Council votes job cuts

Agency heads are being instructed to eliminate 3,000 additional jobs - through layoffs, if necessary - by July 1. That's in addition to the 1,000 job cuts already in the works. The 9-3 council vote comes a day after Moody's issued a negative outlook for the city because of the massive budget deficit - and because L.A. officials hadn't made much progress in dealing with it. Under the plan, cops and firefighters would not be exempt from cuts. From the LAT:

The council's motion faced strong objections from several council members -- including Richard Alarcon, Paul Koretz and Paul Krekorian. Koretz said the 4,000 number had been "plucked out of the air" with no analysis. "I think it's a devastating mistake," he said.