The Valley Industry & Commerce Association expressed outrage at the Los Angeles City Council for failing to solve the city’s budget shortfall after it was announced the council had voted down a measure that would have handed about 1,000 employees pink slips. “Instead of making the tough leadership decisions necessary, the council delayed job cuts that added $4 million to the budget gap,” said the business-advocacy group, based in Sherman Oaks. “The city must follow the example set by the private sector, which is to first cut costs in a meaningful way during times of economic crisis,” said VICA Chair Daymond Rice. VICA’s leaders say they want the city to be run more like a business, especially as the economy recovers from the recession. –Thom Senzee