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Supervisors vote to preserve Measure J in county charter after administrative omission
Summary
The board approved a motion directing County Counsel to add Measure J protections to a charter amendment tied to the county ethics commission, aiming to prevent an inadvertent repeal under Measure G and safeguard CareFirst community investments.
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted on July 7 to direct County Counsel to include Measure J protections in a forthcoming charter amendment, a move proponents said is needed after an administrative omission left Measure J’s placement in the charter unclear.
Supervisor Holly Mitchell, who authored the motion, said voters’ 2020 approval of Measure J represented a mandate to shift county budgets toward community‑based care and away from incarceration. “A rushed drafting error cannot be allowed to wipe out years of work on justice reinvestment,” Mitchell said, urging the board to act to restore the will of the voters.
The motion asks County Counsel to place two protections into the charter amendment on the ballot later this year: move Measure J to a separate charter section so it is not subject to repeal in 2028 under Measure G, and make explicit that the elected county executive must follow Measure J, including not being able to veto Measure J set‑asides in the budget.
Supporters — including hundreds who testified during an extensive public comment period — described Measure J funding as essential to local programs for housing, mental health, reentry and youth services. Organizations receiving Measure J funding said the dollars support staff, services and programs that cannot be sustained without a stable local funding commitment.
Supervisor Barger abstained on the roll call; the motion passed with four yeses and one abstention. The board directed staff to return with language to be folded into the charter amendment already underway concerning the ethics commission and to proceed to the ballot path described in the motion.
What’s next: County Counsel will draft the charter amendment language requested and return to the board so that the measure can proceed consistent with the board’s direction and the November ballot timeline when appropriate.
