The Brief

A few months after voters approved higher taxes to combat homelessness, Los Angeles County officials have proposed cutting $62 million from the homeless services budget by slashing several programs.

The spending proposal from the L.A. County Homeless Initiative recommends major cuts to a job training program and one that helps qualified applicants clear their criminal records, according to budget documents. The Homeless Initiative is also recommending eliminating county funding for homelessness prevention programs administered by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, known as LAHSA.

County officials said the proposal reflects a projected budget deficit of $35 million for fiscal year 2025-26 and another $27 million in cost increases.

“We have been forced to make some really difficult recommendations,” said Cheri Todoroff, executive director of the Homeless Initiative. “We prioritized the services that are directly touching people — so, the outreach, the beds and the permanent housing.”

The elimination of county homelessness prevention funding for LAHSA reflects a shift in how the county plans to do prevention work under Measure A, approved by voters in November.

Instead of LAHSA primarily overseeing efforts to provide short-term rental assistance and legal help to keep people in their homes, homelessness prevention could be led by a brand new county affordable housing agency funded by the sales tax, according to Measure A proponents.

“When voters approved Measure A, they were not just approving critical local dollars,” said Tommy Newman, vice president of United Way of Greater Los Angeles. “They were also approving a whole new approach to preventing homelessness, to making housing more affordable.”

As L.A. County works to finalize its $637 million homeless services budget, it’s inviting the public to weigh in on the spending plan.

How Measure A splits the money

Measure A will essentially double L.A. County's revenue for homelessness by replacing a quarter-cent sales tax with a half-cent sales tax. Starting April 1, this new tax is expected to generate more than $1 billion annually, which will be split two ways:

• L.A. County will receive 60% (about $600 million a year) for comprehensive homeless services like outreach, shelter beds and permanent supportive housing.

• The new L.A. County Affordable Housing Solutions Agency will receive about 36% (roughly $400 million a year) to create affordable housing, preserve existing low-rent housing and prevent homelessness through rent assistance and other programs.

This split explains why officials remain optimistic in light of the proposed budget cuts to some homeless services. Some of the reduced or eliminated programs would have their functions taken over by the affordable housing agency.

"I would look at this budget as very much a transition year budget," said Newman. "So that's why when I see some of these curtailments, I sort of put an asterisk on them, because we've got a whole lot of other stuff going on here."

A woman pushes her belongings past a row of tents on the streets of Skid Row.

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Frederic J. Brown

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AFP via Getty Images

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Why a deficit?

Despite the influx of Measure A dollars, county authorities said the L.A. County Homeless Initiative had to make about $62 million in reductions to its budget for homeless services for the coming year.

“It is very, very hard, and I’m not saying that we’re going to be able to do everything we’ve done before with less funding,” Todoroff said. “Some things will be impacted.”

That’s partially because consumer spending slowed over the last year across L.A. County, leading to slightly less sales tax revenue, county officials said. It’s also because the county boosted funding for services for about 2,000 additional people moving into newly-constructed supportive housing between the current budget year and the upcoming one — an additional cost of about $27 million.

The county is responsible for funding services at permanent supportive housing units.

“That's a good thing because that means that we've been building supportive housing across the county, and it's coming online,” Newman said.

More than 80% of L.A. County’s traditional homelessness funding will go toward housing during the next fiscal year, according to the Homeless Initiative’s funding proposal. That includes interim housing, permanent supportive housing and housing acquisition.

Cuts to workforce and legal services

The L.A. County Homeless Initiative recommended slashing funding for the LA:RISE program — which helps homeless Angelenos get and keep jobs, from $8.4 million in fiscal year 2024-25 to about $1.8 million in the coming fiscal year that starts in July.

Administrators of that workforce development program said they were “deeply alarmed and disheartened by the budget recommendations.”

