Slow down in police hiring

With reluctant agreement from Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, the City Council on Wednesday erased most of the deficit in the current Los Angeles budget by delaying the hiring of police officers. Daily News.

The council followed the advice of its top budget advisers and agreed to delay hiring 45 new officers until after July 1, when a lower pension rate takes effect.

While that move will save only about $700,000 this year, it is expected to save taxpayers millions of dollars in future years in lower pension costs. It was also seen as an important symbolic shift because the Los Angeles Police Department has in the past year been protected from some of the deep cuts that other agencies have suffered.