MAYOR SIGNS $6.7 BILLION BUDGET TRASH FEE HIKE TO GO TO HIRE ADDITIONAL COPS.

Byline: RICK ORLOV Staff Writer

Backed by a squad of LAPD cadets, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa signed a $6.7 billion city budget Wednesday that adds an escalating trash-pickup fee for homeowners to pay for 1,000 additional officers.

Despite boosting the monthly fee more than 50 percent -- from $11 to $18 this year and as high as $28 in four years -- the controversial move has drawn little objection since Villaraigosa first proposed it nearly two months ago.

The City Council has taken action to ensure the fee -- expected to raise $127 million by 2010 -- will be spent only for police hiring and not other city programs.

``I think the public, from the San Fernando Valley to San Pedro, understood the need to provide a steady stream of revenue so we can hire more police officers,'' Villaraigosa said during a budget-signing ceremony on the Los Angeles Police Academy athletic field.

``They also realized that the city was subsidizing trash pickup for homeowners and that this is a fair way to set aside funding.''

The signing ceremony, staged to emphasize how Villaraigosa is trying to meet his campaign promise to hire 1,000 more police officers during his four-year term, was held with a class of 36 cadets scheduled to graduate next month.

Two of the cadets were overcome by the heat and had to be helped off the field. Villaraigosa met with the two afterward to check on their condition.

The biggest winner in the budget was the Los Angeles Police Department, whose budget increased 6.9 percent, to $1.2 billion, to cover hiring officers and new equipment, including cameras for patrol cars.

Chief William Bratton said the money will go a long way toward helping him reach the mayor's hiring goals.

The LAPD, which is authorized to have 10,200 officers, has a sworn staff of only 9,314. Bratton said recruiting has been hampered by previous hiring freezes, funding shifts and competition with other law enforcement agencies to hire officers.

``What the funding does is ensure us we can begin hiring and tell recruits there will be a spot for them when they complete training,'' Bratton said. ``I expect us to hire 650 officers this year; that will be 13 classes of 50 officers each. Next year, I expect us to be able to hire even more.''

Accounting for attrition and retirements, officials estimate the city will hire 173 additional officers this year and 135 more by the end of next year.

In the following two years, the mayor has said he expects to add 220 officers each year and in the fifth year, add 305 new officers.

The police force expansion, and accompanying trash-fee hike, were the centerpiece of Villaraigosa's budget, which goes into effect July 1 and represents an 11 percent increase over the current budget.

The budget was approved by the council on a 14-0 vote in a one-day session two weeks ago and was made easier by an influx of money from property taxes and the documentary transfer tax, enabling Villaraigosa and the council to expand a number of programs.

Money will be used to keep branch libraries open six days a week, expand gang intervention programs, hire more officers to direct traffic at problem intersections and offer more services for the city's homeless population.

The budget also includes a $5 increase for parking tickets and planning permits, and begins a five-year effort to eliminate a structural deficit estimated at $245 million this year.

``I believe that this budget balances our books and our values,'' Villaraigosa said. ``With this budget, (the city) has ended the reliance on short-term gimmicks and one-time solutions.''

City Council President Eric Garcetti, who joined several council members at the signing ceremony, praised the mayor's work with the council.

``What this budget does is fund our top three priorities,'' Garcetti said. ``That's affordable housing for the homeless, public safety and transportation.''

Councilman Bernard Parks, who chaired the council's Budget and Finance Committee, said it helped that the mayor had served on the council for two years and learned how to work with the members.

``What we have done is develop a budget that is fiscally responsible and provides the services we need,'' Parks said.

rick.orlov(at)dailynews.com

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L.A. BUDGET HIGHLIGHTS

$6.7 billion, takes effect July 1.

Includes new $7-a-month trash fee -- rising to $28 a month by 2010 -- to fund 1,000 additional police officers over the next five years. Residents now pay $11 a month for their trash pickups.

Boosts LAPD budget 6.9 percent, to $1.2 billion, for cameras in patrol cars and other equipment.

Parking fines jump by $5. Planning and inspection fees also rise.

$50 million to expand library hours, increase participation in LA's BEST after-school program, fund a summer youth jobs program and create a unit to look for more park space.

Funds for planting 1 million trees, building affordable housing and expanding transportation projects.

$2 million for gang intervention, job training and mentoring for at-risk children.

$2 million to expand a project to allow 1,400 high school students to attend classes in the morning and work in the afternoon.

$200 million to cover higher pension costs for city workers.

Boosts Mayor's Office spending 28 percent, to $8.6 million.

Boosts City Council's budget by nearly 4 percent, to $22.7 million.

$49 million property-tax windfall pays first installment on five-year plan to eliminate this year's $245 million structural deficit.

Reserve fund of $146 million -- about 3.4 percent of the general fund budget of $4.3 billion -- the largest in city history.

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L.A. BUDGET HIGHLIGHTS (see text)