBReport.com, the manager/Mayor proposed budget offers two scenarios:

• Plan A: $7.2 million in multiple Departmental cuts + $11.3 million in not yet negotiated city employee pension and pay concessions. Plan A would cut 19 sworn police officers, civilianize 4 current sworn police positions and eliminate 12 firefighters. In addition, four more sworn officers (motor officers) and three firefighters are proposed to be eliminated from Prop H funds.

  On public safety: sworn police officers proposed to be cut = 27; firefighters proposed to be cut: 15.

• Plan B (which isn't management recommended and is a worst case) would occur in the absence of city employee concessions. It would produce all of Plan A's cuts PLUS eliminate 44 patrol officers and vehicles + 5 Sgts. reduced fire staffing at Stn 12 + FD "rolling brownouts."

To view video of the Fire and Police Chiefs' comments, click their image to the right. This will launch a Windows Media Video file (.wmv) which most computer should be able to reproduce (including Macs).

The Manager/Mayor proposed budget's details are available on City Hall's website at the following link: click here.

The Manager/Mayor budget proposes to freeze city employee pay and make pension changes that haven't yet been negotiated and agreed to -- or yet presented to -- city employee unions involved. City employee unions agreed to management-sought give-backs, delays deferrals and other concessions from previously negotiated agreements that were requested by city management last year.

The ultimate budget decisions are now up to a City Council majority with a decisional deadline of mid-September.

Stay with LBReport.com for complete coverage of the city management/Mayor proposed FY11 spending plan..including your comments below.

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