In a devastating six-page letter Thursday afternoon, City Attorney Carmen Trutanich accuses Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa of “a remarkable lack of leadership and imagination,that puts “public safety and the protection of taxpayer dollars at substantial risk.”
Responding to the mayor’s budget proposal that cuts his spending 18 percent on top of a similar cut this year, Trutanich suggests the mayor has “lost faith” in the city’s residents and public employees and is engaging in political cynicism.
“Your proposals will only exacerbate the budget crisis looming in the future and appear to be motivated by some agenda other than the continued success of all of the public safety offices in this City, including the City Attorney’s Office.
“It is also obvious that your proposals cynically protect political positions at the expense of public safety and essential services. For example, I note with great dismay that the proposed Budget recommends only a 2.6% reduction for the Mayor’s Office. I also understand that, despite a so-called ‘hard hiring freeze’ for other City employees, your office continues to hire political staff, which is not tasked to perform public safety functions.”
(READ THE WHOLE LETTER AT OURLA.ORG)