Los Angeles County Residents Encouraged to Provide Recommendations on $100 Million Funding Plan This Month

The Los Angeles County Care First and Community Investment (CFCI) Advisory Committee will be hosting in-person and virtual consultations this month with County residents to gather input on how to allocate $100 million into projects that will serve LA County’s chronically under-resourced communities and address negative outcomes caused by race-driven criminal justice inequities and long-term community economic disinvestment.

In a statement Friday, the CFCI Advisory Committee said they are gathering community feedback through an upcoming survey, a project recommendation form, and virtual and in-person listening sessions across the County.

The first virtual listening session is on Thursday, April 21 and Pasadenans are invited to participate.

The CFCI Advisory Committee, a 24-member body of 23 voting members and one non-voting member, replaces what used to be the Measure J Reimagine LA Advisory Committee, in accordance with a decision by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on August 10, 2021.

That same day, the Board of Supervisors adopted the Care First Community Investment spending plan, an unprecedented $187.7 million spending package to advance its “Care First, Jails Last” vision with a series of direct community investments and funding for alternatives to incarceration.

The spending plan includes a $100-million initial investment for Measure J programs approved by the Board of Supervisors, and leverages $87.7 million from the American Rescue Plan (ARP) for a wide range of supportive, complementary programs. Programs include interim and permanent supportive housing, grants to community-based organizations, and employment opportunities for adults and youth.

Measure J was approved by Los Angeles County when they voted to pass it on November 3, 2020. The new law amends the County Charter to dedicate at least 10 percent of the County’s locally generated unrestricted funding for investment into communities and alternatives to incarceration, as means to address the impact of racial injustice within the criminal justice system. Measure J prohibits using these funds for carceral or prison systems and law enforcement agencies.

The County was allotted three years to achieve the minimum allocation of 10 percent, with full set-aside to be in effect by July 1, 2024.

The CFCI Advisory Committee said the listening sessions will be in-depth and interactive, allowing the community to share their thoughts, ideas, and experiences online.

Pasadena residents can register for any of the following community Listening Sessions:

Thursday, April 21, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. (Virtual). Click here to register.

Saturday, April 23, 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. (Virtual). Click here to register.

In-person Listening Sessions are also scheduled for April 26, at PUENTE Learning Center, 501 S Boyle Avenue, Los Angeles; April 27, 5 to 7 p.m. at Progressive Community Missionary Baptist Church, 12416 S. Wilmington Ave. in Compton; and April 30, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Paving the Way Foundation, 44818 Fern Ave #105 in Lancaster.

Stakeholders and residents can also participate by submitting a Project Recommendation Form (PRF) by 11:59 p.m. on May 1. The Committee earlier held information sessions on how to use the PRF, and recordings from these sessions can be accessed through https://ceo.lacounty.gov/ati/community-engagement.

The page also contains links to access the form in English and in Spanish, and a downloadable digital toolkit that will assist all stakeholders in maximizing their participation in the listening session and in fully understanding Measure J and the proposed programs.