The Los Angeles Post

Transformative $187.7 Million “Care First Community Investment” Spending Plan Invests in Equity and Community

by ·

AUG. 10, 2021, Los Angeles, CA – The Board of Supervisors today approved an unprecedented $187.7 million spending package to advance its care first, jails last vision with a series of direct community investments and funding for alternatives to incarceration—accelerating the transformative process of creating a more just and equitable Los Angeles County for all residents.

The spending plan fully embraces the spirit of the voter-approved Measure J and also takes the innovative step of leveraging one-time funding from the American Rescue Plan to ensure a strong foundation as programs ramp up and full funding levels are reached by 2024.

The plan includes a $100 million year one down payment for Board-approved programs spelled out in Measure J and now known as “Care First Community Investment” programs, and also leverages $87.7 million from the American Rescue Fund for a wide range of supportive, complementary programs. These include interim and permanent supportive housing, grants to community-based organizations, and employment opportunities for adults and youth.

The approved spending plan has broad crossover with the Measure J Re-imagine LA Advisory Committee’s recommendations and meets or exceeds 91 percent of the committee’s recommendations and funds 29 new or expanded programs (click here to view the spending plan).

The plan was developed with an equity lens, with a primary focus on chronically under-resourced communities to address negative outcomes caused by racially-driven criminal justice inequities and long-term community economic disinvestment.

Highlights of the funding plan include:

  • $42 million to support the closure of Men’s Central Jail
  • $8 million for community-based pretrial services in highly impacted communities, replacing law-enforcement supervision and pretrial incarceration for eligible individuals
  • $20.9 million to support youth at risk of involvement with the justice system or already involved in the justice system
  • $16 million for housing and related services to meet a variety of needs including for people experiencing homelessness with complex health needs; people with substance use disorder and at-risk and system-impacted youth and transition-age youth
  • $15 million to support residents returning to the community after incarceration
  • $9 million in supports for people experiencing substance use disorder and to prevent drug-related harm and death

A summary of the Care First Community Investment spending plan is here.
Details of programs funded are here.

For more information about Care First Community Investment (or Measure J), visit the Alternatives to Incarceration website.

In a separate action, the Board of Supervisors modified the Measure J Advisory Committee to the Los Angeles County Care First & Community Investment Advisory Committee (CFCI Advisory Committee), a 24-member board made up of a variety of community representatives, people with lived experiences, County department leaders and labor representatives. The new iteration of the advisory committee will continue to advise on related spending and will support the County’s creation of an online dashboard to monitor Care First Community Investment data.

ATI Office