“Following the landmark passage of the Measure A ballot initiative and an increase in revenue for the county, it is shocking that less than 0.3% of Homeless Initiative funding is allocated toward employment and workforce development,” said Greg Ericksen, director of Government Partnerships & Policy at REDF. (The venture philanthropy organization formerly known as the Roberts Enterprise Development Fund is the lead program manager for LA:RISE.)

Ericksen said the proposed cuts will have a devastating impact on program participants as well as the social enterprises they partner with — including Downtown Women’s Center, Homeboy Industries and the Los Angeles LGBT Center.

The county also recommended cutting $1.5 million from a $3.5 million L.A. County Public Defender’s Office program that does mobile legal clinics to help unhoused Angelenos expunge criminal records.

Last year, the program participated in more than 200 outreach events across L.A. County, filed nearly 3,500 expungement petitions and provided direct support to more than 1,400 people who were unhoused or housing insecure, according to the Public Defender’s Office.

As a result of the proposed budget cuts, the program’s outreach staff will be downsized by one-third, according to assistant public defender Thomas Moore.

“We will continue our community engagement, but the staff reduction will result in less participation at community events and resource fairs,” Moore said.

As a result of the county’s recommendations, Moore also said the Public Defender’s partnership with the city of Los Angeles — to help clients clear tickets and misdemeanors — will be eliminated.

LAHSA workers observe LA city sanitation workers removing a houseless encampment during “CARE+” sweep of the houseless encampment on Venice Blvd. in Venice Beach.

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Brian Feinzimer

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LAist

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Cuts to coordination and prevention

The Homelessness Initiative’s draft budget pulls $10 million in funding for LAHSA’s case management system, which helps hundreds of providers work together to match thousands of unhoused Angelenos with services and housing.

But that doesn’t mean coordination will go away, Newman said.

“This is not fully defunding coordination, but it is acknowledging that we need to keep doing a better job of understanding what's the most effective way to coordinate,” he said.

The county’s proposed $20 million cut to prevention programs administered by LAHSA means the agency will drastically scale back efforts to provide short-term rental assistance and legal assistance to help keep people in their homes.

But county officials say that’s where new investments in the new L.A. County Affordable Housing Solutions Agency come in. The new agency is required to spend 30% of its resources (about $100 million in the coming year) on prevention, including eviction legal services, rental assistance and relocation assistance.

“There's going to be a really significant increase in homelessness prevention funding from [the L.A. County Affordable Housing Solutions Agency], and so it makes sense that there's a little bit of a rebalancing going on,” Newman said.

A LAHSA spokesperson did not comment on the county’s specific funding recommendations but said the agency is keeping a close eye on the budget process.

What's next

The Homeless Initiative is expected to present its funding plan to the county Board of Supervisors in March.

The Homeless Initiative will consider feedback on its proposed budget in the coming days. The window for public comment is open until Tuesday, Feb. 4, at this link.

The detailed spending recommendations are available for review here.

“If there’s something that is not included in the funding recommendations that should be elevated above things that are, we want to hear about that,” Todoroff said. “We are all collectively impacted by what is funded and what is not funded, and so we want to hear from as many of you as possible.”

This story first appeared on The LA Local.

Since 1977, Richard Santillan has been to every Opening Day game at Dodger Stadium. 

“The tradition goes from my father, to me, to my children and grandchildren. Some of my best memories are with my father and children here at Dodger Stadium,” Santillan told The LA Local, smiling under the shade of palm trees near the entrance to the ballpark Wednesday morning. He was there to protest the team less than 24 hours before Opening Day.

Santillan, like countless other loyal Dodgers fans, is grappling with his fan identity over the team’s decision to accept an invitation to the White House and owner Mark Walter’s ties to ICE detention facilities.

More than 30 people joined Santillan on Wednesday morning for a press conference held near 1000 Vin Scully Drive to convey a message directly to the team. 

