Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer will hire another 15 employees to handle an estimated 8,800 additional cases expected each year as a result of Proposition 47.
The city council approved the move Wednesday, following Feuer's request. The plan includes the hiring of eight new attorneys and seven new legal clerks at a price tag of $430,000 for the remainder of the budget year and $875,000 annually after that.
"We believe this is the bare minimum we need to try to get by," said Feuer's chief of staff, Leela Kapur.
A majority of California voters approved Proposition 47 last month. The new law reduce numerous drug and theft crimes from felonies to misdemeanors, which come under the purview of city prosecutors. Consequently, some 2,000 cases are set to be transferred from the district attorney to the city attorney early next year. The result is an expected 17 percent workload increase for the city attorney’s office.
The San Diego city attorney’s office is similarly affected by Proposition 47. In other municipalities, however, misdemeanors are handled by district attorneys.
Read more about Wednesday’s vote here.