Mayor Bass’ Budget Targets 1,600 City Jobs—Latino Families Will Pay the Highest Price
Los Angeles is staring down a nearly $1 billion budget deficit, and in a bold but controversial move, Mayor Karen Bass has proposed laying off more than 1,600 city workers to close the gap. But as the city struggles to balance its books, one thing is clear: the Latino community—long the backbone of L.A.’s municipal workforce—is bracing for a heavy blow.
In her recent State of the City address, Mayor Bass acknowledged the dire circumstances, citing overspending, skyrocketing liability payouts, rising personnel costs, and diminished tax revenues. The Palisades wildfire and the sluggish post-pandemic economy have only deepened the crisis. Her solution: a $13.95 billion budget that includes sweeping cuts to staff, programs, and projects.
“We have a very difficult budget to balance,” Bass said. “This decision is a last resort.”
But for Latino workers—many of whom serve as custodians, sanitation workers, street maintenance crews, administrative staff, and other frontline roles—this “last resort” threatens their livelihoods, stability, and access to basic services. These are not just job cuts; they are a potential economic earthquake for working-class families who keep the city running but are often left out of safety nets.
“You are the city’s greatest asset” — but not immune to layoffs
In a city where Latinos make up nearly half the population, and a significant portion of the municipal workforce, the ripple effect of 1,600 job losses will be immense and deeply felt across Latino neighborhoods. These are the same communities that bore the brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic, and that now face disproportionate housing insecurity, rising living costs, and limited access to affordable health care.
David Green, president of SEIU Local 721, which represents over 10,000 city workers, made it clear: “We’re not going to allow out-of-touch bureaucrats to balance the budget on the backs of city workers.”
Ironically, while the city plans to add more than 200 positions to the fire department and increase its budget by nearly 13%, it’s slashing vital services that many Latino communities rely on—such as street services, sanitation, public works, and housing assistance.
Mayor Bass emphasized her support for public safety, stating she would not reduce police funding. But too many in underserved communities, public safety means more than just policing—it means jobs, youth programs, clean streets, and accessible housing.
With more than 1,000 vacant positions also being eliminated, the city’s capacity to serve its most vulnerable residents—many of whom are Latino immigrants—will shrink. This could lead to longer wait times for city services, delays in housing applications, uncollected trash, and stalled infrastructure improvements in already-neglected neighborhoods.
During her speech, Mayor Bass proclaimed that Los Angeles will “always stand with immigrants.” But for thousands of Latino families, standing with them means protecting their jobs, not pushing them closer to the edge of poverty.
Bass is heading to Sacramento in hopes of securing state funding to reduce the scale of layoffs. But with budget season approaching fast and tensions rising, time is running out.
The proposed layoffs echo the recession-era cuts under former Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and the pandemic-era furloughs under Eric Garcetti—both of which left deep scars in communities of color.
Today, Los Angeles has a chance to learn from the past and do better.
The question is: will the city choose austerity—or equity?
