A day after Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa ordered the elimination of 1,000 jobs to address the city’s budget crisis, Chief Deputy City Atty. Bill Carter wrote a memo stating the mayor does not have authority under the City Charter “on his own to order layoffs.”In the Friday memo, Carter advised employees in the office of City Atty. Carmen Trutanich that Villaraigosa lacks the power to compel city department heads to lay off employees, an opinion that puts the city's top lawyer at odds with the mayor. Trutanich has strenuously opposed City Administrative Officer Miguel Santana's proposal to eliminate 100 positions in the city attorney's office as part of the plan to cut 1,000 jobs from the city's rolls. City attorney officials say to do so would limit their ability to prosecute criminal cases.
Carter opined in his memo that the mayor’s “urgent directive” Thursday is “not binding on department heads," who the mayor can hire and fire as he sees fit. He also said the office has "no intention" of laying off any staff until the City Council directs them to do so.
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