Los Angeles County’s proposed budget for the next year totals $45.4 billion, a decrease of $1.4 billion from the previous year. The budget includes funding for more mental health workers and increased funding for homeless services. However, it also includes a lower allocation for the Sheriff’s Department, which has been a point of contention between justice advocates and county leaders in recent years.
The budget recommends spending $728.2 million in Measure H funding to hire more homeless outreach workers, buy motels and hotels, and lease entire buildings to quickly house residents coming off the streets. This is the most money the county has ever dedicated to addressing homelessness.
The budget also includes $452 new jobs for the Department of Mental Health to run the new CARE Court program. This program allows families and others to petition for care for people with schizophrenia spectrum disorders. The Department of Mental Health has seen increased interest from job applicants after struggling in recent years to attract such candidates to clinics known for high case loads of acutely ill patients. The department offered money to pay for student loans and other incentives that helped recruit more people.
While the budget includes funding for mental health and homeless services, justice advocates have pushed back on the county’s funding priorities, arguing that too much is going to the Sheriff’s Department. The Sheriff’s Department has a recommended budget of almost $4 billion. These advocates and county leaders have been at odds the last four years over how much money the county must spend on Measure J, a 2020 criminal justice reform measure mandating that money be set aside for social services.
The budget does not contain funding to address sexual abuse claims in foster homes, children’s shelters, and probation camps and halls. A state law passed in 2019 extended the statute of limitations, opening the door for such claims. The county is still assessing when and how it will address the matter.
The budget could increase if there is money left over from the current fiscal year, or if additional money materializes from other sources later in the year. Last year, officials presented a $43-billion budget that eventually increased to $46.7 billion. The previous year, the proposed budget was $38.5 billion and increased to $44.6 billion. However, this trajectory is not guaranteed in the event of a dramatic financial downturn, county officials said.
Over the next two months, the county will hold public hearings on the budget, during which the supervisors can propose changes before voting on it in June.
