Los Angeles city officials earned more money than White House Cabinet members, despite an increase in the city’s homeless crisis. According to Forbes, auditors at Open The Books discovered that across all city departments, the average city employee makes over $150,000 a year.
The Los Angeles Housing and Community Investment Department administers services to the homeless population including; Section 8 federal grants, rent stabilization, and regulates the housing code. This department employs 737 people which cost the city $55 million in 2020.
Complaints regarding to crime, trash, needle debris and more, attributed to homeless encampment skyrocketed, sparking issue with the high pay of city officials overseeing the homeless crisis in the city. Between January 2019 and August 2020, homeless encampment complaints reached an all-time high; growing to 100,000 complaints (averaging 4,500 per month), according to Forbes.
Data shows a 14.2 percent increase for homeless within city limits in 2020, according to the city census. The census recorded a current number of 40,000 individuals that are homeless in the city of Los Angeles.
Rushmore Cervantes, the former Housing and Community Investment director, earned a salary of $254,937, while Ben Carson, the former Housing and Urban Development Secretary (a cabinet-level position) earned $199,700. More shocking is the four assistant LA department general managers who earned more than $200,000. Cervantes has since resigned.
LA city official’s income continued to increase as the homeless crisis got worse.
The city blamed an influx of vagrants flocking to the city for the surging homeless population. According to NPR, LA County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas said, "If we were in any other jurisdiction, we’d be celebrating the fact that we take that many people out of homelessness." The statement came after the city reportedly housed 23,000 in 2019, logged in a report by the LA Homeless Services Authority.
The city of Los Angeles is now trying to find ways to reduce costs by laying off city officials. The Los Angeles Times reported that the city cut hundreds of jobs in December to curb the deficit. The city has since discovered 843 positions that are now on the chopping block to help curb the deficit. Three-fourths of these positions the city is looking target are members of the Los Angeles Police Department.
With a 13-2 vote, budget-balancing measures passed aiming to cut 628 jobs from LAPD, including both officers and civilians. Officials explained that layoffs could be prevented if the department found new ways to cut costs.
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