The Los Angeles City Council has finalized the City’s budget for Fiscal Year 2023-24. Following the recommendations of the Budget, Finance and Innovation Committee, the Council built on the broad outline of Mayor Bass’s proposed budget, with amendments to ensure transparency and accountability in the City’s spending.
The 2023-24 budget tops $13 billion for the first time, an 11 percent increase from the prior fiscal year, and sets aside $566 million in a reserve fund.
New Resources for Public Safety
The budget seeks to restore LAPD staffing to 9,500 sworn officers by maximizing the size and number of classes of recruits in training, with additional funding to return retired police officers to active duty, fund police overtime, hire additional civilian personnel, and increase staffing for 911 dispatch services.
This year will see a 70 percent increase in funds dedicated to Gang Reduction and Youth Development (GRYD), programs that engage at-risk youth in mentorship and community service to prevent them from becoming involved in gangs and criminal activity. The City is tripling its funding for unarmed response to 911 calls for nonviolent emergencies related to homelessness, mental health, and drug addiction.
The budget addresses the safety of Angelenos traveling on our streets with $105 million of Measure M funds devoted to traffic improvements. This includes $50,000 to update speed limits in school zones, and $679,000 for the City’s speed hump program. Measure R funds are providing $79 million for traffic relief and rail expansion. In addition, the City is allocating $3.5 million for Council President Krekorian’s initiative to install more speed humps and speed tables near schools to combat traffic violence.
Action on Homelessness
Among the significant items in the budget are those addressing the homelessness emergency: $1.3 billion in all, including $250 million for the Inside Safe program, with $65.7 to be allocated initially and $184.3 million to be released as the funds are expended and the Mayor’s office demonstrates the program’s continuing progress.
Additional funds provide for the acquisition of interim and permanent housing, including $50 million for master leasing and purchasing hotels or apartments, and nearly $12 million for substance use disorder treatment beds, funded with revenue received from the national opioid class action settlement.
The budget expands funding for shelter operations for victims of domestic violence – the leading cause of homelessness among women in Los Angeles. The budget also includes over $5 million for Homeless Engagement Teams, over $1.1 million for Safe Parking sites and it doubles the previous year’s funding for HIV Homelessness Prevention programs with proven results.
Addressing Housing Security and Affordability
The 2023-24 budget builds on the Council’s commitments to provide more affordable housing and prevent Angelenos from becoming homeless.
- $72 million for the acquisition and rehabilitation of affordable housing
- $25 million for eviction defense programs to prevent illegal evictions
- $25 million in support for rent-burdened at-risk seniors and people with disabilities
- $20 million for short-term emergency rental assistance
- $12 million to enforce anti-harassment policies and hold abusive landlords accountable
- $6 million for tenant outreach and education to prevent families from becoming homeless
New Funding to Maintain Public Infrastructure
- Beyond the $28 million already committed to sidewalk repair, an additional $8.7 million has been added to repair another 220,000 square feet of sidewalk – the distance from City Hall to Universal City
- 9.4 million in new resources for tree trimming, enough to trim 45,000 trees
- $115 million for 1,970 lane miles of pavement preservation – enough to stretch from Los Angeles to Columbus, Ohio
- A 30 percent increase in funding for the Bureau of Street Lighting
Community Improvements
Community improvements received increased funding in this year’s budget are…
- Fully funding 20 FamilySource Centers with $30 million, to assist 52,000 families and individuals with tutoring, job placement, financial literacy, case management, immigration services, and housing assistance, including a new fund for rental assistance
- $25 million toward the decarbonization of city facilities, five times the commitment in last year’s budget
- $15 million for the Senior Meals program
- A $1.5 million increase in funding for more frequent cleaning of public restrooms
- Expanded access and hours for recreation centers across the city