UN4LA News - May 2025
A monthly newsletter published by United Neighborhoods for Los Angeles.
UN4LA's mission is to bring communities together to plan for a sustainable future. Growth must be shaped by community engagement, not developer dollars.
MAYOR BASS' BUDGET PROPOSES DEEP CUTS TO CITY SERVICES
As the City of Los Angeles careens toward yet another fiscal crisis, Mayor Karen Bass has proposed a budget that includes deep cuts to city services. Her plan would mean layoffs for 1,647 city employees and closing some departments. While there are a number of factors leading up to the current crisis, some of them beyond the city's control, the 2023 pay raises for LAPD officers, followed by similar raises for city employees, added about $250 million in red ink. The city’s failure to maintain adequate financial reserves has also been a contributing factor. The mayor's budget will now go to the LA City Council for consideration.
LA Mayor Karen Bass' Budget Calls for Over 1,600 City Workers to Be Laid Off
L.A. COUNTY WORKERS GO ON STRIKE
While the City of Los Angeles struggles to cover a $1 billion deficit, the County of Los Angeles has come up with an austere but balanced budget that officials believed would leave the county in a fairly secure financial position. But apparently they hadn't reckoned with the members of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 721. The union's contract expired in March, and members staged a two-day strike at the end of April, saying the pay package the county had offered during negotiations was unacceptable. LA County CEO Fesia Davenport claims that the raises proposed by the union could drive the county into a structural deficit.
About 55,000 L.A. County Workers Go on Strike, Disrupting Services
WEST HOLLYWOOD CITY COUNCIL OKAYS MOVE TOWARD MINISTERIAL APPROVAL OF HOUSING PROJECTS
In spite of strong opposition from residents, the West Hollywood City Council voted 4–1 to advance a proposal to streamline approvals for projects under 100 units. The proposed change, which directs staff to prepare a zone text amendment to change the review authority for such projects from the Planning Commission to the director of community development, would eliminate the requirement for community input. Numerous residents sent written comments opposing the change, while some showed up at the council meeting to voice their objections. Some commenters raised concerns that the proposed change would result in greater displacement of renters. Only Councilmember Lauren Meister agreed, also citing concerns about oversight and safety.
Residents Decry Housing Reforms’ Impact on Tenants, Oversight
APPEALS COURT FINDS FAULT WITH DODGER GONDOLA EIR
Frank McCourt's Dodger gondola project ran into more trouble on May 1 when a state appeals court found that the environmental impact report (EIR) contained significant flaws. The court said the EIR, prepared by LA Metro, had not looked at feasible ways to mitigate construction noise impacts, and the transit agency had not done enough to seek input from the trustee that oversees Los Angeles State Historic Park, which would be impacted by the project. LA Metro must now revise the EIR and recirculate it for further public comment.
Proposed Dodger Stadium Gondola Project Hits Roadblock with California’s Court of Appeals
TREE ADVOCATES SAY STATE'S NEW REQUIREMENTS FOR FIRE ZONES NOT BASED ON SCIENCE
In the wake of the deadly fires in Altadena and Pacific Palisades, it's understandable the state would want to look at updating regulations to reduce risk for future fires. But tree advocates across Los Angeles are alarmed at proposed requirements for restricting plants and trees around structures in fire zones, asserting that the rules are not grounded in science and could erase large numbers of trees and plants from our communities.
Welcome to State-Controlled Landscaping: Where Even Your Potted Plants Require Government Approval
