Supervisor Kathryn Barger and Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva have both formally opposed a recently proposed amendment to the Los Angeles County charter that would reallocate funds to “direct community investment” and “alternatives to incarceration.”

https://www.facebook.com/LosAngelesCountySheriffsDepartment/videos/309753690178503/?v=309753690178503

On Tuesday, Los Angeles County Supervisors Sheila Kuehl and Hilda Solis introduced a motion that directs county staff to “prepare a report on the processes and procedures associated with the placement of a County Charter Amendment on the November 2020 general election ballot, subject to the approval of a simple majority of the voters of the County.”

The amendment would “set a baseline minimum threshold of at least 10%, phased in by 2024, of our locally generated unrestricted revenues in the general fund (“Net County Cost”) to be allocated on an annual basis” to direct community investment” and “alternatives to incarceration.”

“To address racial injustice, over-reliance on law enforcement interventions, limited economic opportunity, health disparities, and housing instability, it’s time to structurally shift our budget priorities and reimagine Los Angeles County,” the motion reads.

The motion is a first step towards amending the county’s charter. After officials draft the necessary documents, the board is set to vote for the exact language of the amendment that would be placed on the ballot for voters to decide on in November.

“We believe L.A. County voters will embrace and ratify this structural change, which will require a persistence and commitment that extends beyond any one elected leader’s term or budget year,” the motion reads. “The challenges we seek to solve have built up over decades, and will be solved over decades.”

While the motion passed 4-1, Supervisor Barger stood as the only member of the Board of Supervisors to give an “enthusiastic” no.

“This motion threatens the County’s ability to provide ample protections and continue to fund crucial programs and services should the County face another catastrophic event in the short or long term,” Barger said in a statement released Tuesday afternoon.

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Sheriff Villanueva, who had vocally opposed the motion since it was added to the board’s agenda at the “last minute” late Friday, took to social media Wednesday, decrying the proposed amendment as “a bad idea on steroids.”

“It’s a dystopian future that awaits us, where law enforcement doesn’t exist or rarely exist, and leaves everyone to fend for themselves,” Villanueva said.

Currently, roughly 42 percent of the $8.8 billion the county’s “Net County Costs” (NCC) are allocated for “law enforcement and legal system uses.”

“This budget allocation does not reflect this Board’s values and priorities, nor does it position the County to robustly and adequately invest in community-based counseling and mental health services, youth development programs, small businesses and jobs, or affordable housing,” the motion reads. “A redistribution of resources is needed.”

Villanueva repeatedly compared the impacts of the amendment to the “Mad Max” film series, and stated that the Board of Supervisors were not listening to the community as a whole when it came to this issue.

“The only people they were listening to are the currently and formerly incarcerated,” he said. “The overwhelming majority of the community actually likes law and order, actually likes a sense of normalcy.”

Barger said that the county already allocates millions of dollars each year to many of the programs that the charter amendment seeks to fund, such as services for individuals at risk of entering the justice system, youth programs, and affordable housing.

“The charter amendment process that is proposed will nullify any meaningful dialogue or policy deliberations for years to come and prevent the ability for these policy matters to be addressed during meetings of the Board of Supervisors in full view of the public and with greater intentionality and accountability,” Supervisor Barger continued. “On a topic of this import, robust discussion and community engagement, along with ample analysis is imperative to ensure thoughtful policy decision making. Unfortunately, that was not the case in this instance.”

The full motion can be read here.

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