Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Comments Budget topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Immigrant services, caregiver wages, TGI and community violence intervention top public comments at LA County budget hearing
Summary
Hundreds of speakers urged the Board of Supervisors to increase funding for immigrant legal help and housing, raise IHSS caregiver wages, protect HIV and public health contracts, fund the TGI wellness initiative and expand community violence intervention programs; speakers also warned about federal public health cuts.
Public speakers at the Los Angeles County budget hearing on May 7 pressed supervisors to prioritize a set of community funding requests as county staff manage major fiscal uncertainties.
Immigrant services and housing requests Multiple immigrant‑serving organizations and resident speakers urged the board to include dedicated funding for immigrants in the final budget. Requests included renewing a $5 million capacity‑building grant for immigrant‑focused community‑based organizations; a $12 million guaranteed‑income program for undocumented seniors (the "Breathe" expansion); and a $20 million fund to prevent homelessness and keep up to 8,000 immigrant families housed. Speakers also asked for $2–3 million for worker‑justice enforcement and $6 million to expand Represent LA legal services.
Caregivers and labor Dozens of in‑person speakers who identified as In‑Home Supportive Services (IHSS) providers, and SEIU 2015 representatives, urged the board to support a contract that raises caregiver wages and provides stability. Speakers described missed meals, multiple jobs, and difficulty paying rent as reasons the county should prioritize IHSS wages.
TGI community and Measure J/CFCI funding Representatives of Trans Latina Coalition, TransLatin@ Coalition and allied groups thanked the board for a proposed $7 million TGI (trans, gender‑expansive, intersex) wellness equity initiative and asked that the board protect and expand Measure J/CFCI investments for care‑first programs serving system‑impacted and Black communities.
Community violence intervention (CVI) Speakers representing the Los Angeles Violence Intervention Coalition, Chapter 2 and multiple CVI providers asked for increased direct funding through the trauma prevention and CVI initiatives. Presenters cited data showing reductions in shootings and homicides in areas with established CVI programs and urged the county to avoid cuts that would undermine life‑saving outreach.
Food security and local food systems Speakers from the Los Angeles Food Policy Council and local urban farms asked the board to sustain or increase investments in healthy food access, nutrition incentives and support for small food businesses hard hit by wildfires and rising costs.
Public health concerns echoed in comments Several speakers, including HIV service providers, criticized the Department of Public Health’s preemptive contract terminations tied to federal uncertainty and urged the board to protect HIV prevention contracts and community providers.
Chair’s response and board clarifications Chair Kathryn Barger noted that immigrants are eligible for Measure A housing services and said the proposed budget already includes some immigrant priorities, including $5.5 million for Represent LA and a guaranteed‑income component in Measure A for seniors. The board accepted the written record of public testimony and closed oral testimony while allowing additional written submissions per the clerk’s deadline.
Ending note Public commenters presented a consistent theme: many constituencies urged the board to prioritize care, prevention, housing and wages over additional spending on enforcement or expansions of correctional systems. Supervisors acknowledged the requests and asked staff for follow up as the budget deliberations continue.
