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 be critical to reduce disruptive displacement cascades.

Personnel Department staff reported that their outreach has begun: the department sent letters to approximately 7,300 employees in classifications that match positions identified by proprietary departments, and about 1,400 employees have responded as interested in transfer opportunities. Personnel said available proprietary and special‑fund positions are fluid as departments review vacancies and classifications approved for elimination. “This past Tuesday, the personnel department sent out letters to 7,300,” the personnel representative said; staff said departments are continuing to identify openings and that the personnel department will track applications and transfers.

Personnel and CAO staff emphasized that transfers cannot be forced and that many proprietary departments are cautious about absorbing large numbers of transfers because their revenues and federal funds are sensitive to economic changes. Questions from council members raised specific concerns about transfers to Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and Los Angeles World Airports and about pension reciprocity and ongoing litigation that could limit transfers to some proprietary entities.

Council members discussed administrative details that must be resolved, including correcting employee records in Workday and validating service histories. Personnel staff said they had sent a separate employee job‑history verification request to support accurate layoff seniority calculations; as of an update in the meeting they reported thousands of responses and ongoing prioritization of corrections.

Councilmembers and personnel emphasized that the transfer portal will be iterative and that departments should report transfers, vacancies, and any internal transfers so CAO and personnel can capture the resulting savings. The council approved the motion as amended and directed personnel, the CAO and relevant departments to submit a written outline of the layoff‑avoidance plan — including a list of positions for transfer under the budget instruction — at next week’s update. The roll call on the motion recorded affirmative votes from the council members present and the matter was approved as amended.

The council also asked that personnel and the Office of Finance prioritize work on revenue‑producing finance positions included in the budget so those roles can be filled quickly to help meet revenue projections.