On April 14, Council District 15 Councilman Tim McOsker introduced a motion to create an incentive program to hire more city employees. A press release from McOsker’s office states that 21% of jobs are vacant across the City of Los Angeles.
His motion does not include specifics on his proposed plan, but gives examples based on what city departments have done to attract and keep employees. The Los Angeles Police Department created an incentive program which pays new hires $5,000 to enter the police academy, complete training and work for three years, according to the press release. This program was approved earlier this month. McOsker’s motion also suggests using public service loan forgiveness; and subsidizing housing costs for new hires.
The motion has yet to be approved by the city council. First, it is going to the Personnel, Audits, and Hiring Committee. McOsker is the chairman of that committee. It will next meet on April 18. The motion asks for the city’s personnel department to report back on vacancies citywide within 30 days. It also asks that the personnel department and the city administrative officer provide recommendations on how to hire more employees, prioritizing city departments with the highest vacancy rates. In addition, it asks the city administrative officer to come up with a way to fund this program.
Details: View the motion in full here