L.A.'s CAO Miguel Santana to Keep Job

LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti announced Monday that City Administrative Officer Miguel Santana will keep his job as the city's top budget advisor.

Garcetti, who took office in July, has asked all of the city's department heads to interview for their jobs.

Santana, 44, who crafts the first draft of the city budget each year, was instrumental in helping the city winnow down an estimated $1 billion deficit in 2008.

During the mayoral campaign, union leaders criticized Santana for cuts to worker salaries and pensions and the reduction of city staff by 4,000 workers.

He makes $279,270 for the position he has filled since 2009.

Garcetti said in a statement he "looked forward to working with Miguel on balancing the budget and making sure we deliver quality services in every part of L.A."

Santana told the Los Angeles Daily News that his strained relations with city unions comes from the nature of the different roles played by the budget advisor and unions.

"I'm the CAO, and my role is to negotiate with labor," said Santana, according to the news report. "That relationship evolves, depending on the negotiations. I feel good about my relations with labor as a whole, but there is an inherent tension."

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