“We are demanding the Dodgers stop participating in funding of inhumane treatment of families and do not go to the White House to celebrate with the criminal in chief,” Evelyn Escatiola told the crowd. “Together, we have the power to make a change.”

Escatiola, a former dean of East Los Angeles College and longtime community organizer, urged fans to flex their economic power by “letting the Dodgers know that we do not support repression.”

Jorge “Coqui” Rodriguez, a lifelong Dodgers fan, spoke to the crowd and called on Dodgers ownership to divest from immigration detention centers owned and operated by GEO Group and CoreCivic.

Jorge Coqui H Rodriguez speaks at a press conference outside Dodger Stadium on March 25, 2026, to demand the Dodgers not to visit the White House following their 2025 World Series win.

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J.W. Hendricks

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The LA Local

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In a phone interview a day before the protest, Rodriguez told The LA Local he did not want the Dodgers using his “cheve” or beer money to fund detention centers. 

“They can’t take our parking money, our cacahuate money, our cheve money, our Dodger Dog money and invest those funds into corporations that are imprisoning people. It’s wrong,” Rodriguez said. 

Rodriguez considers the Dodgers one of the most racially diverse teams and said the players need to support fans at a time when heightened immigration enforcement has become more common across L.A.

The team’s 2025’s visit to the White House drew ire from the largely Latino fan base, citing the Trump administration’s ongoing attacks on immigrants. 

In June, the team came under further scrutiny when rumors swirled online that federal immigration agents were using the stadium’s parking, which immigration authorities later denied in statements posted on social media accounts.

The team again came under fire after not releasing a statement on the impacts of ICE raids on its mostly Latino fan base at the height of immigration enforcement last summer. The team later agreed to invest $1 million to support families affected by immigration enforcement.

When he learned the Dodgers were pledging only $1 million to families in need, Rodriguez called the amount a  “slap in the face.” 

“These guys just bought the Lakers for billions of dollars and they give a million dollars to fight for legal services? That’s a joke,” Rodriguez said. “They need to have a moral backbone and not be investing in those companies.”

According to reporting from the Los Angeles Times, former Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershawsaid last week that he is looking forward to the trip.

“I went when President [Joe] Biden was in office. I’m going to go when President [Donald] Trump is in office,” Kershaw said. “To me, it’s just about getting to go to the White House. You don’t get that opportunity every day, so I’m excited to go.”

The Dodgers have yet to announce when their planned visit will take place. 

Santillan sometimes laments his decision to give up his season tickets in protest of the team. His connection to the stadium and the memories he has made there with family and friends will last a lifetime, he said. On Thursday, he will uphold his tradition and be there for the first pitch of the season, but with a heavy heart.

“It’s a family tradition, but the Dodgers have a lot of work to do,” he said.

A local favorite mom-and-pop bookshop in Eagle Rock is facing displacement due to a steep rent hike. The owners say theirs is just one of several small businesses along Eagle Rock Boulevard struggling to keep up with lease increases.

Over the past 19 years, many in the neighborhood have come to love READ Books for its eclectic collection of used titles and shop dog Florence.

Co-owner Jeremy Kaplan said it’s been a delight to grow with the community over the years.

“Like seeing kids come back in, who were in grade school and now they’re in college,” Kaplan said.

But the building where Kaplan and wife Debbie rent was recently sold, and the rent increased by more than 130% to $2,805 a month, Kaplan said. He told LAist it was an increase his small business simply could not absorb.

Kaplan said he originally was given 30 days notice of the rent increase. After some research, assistance from Councilmember Ysabel Jurado’s office and some pro-bono legal help, Kaplan said he pushed back and got the 90-day notice he’s afforded by state law.

California Senate Bill 1103 requires landlords to give businesses with five or less employees 90 days’ notice for rent increases exceeding 10%, among other protections.

Systems Real Estate, the property management company, did not immediately respond to LAist’s request for comment.

What can small businesses do? 

