The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted today to commit 10 percent of unrestricted county-generated revenues to community investment, mirroring the aims of Measure J, which was struck down by a legal challenge.
In July, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Mary Strobel ruled that Measure J was unconstitutional because it interfered with the board’s own authority under state law to set the county’s budget. That decision is under appeal.
However, the judge also found there was nothing to prevent the board from moving forward on its own with the policies laid out in the measure.
County Chief Executive Officer Fesia Davenport recommended paying out the $100 million earlier set aside for Measure J under a new board policy called the Care First and Community Investment Program.
Sheriff Alex Villanueva told the board he believed the policy was unconstitutional and threatened public safety.
“Changing the name of it does not change the nature of it,” Villanueva said, mocking the county’s plans for establishing a new advisory committee as “a bureaucratic orgy of wokeness.” None of the funds, reportedly, will be drawn from the Sheriff’s Department budget
Though it is true that none of the Measure J or CFCI money can run through any law enforcement agencies, Supervisor Kathryn Barger denied that this spending amounted to “defunding” law enforcement.
“Diversion is something this board has worked on long before the ‘defund law enforcement’ community,” Barger said. “At no point will I support defunding in place of this. I don’t think it’s an either/or.”
The sheriff urged the board to instead spend more money on a rapidly growing number of homicide investigations, enforcement against illegal marijuana grows, and combating homelessness.
The CFCI funds will be allocated to community-based programs dedicated to affordable housing, rent assistance and other forms of housing support, as well as to youth development and job training, which some advocates say will help increase public safety.
The money will also support a variety of programs—some run by the county—geared toward reducing the jail population, including community-based mental health and substance abuse treatment programs.
