Los Angeles County government departments would all face 3% budget cuts in the coming fiscal year under an austere recommended spending plan unveiled Monday that also includes the elimination of 310 vacant positions — but no layoffs — and other cutbacks.
The $47.9 billion proposal reflects efforts to “offset extraordinary budget pressures,” according to a statement from the county, including more than $1 billion in costs related to the January wildfires. The county will also begin to feel the pain of a proposed $4 billion settlement of nearly 7,000 claims of sexual abuse by county workers, mainly at probation camps and halls.
County CEO Fesia Davenport said the county is also facing the possible loss of hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding.
“We are in uncharted territory with these simultaneous pressures on our budget,” Davenport said in a statement. “Any of these alone would be daunting, but taken together these challenges — the wildfires, the AB 218 (sex abuse) settlement, the threat of deep cuts in federal funding — are cause for great concern.”
In addition to eliminating 310 vacant positions, the budget proposal also includes $50 million in cuts that will be achieved by cutting supplies, delaying equipment purchases and reducing the scope of some county programs. Overall the budget includes roughly $88.9 million in targeted cutbacks.
County officials insisted that despite the cost-cutting, the spending proposal “is committed to sustaining the county’s essential safety net responsibilities and to funding key priorities set by the Board of Supervisors.”
Davenport is scheduled to present the budget proposal to the board on Tuesday.