Chaos clouds Compton's fate - Los Angeles Times

After a chaotic meeting full of reversals, the Compton City Council late Tuesday apparently moved to approve dozens of layoffs to avert a potential government shutdown. The council, acting

as the redevelopment commission, voted 3 to 2 to approve a budget that will eliminate about 90 jobs, then went into closed session — leaving the final council vote up in the air. It was

unclear whether the council realized a final vote had not been cast. The apparent approval of the budget will avert a potential government shutdown, but the city faces lawsuits from

employees’ unions and individual workers over the process. City employees in attendance were stunned. “Actually, we don’t know what budget they just adopted,” said Tony Branson, a Compton

Fire Department captain and president of the firefighters’ union. “I don’t think it was fair, and I don’t think it was legal.” City officials had said that without a budget in place, all but

public safety and some other essential employees would be furloughed. New City Councilwoman Janna Zurita cast the deciding vote on the spending proposal, which included revisions the city

manager gave the panel at 5 p.m. The city’s independent auditor has questioned whether Compton can remain solvent. The general fund has used up its reserves and ended the fiscal year June 30

with a deficit of $23.8 million, about 40% of the budget, according to expenditure and revenue reports provided by the city. That figure was increased by $11.6 million because of a transfer

of funds from the general fund to pay off an accumulated deficit in the city’s general liability fund. Last year, the city had a $15-million shortfall. Tuesday’s meeting got off to a rocky

start when the council recessed early after it became clear that Zurita had not received a copy of the latest budget revision, which was submitted to the council by City Manager Willie

Norfleet at 5 p.m. The revisions were not made available to the public until midway through the meeting and were not on file with the clerk’s office, angering many of the dozens of residents

attending the meeting. Then Councilwoman Yvonne Arceneaux introduced a series of resolutions to avoid layoffs that incorporated concessions and an early retirement incentive program

proposed by employee unions. The council voted in favor of incorporating the union proposal — which included eliminating layoffs — but voted against a second amendment to postpone all

layoffs. The council also voted in favor of an amendment adopting the golden handshake proposal, which was included in the union plan, but then reversed when Councilwoman Lillie Dobson

changed her vote. The current spending plan calls for cutting about 90 jobs. City officials said the layoffs are the only way to salvage Compton’s finances. But union representatives say the

city violated multiple laws in the way it has gone about the process. “The layoff plan as it exists now is a legal disaster,” Tony Segall, an attorney representing the Coalition of Compton

Unions, told the council Tuesday. “If it goes forward, it will be challenged on numerous legal bases.” City Atty. Craig Cornwell said he had submitted a confidential memo to the council on

some of the issues Segall raised but declined to address the question further in public. Some employees whose jobs were targeted are threatening individual lawsuits as well.

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