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The budget cuts will affect all sectors of Los Angeles County government in an spending plan announced Monday, explaining “extraordinary” pressure, according to the county CEO.
Under the plan of the nation’s largest county government, all sectors will face a 3% budget cut next year. The proposal eliminates 310 vacancies and other cuts in a $47.9 billion plan that CEO Fesia Davenport calls “needed to offset extraordinary budgetary pressures.”
These pressures include more than $1 billion in costs associated with a deadly wildfire in January, including the Eton fire in Altadena. The county also recently reached a $4 billion settlement on roughly 7,000 claims, including allegations of sexual abuse against county workers, primarily at the Los Angeles County Probation Department center.
Davenport also warned of the possibility of losing hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funds.
“We are in unknown territory with these simultaneous pressures on the budget,” Davenport said in a statement. “All of these things will be daunting, but summarizing these challenges — wildfires, AB 218 (sexual abuse) settlement, and the threat of deep cuts in federal funds — are the source of great concern.”
The proposed budget, scheduled for a presentation to the County Commission on Tuesday, includes a $50 million cut in consumables, delays in purchasing equipment, and a reduction in the scope of some county programs. The budget includes approximately $88.9 million in target reductions.
“Despite the constraints, the balanced budget is committed to maintaining the county’s essential safety net responsibility and funding key priorities set by the Board of Supervisors,” the county CEO’s office said in a statement.
The spending plan includes funds provided by voter-approved Measure A. This is a 1/2 cent sales tax that replaces Measure H to support programs and services to combat the homelessness. The county and its local partners will share a measured amount of approximately $1.1 billion.
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