L.A. Council to cut spending

After Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa chided Los Angeles City Council workers for not taking unpaid leave to save the city money, council members upped the ante Thursday by saying they would put up $1.2 million in office funds to help balance the budget. Kerry Cavanaugh in the Daily News.

The move came after a press conference Thursday morning in which Villaraigosa put pressure on city employees, except in public-safety agencies, to take unpaid five-day furloughs he had proposed in January to save the city $20 million amid its current budget crunch.

But only 365 of more than 25,000 city employees have acted on his request - saving the city just $95,000.