City to layoff 25 full-time employees

The city intends to move forward with what is being called a “first round” of layoffs in the coming days, as city officials contend with a projected $10.2 million deficit and attempt to craft a balanced budget for fiscal 2012-13.

The City Council is being asked to approve an $87.9 million spending plan that comes with a 4.1 percent tax levy increase and an 11.9 percent deficit reduction surcharge to help close the city’s deficit.

But the city also needs to come up with $7 million in personnel savings, said City Manager Jack Schnirman.

Schnirman explained that although negotiations with the Civil Service Employees Association, the Long Beach Professional Firefighters Local 287 and Long Beach Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association are ongoing, the layoffs of 20 full-time CSEA employees and five firefighters hired last year are unavoidable.

“In the coming days, notices are going to go out to 25 full-time employees informing them that they will be included in this first wave [of layoffs],” Schnirman said. “It’s very clear that it’s impossible to realize the $7 million in savings without this first round of personnel reductions. We hope that our labor partners will work with us to identify concessions and savings to prevent or curtail the need for additional personnel reductions.”

Schnirman said that the layoffs would save the city $2.5 million annually beginning in fiscal 2012-13. Employees will receive 30 days' notice over the next several days, he said.

Schnirman said that the city is also cutting 42 part-time employees — including 10 summer specials —and removing 69 “inactive” part-time workers from the payroll.

The layoffs will be made across a number of departments, Schnirman said, including Public Works, Sanitation, and Beach Maintenance departments, among others. Currently, no layoffs in the Police Department have been announced.