Member-supported news for Southern California
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
Available On Air Stations
Support for LAist comes from:

How is Villaraigosa keeping LA in the black?

LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 30:   Los Angeles Police Department Chief Charlie Beck talks to members of the media in front of City Hall in downtown in the early hours of November 30, 2011 in Los Angeles, California. Protesters remained on the City Hall lawn despite a deadline, set by Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, to dismantle their campsite and leave the park which the city declared closed as of 12:01 am November 28th. 1400 members of the Los Angeles Police raided the park this morning and removed or arrested all of the Occupy LA protesters. (Photo by Michal Czerwonka/Getty Images)
Michal Czerwonka/Getty Images
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, pictured with LAPD Chief Charlie Beck, has been avoiding paying cops time-and-a-half when they work extra hours by allowing officers to pile up extra hours in an increasingly large "overtime bank."

In a story today, the L.A. Times points out that Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is using what sounds like accounting tricks to push $100 million in city costs off to the next mayor and keep the city's finances in the black through his final term — at least on paper.

From the Times:

One of the major issues seems to be how police overtime is structured, and whether it will end up costing the city even more in the future, even though much of accrued police overtime won't come out of city coffers until after Villaraigosa has left his post.

The police overtime issue is a bit complex, but it adds up to a lot of money, so we suggest you head over to the Times' story where they spell it out quite well.

How do you feel about what seems like Villaraigosa pushing off the city's obligations to the next mayor, and the mayor after that?