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Board demands greater transparency and quarterly reporting for CareFirst community investments
Summary
The board approved a motion to require quarterly written reports, prioritization rules for reallocating unspent CareFirst (CFCI) funds and to give the advisory committee a stronger role in recommending reallocation of unspent dollars after public concerns about hundreds of millions left unspent.
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved a motion by Supervisor Holly Mitchell to increase transparency, reporting and prioritization for CareFirst Community Investment (CFCI) funds, a county program to shift resources to community‑based alternatives to incarceration.
Mitchell said the advisory committee and community groups flagged more than $325 million in CFCI funds that went unspent over multiple years; department practices, contracting delays, staffing and federal funding timing all contributed. The motion, amended during discussion, directs the county's justice‑community investment office (JCOD) and the CEO to provide written reports to the board and the CFCI advisory committee in 30 days and quarterly thereafter. It also adds three new directives to guide how unspent one‑time CFCI funds should be prioritized and reallocated.
The revisions (directives 5, 6 and 7 in the amended motion) require the CEO to prioritize recommendations from the CFCI advisory committee received by a July 31 deadline for supplemental budget consideration and direct the advisory committee to recommend continued funding for programs that have demonstrated effectiveness. The board struck an oral reporting requirement after members requested written updates only.
Mitchell and supporters argued the measures are needed to prevent community dollars from sitting unused while community groups wait and services remain unexpanded. County staff identified contracting timelines, braided funding requirements (e.g., ARPA, federal funds), hiring delays and the complexity of capital projects as reasons for the underspend. The board discussed the need for dashboards, external evaluation and ongoing data collection; the CEO's office said it is building dashboards and working with departments to collect information.
The motion passed unanimously. It does not itself reallocate funds but creates a process intended to surface unspent funds sooner and give the advisory committee a prioritized role in recommending reallocation when funds are available.
