LOS ANGELES : Riordan Hopes to Cut U.S. Programs to Fund LAPD
A day after winning City Council approval for the first phase of his police buildup plan, Mayor Richard Riordan said Thursday he hopes some money for the next step will come by cutting federally mandated programs in the city.
Riordan declined to name specific programs he wants reduced, but he said federal mandates cost the city $590 million annually. Typically, such programs include environmental regulations and mandates to improve the infrastructure.
The police buildup plan, unanimously approved Wednesday by the City Council, is designed to increase the number of officers on patrol by 50% through the use of overtime and by moving desk officers to the field. The first phase calls for spending $26 million in the next six months to pay for overtime and 535 new police cars.
Riordan said finding money to pay for the entire program will be difficult, considering the city faces a projected $200 million deficit. He promised that he would make public his funding ideas for the next phase of the buildup by the end of January.
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