L.A. City Council approves $7.2-billion budget

As budget deliberations go, this one flew by. The vote was 15-0, and Council President Herb Wesson moved things along so swiftly that at one point Councilman Paul Krekorian, chairman of the Budget Committee, asked for a short break so he could actually read the motions that were being voted on. In closing up a $230-billion million deficit, the council voted to increase parking fees, delay layoffs through the end of the year, and trim nearly $70 million in city services.