Last month, when Mayor Eric Garcetti and City Council President Herb Wesson announced a tentative contract with unions representing more than half of the city's civilian workforce, budget watchdogs clamored for details so they could analyze the potential financial impact. They're still waiting, and they're getting increasingly impatient. Why? Because Los Angeles leaders have a history of rushed votes, insufficient analysis and little debate over labor contracts that can have major impacts on the city's budget and services.
The most glaring example was the last contract with the Coalition of L.A. City Unions in 2007, when city leaders agreed to raises totaling nearly 25% even as then-Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa was demanding across-the-board budget cuts.