Santa Monica Drowning: 581 City Jobs Disappear As Red Ink Floods SM City Hall
Written by 991KBU on May 4, 2020
In news from down the coast … the city of Santa Monica is planning to cut $203.2 million from its budget and about 337 permanent and 144 temporary jobs as the coronavirus shutdown devastates the sectors of Santa Monica’s economy that sustain city revenues.
The Santa Monica general fund has a deficit of $224 million over the next two years.
City manager Rick Cole has resigned.
100 city employees have already taken voluntary buyouts.
Another 481 jobs would be eliminated in Santa Monica … which has 23-hundred City employees.
The Santa Monica Daily Press reports the City Council will vote Tuesday on chopping $117 million in one-time expenses and cutting $86.2 million in ongoing costs.
There would be radical cuts to city programs, services and staffing.
Many in-person services would be shifted to a redesigned city website, both to facilitate physical distancing and to save money.
The interim city manager and interim city attorney have taken 20% reductions in pay.
Department heads, executive staff, and the police and fire chiefs will take 10% or 15% pay cuts.
Santa Monica was in huge trouble even before the pandemic.
It has a $448 million unfunded pension liability … revenues are flattening.
