LA County Wraps Up Annual Budget Process with Record $461.5 Million in Care First, Jails Last Investments

$39.3 billion final budget also includes $527 million to fight homelessness

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has approved a $39.3 billion budget for Fiscal Year 2021-22, including record investments of nearly half a billion dollars to support transformative Care First, Jails Lastprograms as we move through the pandemic and toward a more just and more equitable future for all of our residents.

The Board’s approval of the Supplemental Budget officially concludes the County’s annual three-part budget process. Additional budget adjustments will continue, however, including the addition of $975 million from the first phase of American Rescue Plan stimulus funding that will be used to support a broad and equitable recovery across the County.

Since the budget process began with the Recommended Budget in April, additional funding has been added in subsequent phases, culminating in significant investments including:

  • $461.5 million in new Care First, Jails Last funding to support a wide range of community-based and justice reform efforts.
  • $527 million in funding to address homelessness, including $494 million from Measure H, to expand housing and services.

These budget actions establish a strong, durable foundation for advancing the Board of Supervisors’ sweeping policy agenda not just in FY 2021-22 but into the future. This foundational support includes standing up and expanding new, interconnected systems to address longstanding inequities in our communities. These include:

  • Alternatives to Incarceration
  • Anti-Racism, Diversity and Inclusion Initiative
  • Poverty Alleviation Initiative
  • Establishment of a Jail Closure Implementation Team to decompress and close Men’s Central Jail

The following resources provide additional details:

Link to Board letter:
http://file.lacounty.gov/SDSInter/bos/supdocs/162325.pdf

Link to presentation:
http://file.lacounty.gov/SDSInter/lac/1113668_SupplementalBudget-2021.pdf

Link to comprehensive list of Care First, Jails Last programs: http://file.lacounty.gov/SDSInter/lac/1113667_SupplementalBudgetHandout-2021.pdf