LOS ANGELES — It was the depths of the first COVID-19 winter surge. Tax revenues had tumbled in Los Angeles, and the city's budget was in deep trouble.
Faced with the prospect of employee layoffs and other drastic measures, L.A.'s elected officials persuaded police officers, firefighters and thousands of other city employees to delay their scheduled raises for a year or more.
But that deal came with a caveat: If the state or federal government came through with a big financial rescue package, city leaders would be required to reopen talks with those same employees — opening the door for them to claw back those pay increases.
