L.A. County Supervisors to Consider $45.4 Billion Budget Amid Pressing Needs

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors is set to consider a $45.4 billion recommended budget for the 2024-25 fiscal year, which is $1.4 billion less than last year’s Final Adopted Budget, according to a report by Chief Executive Officer Fesia Davenport.

The budget includes significant investments in addressing homelessness, expanding mental health services and reducing the jail population. It also includes 116,159 total budgeted positions, which is 835 more than last year’s Final Adopted Budget.

The “Recommended Budget At a Glance” section of the report highlights that the County faces $1.9 billion in unmet needs requests, with most of its budget coming from federal, state and other sources tied to specific uses that cannot be repurposed.

The budget allocates $728.2 million to fund the County’s multi-layered approach to combating homelessness, made possible by the Homeless Emergency Declaration that has allowed for accelerated service delivery and streamlined processes.

The budget also prioritizes mental health services, adding 452 new positions to expand clinic capacity, homeless outreach, pretrial services and diversion opportunities.

The breakdown of the budget allocations by category includes Public Protection (33%), Public Assistance (26%), Health & Public Works Sanitation (24%), General Government (12%), Recreation & Cultural (2%) and Other (3%).

Despite these investments, the County has a limited set of funding available to support new programs and expand the scope of services for residents, such as the Breathe Guaranteed Income and youth jobs programs.

Looking ahead, the County faces significant budget challenges, including potential liabilities from Child Victims Act claims, uncertainty in the real estate market that could impact property taxes, the expiration of Measure H, which funds homelessness initiatives, in 2027, the Department of Justice consent decree, the need to retrofit or replace seismically challenged County buildings and structural deficits in various departments.

The Board of Supervisors is scheduled to hold a public hearing on the recommended budget on Wednesday, May 15, 2024, at 9:30 a.m. in the Board Hearing Room at the Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration.

The final changes budget is set for June 24, and the supplemental/final adopted budget is scheduled for October 8.

According to the County, the board meetings are open to the public, and all public participation is welcome. Residents can participate in person by signing up for agenda items using the kiosks or QR codes located outside and inside the Board Hearing Room.

To view the meetings, residents can watch live online, on YouTube, or rewatch on KLCS the Wednesday after the meeting at 11:00 p.m. To submit written comments on agenda items, residents can use the link https://publiccomment.bos.lacounty.gov/ and follow the instructions provided. All comments submitted online are public, viewable, and the page is updated at the end of each day.