Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has made a deal with City Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson to restore police hiring cuts that were approved last month. This agreement comes after the City Council modified Bass’s budget plan, which was meant to address a $1 billion shortfall.
Last Friday, Bass signed the 2025-26 budget, which reduced the number of police recruits from 480 to 240 for the upcoming fiscal year. But in her announcement, she emphasized a separate agreement with Harris-Dawson. They plan to find the funds necessary to add another 240 recruits within the next 90 days, just as the new budget year begins on July 1.
The council will need to allocate an additional $13.3 million to cover the cost of these recruits. By the following year, the expense for these officers is expected to rise to about $60 million. Bass’s spokesperson, Zach Seidl, confirmed that the funds would be identified within the 90-day timeframe.
Harris-Dawson acknowledged that while this deal is a step forward, there is still much work to be done. He stated that they are committed to working with the mayor to secure the necessary funds.
The budget process has been contentious. Initially, Bass proposed laying off around 1,600 civilian city workers, including many from the LAPD. The council managed to reduce this number to about 700 layoffs by cutting police hiring and reallocating funds to protect other jobs within the department.
Council members argued that slowing down police hiring would help save jobs for civilian specialists who perform critical tasks, such as handling DNA evidence. Bass expressed gratitude to the council for their cooperation, highlighting that the budget also invests in emergency response, homeless services, and community programs.
Despite these efforts, there are concerns about how to finance the additional police hires. Councilmember Bob Blumenfield noted that every dollar spent must come from somewhere, and there are differing opinions on what should be cut to accommodate this priority.
The budget allows for six police academy classes with up to 40 recruits each, a significant reduction from the 480 that Bass initially sought. Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky, who chairs the budget committee, expressed her desire to work with the mayor to restore recruit classes while ensuring fiscal responsibility.
As of mid-May, the LAPD had 8,746 officers, a significant drop from nearly 10,000 in 2020. The council’s current budget aims to maintain a police force of 8,399 officers by June 30, 2026, but with the additional funding, that number could exceed 8,600.
The coming months will be crucial as the city seeks to balance its budget while addressing public safety needs and managing personnel cuts.