Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is expected to release her proposed spending plan for fiscal year 2026-27 Monday, outlining her priorities for the city.
Bass will discuss her balanced budget proposal during a news conference scheduled for 11 a.m. at City Hall.
The spending plan is expected to reflect stronger tax revenues in multiple categories, according to the Mayor’s Office. Officials said the proposal aims to maintain progress on addressing homelessness, housing production and public safety, as well as repairing sidewalks and restoring street lights and other infrastructure.
The mayor is also expected to highlight accomplishments during her first term, such as reducing street homelessness by nearly 18% according to figures from the annual point-in-time homeless count, as well as lower homicide numbers and creating policies to accelerate housing projects.
Once the budget is formally released, it will then be forwarded to the City Council’s Budget and Finance Committee for consideration. Over several weeks, the committee, overseen by Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky, will review the spending proposal, hold hearings with department heads and make potential changes based on the council’s priorities.
The City Council and Bass must approve a final budget prior to the start of the next fiscal year, which begins July 1.
“Our focus is clear: address our fiscal challenges, protect core services and ensure the budget is sustainable,” according to a statement from Yaroslavsky.
The councilwoman is expected to host a “community conversation” Tuesday via Zoom to review the mayor’s proposal and hear from Los Angeles residents. The meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. at docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeaK01fFKH2Tp4jd8vSKdPtYS6UblvJb-co_DpAN0vplHS5-Q/viewform.
The budget committee will conduct its first budget hearing Friday at 1 p.m. in the Council Chamber at City Hall with opening remarks by Yaroslavsky. Black Lives Matter Los Angeles and the People’s Budget LA Coalition are expected to present their budget proposal and priorities they’d like the city to follow.
Bass, who was elected in 2022 after defeating billionaire developer Rick Caruso, is campaigning for a second term. Her challengers include nonprofit leader Adam Miller, City Councilwoman Nithya Raman, reality television personality Spencer Pratt and housing advocate Rae Chen Huang.
An April poll produced by the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs found voters in Los Angeles remained largely undecided in the mayor’s race, with 40% still weighing their options ahead of the June 2 primary.
Bass led the field with 25% support, followed by Pratt at 11% and Raman at 9%.
The poll showed Huang and Miller each drew 3%, while 9% of respondents said they would support another candidate. Fourteen candidates are running for mayor.
If no candidate wins a majority in the primary, the top two finishers will advance to a November runoff.
Another poll conducted by Loyola Marymount University had named Raman as the front runner, followed by Bass, Huang, Miller and Pratt.