Nadia Segura, directing attorney of the Small Business Program at pro bono legal aid non-profit Bet Tzedek said California law does not currently allow for rent control for commercial tenancies.

Outside of the protections under SB 1103, Segura said small businesses like READ Books don’t have much other recourse. And even then, commercial landlords are not required to inform their tenants of their protections under the law.

“There’s still a lot of people that don’t know about SB 1103. And then it’s very sad that they tell them they have these rent increases and within a month they have to leave,” Segura said.

She said her group is seeing steep rent hikes like this for commercial tenants across the city.

“We are seeing this even more with the World Cup coming up, the Olympics coming up. And I will say it was very sad to see that also after the wildfires,” Segura said.

Part of Bet Tzedek’s ongoing work is to advocate for small businesses, working with landlords who are increasing rents to see if they are willing to give business owners longer leases that lock in rents.

What’s next 

After READ Books posted about their situation on social media, commenters chimed in to express their outrage and love for the little shop.

While he looks for a new spot, Kaplan says he’s forming a coalition of local businesses and activist groups to see what can be done to help other small businesses facing similar displacement. He wants to address the displacement issue for businesses like his, which have made Eagle Rock the distinctive neighborhood that it is today.

Owl Talk, a longtime Eagle Rock staple selling clothing and accessories in a unit in the same building as READ Books, is facing a “more than double” rent increase, according to a post on their Instagram account.

Kaplan said he’s been in touch with the office of state Assemblywoman Jessica Caloza and wants to explore the possibility of introducing legislation to set up protections for small businesses like his, including rent-control measures or a vacancy tax for landlords. Kaplan said he also reached out to the office of state Sen. Maria Durazo.

By his count, Kaplan said there are about a dozen businesses within surrounding blocks that are at risk of closing their doors or have shuttered due to rent increases or other struggles.

When READ Books was founded during the Great Recession, Kaplan said he knew it was a longshot to open a bookstore at the same time so many were struggling to stay in business.

“It was kind of interesting to be doing something that neighborhoods needed. That was important to me growing up, that was important to my children, that was important to my wife growing up,” Kaplan said.

“And then somebody comes in and says, ‘We’re gonna over double your rent.”

Topline:

Frozen budget: Most of the city’s Bureau of Street Lighting budget comes from an assessment that people who own property illuminated by lights pay on their county property tax bill. The amount people pay depends on the kind of property they own and how much they benefit from lighting. A typical single-family home currently pays $53 annually, and in total, the assessments bring in about $45 million annually for the city to repair and maintain streetlights. Changing the amount the Bureau of Street Lighting gets from the assessment requires a vote among property owners who benefit from the lights.

Ballots: L.A. City Council’s vote gives city staff the green light to prepare and send out those ballots. Miguel Sangalang, who oversees the bureau, said at a committee meeting earlier this month that he expects to send out ballots by April 17. Notices about the ballots will be sent out prior to the ballots themselves.

Near unanimous vote: L.A. City Councilmember Monica Rodriguez was the only “No” vote Tuesday, saying she wanted to see a more current strategic plan for the bureau. Sangalang said the bureau developed a plan in 2022 that lays out how money will be spent. Councilmember Imelda Padilla was absent for the vote.

Vote count: Votes will be weighted according to the assessment amount. Basically, the more you’re asked to pay yearly to maintain streetlights, the more your vote will count. Ballots received before June 2 will be tabulated by the L.A. City Clerk.

How much more money: According to a report, the amount needed in assessments from property owners to meet the repair and maintenance needs of the city’s streetlighting in the next fiscal year is nearly $112 million.

Use of the money: Sangalang said at a March 11 committee meeting that the extra funds would be used to double the number of staff to handle repairs and procure solar streetlights, which don’t face the threat of copper wire theft. That would all potentially reduce the time it takes to repair simple fixes down to a week. Currently, city residents wait for months to see broken streetlights repaired. The assessment would come with a three-year auditing mechanism.