As first responders struggle to answer 911 calls quickly amid staffing shortages, operators are pleading with Los Angeles City Hall for more funding.
As the city continuesbudget hearingsto lock in its 2026–27 spending plan, AFSCME, the civilian union representing dispatchers, had a blunt message during a hearing Monday — fund the jobs that matter, the ones that answer the call for help.
“If nobody’s answering the phone, nobody’s coming,” Larry Gates, president of AFSCME told The California Post.
It’s a warning aimed at a system stretched thin, where every missed call and vacancy adds pressure to a lifeline millions rely on.
In Los Angeles, 911 calls are routed through the LAPD Metropolitan Communications Dispatch Center, where more than 500 civilian dispatchers — known as Police Service Representatives — handle a relentless call volume, often taking 75 to 250 calls per shift.
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Staffing shortages have been flagged for years incouncil motionsand internal reports, with officials repeatedly tying delays in answering calls to a lack of trained dispatchers.
The city hired 144 dispatcher trainees in 2024, but just 56 in 2025. At the same time, 75 operators left their positions, leaving the department with fewer experienced workers than it started with.
“Every 30 years, we’re scrambling,” Gates said. “We do a big hiring push, then decades later everyone retires at once.”
In a city of nearly 4 million people, officials say about 100 operators must be on duty across a 24-hour period just to meet minimum standards.
Source: California Post – Breaking California News, Photos & Videos
