Council approves transfer-portal motion to help avoid layoffs; personnel department to report weekly

The Los Angeles City Council approved a motion to establish and continue an expedited transfer‑portal process — also called a layoff‑avoidance or transfer portal — intended to move eligible general‑fund employees into specially funded or proprietary positions to reduce or avoid layoffs. The council asked the personnel department and the City Administrative Officer to report back with regular updates and a written outline of the layoff‑avoidance plan.

Council members described two parallel tracks: a voluntary transfer process to place employees into funded positions and the statutorily prescribed civil‑service layoff process that governs displacement and bumping rights. Council members and personnel staff said the administration expects the processes to run in parallel but that timing and sequencing will…