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L.A. County Budget Cuts Include $145.4 Million From Sheriff’s Department

L.A. County Budget Cuts Include $145.4 Million From Sheriff’s Department

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and CEO Sachi Hamai released the latest recommended county budget Monday which adjusts for the nearly $1 billion dollar deficit driven by the economic downturn due to the COVID-19 pandemic and were met with criticism by Sheriff Alex Villaneuva for cuts to the department.

Cuts were announced across the board for County departments and services to address the projected $953 million budget gap.

“I am very disappointed to report that significant cuts in County programs and personnel will be needed as a result of the serious economic downturn caused by this ongoing public health emergency,” said Chief Executive Officer Sachi A. Hamai. “This is not the outcome any of us wants to see, especially as our County staff continues to serve with great commitment during this crisis.”

Included in the updated budget is a $145.4 million cut to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD), which was met with criticism from Sheriff Villanueva.

“These cuts come at a time when jails were de-populated of over five thousand inmates in order to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. Now that restrictions are lifting, violent crimes, such as murder, are on the rise across the County and other metropolitan areas such as New York City and Chicago,” wrote Villaneuva. “Now is not the time to cut vital law enforcement services, that should be the last thing cut.”

Villanueva had also criticized an earlier May budget as well, in which LASD fell $400 million short of the $3.9 billion the department requested.

A large portion of Monday’s updated budget closes the gap through the implementation of an across-the-board cut of eight percent for departments funded with what is known as Net County Cost (NCC), which is the portion of the budget that is funded with sales tax and other locally generated revenues.

The County’s public safety departments, including the Sheriff’s Department, received 40 percent of NCC, which means these departments are the most heavily affected by the cuts.

The other 35 departments impacted by the eight percent NCC cut amount to a cumulative cut of $240.9 million from the county budget.

“The CEO and the Board have embraced the ‘Defund the Police’ movement and are cynically hiding behind accounting maneuvers, knowing well that loss of revenue in sales tax can be made up by equitably distributing more stable revenue streams like property taxes,” wrote Villaneuva. “This is not acceptable and a willful abandonment of one of the top priorities of all local government: keeping people safe.”

Villanueva highlighted that the proposed budget calls for the elimination of several LASD units, including:

  • Safe Streets Bureau (Gang Enforcement)
  • Parks Bureau
  • Special Victims Bureau (Sexual/Physical Abuse of Children, Rape, Human Trafficking)
  • Community Partnership Bureau (COPS Team)
  • Fraud & Cybercrimes Bureau
  • Major Crimes Bureau

While many departments, including the LASD, are likely to feel the squeeze as a result of these budget cuts, county leadership remains hopeful at the prospect of additional state and federal relief.

“This budget marks a point in time, not the finish line,” Hamai said. “I remain hopeful that we will be able to obtain additional funding from Washington and Sacramento, and we also continue to work with labor on cost-saving measures that could help preserve jobs.”

Sheriff Villanueva’s full statement is available here, the release from L.A. County CEO Sachi Hamai on the updated budget is available here, and the full executive order is available here.


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L.A. County Budget Cuts Include $145.4 Million From Sheriff’s Department

3 comments

  1. This should be easy. Less policing in the black communities. They don’t want it anyway. Even better everybody that’s for defunding police can put a sign out stating they don’t want police help. That way all of us that still want/need the help will be able to get it in timely manner

  2. Only hurts the citizens. It’s to bad they caved and are appeasing the never ending demands of the Democratic Party/Blm. People will figure it out once they are victimized. Good luck and I hope you all can afford private security.?

  3. It evádase my comprehension of why the Board thinks they are knowledgeable about the LASD to make the preposterous cuts made, $145.4 mil… Are you insane? Why aren’t you getting input from the Sheriff and your constituents? The Board is a disappointment. Do expect the identical service that the rest of us that are not on the Board will be receiving. It will not be pretty.

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About Wyatt Smith

Wyatt was born and raised in Santa Clarita. After graduating from Hart High School in 2012, he continued his studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he earned a degree in applied statistics. After a year and a half working in the digital advertising industry, Wyatt left his previous field of work to pursue his interest in writing.