Mayor steps in, orders layoffs

Saying the city was headed in the wrong direction, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa took a series of unprecedented financial steps Thursday, including ordering 1,000 layoffs and pushing to reopen salary talks with city unions.Daily News.

The mayor's orders came a day after the City Council spent more than eight hours debating ways to close the city's budget gap of $212 million this fiscal year and more than $400 million next year, but ultimately postponed action for at least 30 days.

"Instead of making progress, we are headed in the wrong direction," Villaraigosa said in a late afternoon City Hall news conference. "That ends today. I am taking action to balance this fiscal year's budget and restoring the city's credit rating and restoring the long term health of the ci