Los Angeles Mayor Villaraigosa has introduced a budget that would result in layoffs across the city. Now, two employees who would lose their jobs are offering their own plan that would both save money and save jobs.

The two women work as civilians in the LAPD and are responsible for training officers on technology used in police cars. And because the unions have refused thus far to reopen contracts and offer concessions or pay raise deferrals, the women took it upon themselves to represent 159 civilians at the LAPD who would lose their jobs under the proposed budget.

Their plan is to implement a voluntary subscription for ambulance services, and collecting unpaid foreclosure fees from banks. Even if the city council doesn’t adopt their proposal, the pair hoped that the plan would show the council that there are more options than simply eliminating jobs.

From the Los Angeles Daily News:

City workers whose positions could be cut under Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s proposed $7.2 billion budget pleaded for their jobs Monday, as union representatives delivered their own financial plan to avoid layoffs.

Under Villaraigosa’s proposal, employees like Artilla Watts and Joy Kawthorn, veterans of the Los Angeles Police Department, could lose their jobs.

The two women – who train police officers on the technology system used in LAPD vehicles – are representative of the 159 civilians slated for layoffs. They are both minorities and women, typical of the makeup of the LAPD’s civilian workforce.

Read the full article here.