The Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday finally approved the hiring of hundreds of new police officers after a drawn-out budget fight with Mayor Karen Bass.

Bass scored the modest political win when council members approved the hiring up to 410 new Los Angeles Police Department officers this fiscal year.

“The second largest city in the United States cannot have an effective police department when it is operating with the lowest staffing levels in years,” Bass said in a statement .

“With only five months until Los Angeles welcomes tens of thousands of fans from around the world for the FIFA World Cup, investing in more police officers is critical to public safety.”

The 9–3 vote ended a dispute that began in the spring, when the council slashed the mayor’s request for new officers in half — authorizing just 240 hires.

Pols who voted against the new plan Wednesday continued to raise concerns about how to pay for the hiring surge.

“How are we going to pay for the ongoing cost?” Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martínez, who voted against the new plan, said during the meeting.

“We are sort of back to where we were in December where we are committing ourselves to a $25 million price tag with no plan for where that’s going to come from.”

The same concern was shared by Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez — despite her voting for the measure.

“This is robbing Peter to pay Paul,” she said.

City officials said the new officers will be paid for using the LAPD’s existing budget, including leftover funds set aside for officer overtime during retirements, not from the city’s general fund.

Police Chief Jim McDonnell, who attended the council meeting, expressed frustration with the lawmakers — especially members who opposed the additional police hires.

“We’re working on a skeleton crew,” he said. “This department is doing amazing things for the residents of this city, but it doesn’t seem to be appreciated.”

The LAPD, with roughly 8,700 officers, provides police services across 468 square miles and 21 community areas, serving more than 4 million residents, according to the department’s website.

That means there are roughly two police officers for every 1,000 Angelenos.

The city is also expected to see an influx of visitors — in the millions — with the FIFA World Cup coming to Los Angeles and the 2028 Summer Olympics just two years away, making public safety a top concern.

The LAPD’s budget for 2025–26 was approved at $2.14 billion, up $160.5 million, or 8%, from the previous fiscal year.

Late last year, the council approved an additional $1.8 million in funding for the police department, falling short of Bass’ request of $4.4 million for extra funding and new officer positions.

“Although this is an important step, there is more work to do to invest in the safety of Angelenos,” Bass said.

The recent approval of additional officers marks a small win for Bass after continued criticism over her handling of the Palisades fire, including accusations that her office pressured the LAFD to downplay the damage and influenced edits to the department’s after-action report.

The mayor-incumbent faces a crowded field of contenders as she seeks reelection this year, with nearly two dozen candidates in the race.