Los Angeles Mayor Reverses Police Hiring Cuts After ‍Budget Deal

⁣ ​ Updated June 08, 2025

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and City Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson have reached an agreement to ⁤restore police hiring ‍numbers, reversing cuts made by the council last month. ‍The agreement addresses ‍concerns⁣ about public safety and the ⁢city’s budget ‌shortfall.

bass signed the city’s ​2025-26 budget, which included ⁣meaningful revisions to her original plan for ‍tackling a $1 billion deficit. Among the changes was a reduction ⁤in planned‌ police officer hires, dropping ⁣the number from 480 to 240 for the⁢ upcoming fiscal year.

As part of ⁢her signing announcement, Bass highlighted ⁢the deal ​with Harris-Dawson, stating that council leadership would find funds for an additional⁤ 240 recruits within 90 ⁣days. The budget year ⁢begins July 1, and the money for the additional officers ​is⁣ expected to be allocated within that timeframe, according to‍ Bass spokesperson Zach Seidl.

Restoring the 240 police recruits will require the council to allocate an additional $13.3 million for the coming year. The cost is projected​ to rise to ⁢about $60 million in ​2026-27, when those ‍officers will be working ‌their first full year.

The council’s decision to scale back⁤ police hiring⁣ was partly aimed at protecting the jobs of civilian⁤ LAPD employees, including specialists handling DNA rape‍ kits and fingerprint analysis.

“No one got everything they wanted,” Harris-Dawson said in a statement. “There​ is still more work ahead, ⁢especially our‍ commitment to work with the Mayor to identify ​the funds for an additional 240 recruits within 90 days.”

Councilmember Bob Blumenfield, a member of the ​budget committee, noted the challenges of reallocating funds. “Every dollar has to come from⁣ somewhere,” blumenfield‌ said, adding that ‌differing opinions⁣ exist regarding what programs would be cut to prioritize police ​spending.

Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky, who chairs the⁢ council’s⁤ budget committee, said she shares ‍the mayor’s goal of restoring LAPD recruit classes and looks forward to “working with her to make it happen.”

The current budget provides funding for six police ⁣academy classes, each with⁤ up to ‌40 recruits, for the coming fiscal year. bass had initially⁣ sought funding for‌ double that number, aiming for 480 new recruits.

What’s next

To further increase police hiring and prevent additional ⁤layoffs, the council may need to seek financial concessions from the ⁤city’s labor unions. The LAPD had 8,746 officers‌ in mid-May, a decrease from approximately ⁢10,000 in ‌2020. The $13.3 million sought by Bass is expected to bring‌ the number above 8,600.