The cash-strapped city of Los Angeles will hand out pink slips to 15 employees by the end of this week, it was revealed Wednesday.

They represent the first batch of 1,000 layoffs ordered by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa this fiscal year, which ends June 30.

The City Council ordered an additional 3,000 layoffs by July 1.

Maggie Whelan, general manager of the city's Personnel Department, said her staff will notify supervisors today about which 15 employees will be laid off.

Supervisors will then have 48 hours to break the news to the employees and give them two weeks notice.

"This is just the start," Whelan said, adding that another 385 employees may also get pink slips soon.

She declined to identify them or the departments to which they belong. However, she said they were all on the "List of Potential Layoffs" released by the mayor's office last week.

That list identified the first 542 jobs being eliminated this fiscal year. The Department of Recreation and Parks took the biggest hit - 121 positions -- including 89 child care workers.

The Library Department and Bureau of Street Services are each slated to lose 100 employees.

City Administrative Officer Miguel Santana said another list is expected within the next two weeks, to round up the initial 1,000 layoffs aimed at saving $7 million this fiscal year.

He said plans to eliminate a total of 4,000 jobs with salaries drawn from the city's depleted general fund would save $300 million in the next fiscal year.

Most of the employees slated for early layoffs are members of the Engineers and Architects

Association. The Coalition of Los Angeles City Employees has a contract with the city which protects its members from the ax - at least until June 30.

Whelan said a number of non-civil service eligible and non-union represented employees have been terminated - as opposed to being laid off - in the last few weeks, including City Council staffers.

The city is $200 million in the red this fiscal year, and has a projected deficit of $485 million in 2010-11.