Los Angeles Mayor, Antonio Villaraigosa, must tackle the dilemma surrounding closing a massive city budget shortfall and maintaining the support of the unions that supported him. LA is facing a $530 million budget deficit and Villaraigosa (a former union negotiator) is asking for union concessions under the threat of 2,800 layoffs. Unions who had previously won ?the best contract in 40 years? under Villaraigosa, are now being asked to give up some of those gains, putting a noticeable damper on prior union support for the mayor. Villaraigosa also faces criticism from more conservative voters who want to see the budget back in balance. With his eye on the Governor's office, Villaraigosa has to please both groups. In the meantime, he has allowed unions to review the city's books and recommend other means of cost cutting.
See "Villaraigosa's tightrope: cut city spending without angering labor", Phil Willon, Los Angeles Times, April 13, 2009