Yusra Farzan
covers Orange County and its 34 cities, watching those long meetings — boards, councils and more — so you don’t have to.
Published June 4, 2024 2:09 PM
Exterior of the Anaheim Convention Center.
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Courtesy of Visit Anaheim
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Topline:
It’s that time of year, when city, county and state governments are discussing budgets for the fiscal year. While some cities in Orange County are scrambling at the end of the fiscal year looking to cut corners and tighten spending on city services, others are able to make forward projections.
What do budget forecasts do: Fiscal years typically start on July 1 and end on June 30 of the following year. Budget forecasts determine how your tax dollars are spent: law enforcement, city facilities like libraries and parks, water and sewer service, resources for the unhoused, seniors and childcare.
County spending: The total Orange County budget for the next fiscal year is $9.5 billion. Around $3.7 billion of that will go towards the County’s Social Services Agency, Health Care Agency, child support services and for awarding city contracts and grants. The General Purpose Revenue – with around 93% of revenue generated from property taxes in the county - will go towards public safety with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department receiving most of the funding.
Cities in the red: The city of Orange is looking at a $19 million dollar budget deficit. To save on costs, city staff have proposed measures like either selling Taft Library or not filling vacant positions and cutting down on park clean ups.
And the city of Westminster is already facing a $9 million deficit for the current fiscal year that will end on June 30.
It’s that time of year, when city, county and state governments are discussing budgets for the fiscal year. While some cities in Orange County are scrambling at the end of the fiscal year looking to cut corners and tighten spending on city services, others are able to make forward projections. Fiscal years typically start on July 1 and end on June 30 of the following year. Budget forecasts determine how your tax dollars are spent: law enforcement, city facilities like libraries and parks, water and sewer service, resources for the unhoused, seniors and childcare. City budgets will also include federal and state funding sources.
Here’s a look at the proposed budget for Orange County and some of its cities:
County of Orange
The total county budget for the next fiscal year is $9.5 billion. Around $3.7 billion of that will go towards the county’s Social Services Agency, Health Care Agency, child support services and for awarding city contracts and grants. The General Purpose Revenue – with around 93% of revenue generated from property taxes in the county - will go towards public safety with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department receiving most of the funding. In 2023, the Board of Supervisors approved a pay increase for Orange County sheriff deputies. The OC Health Care Agency gets over $100 million from the General Purpose Revenue.
Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a budget shortfall in the state budget and this could affect the county, according to the proposed budget put together by county staffers. At the county level, the Public Defender’s Pilot Program could lose out on its last year of funding. The program was created by a state grant to help public defender offices that were understaffed with case backlog specifically related to those who were eligible for early release. County programs for housing could also see cuts along with cuts to funding that addresses drug overdose prevention and MediCal.
The general fund is the main operating fund of any city – like your primary checking account which pays for your everyday expenses. Revenue for the fund comes from taxes, payments you make towards city services, fines and other sources. The general fund is used to pay for city services like the police, fire, libraries, parks, street services like street lighting and pothole fixing and city offices like the city manager’s.
Santa Ana
The city of Santa Ana is yet to release its budget for the upcoming fiscal year. But earlier this year, city officials sounded the alarm as revenue generated from the Measure X sales tax is set to reduce in 2029. Currently, the sales tax is responsible for 22% of the general fund budget.
Voters in the city approved Measure X in the 2018 election, where Santa Ana’s sales tax went up by 1.5%. That tax is set to reduce to 1% in 2029 with the city set to lose $30 million.
What could this mean for your city services? Funds generated from the sales tax goes towards emergency response services, street repairs and the upkeep of parks and senior services.
At a council meeting in April, city staff said projections show that since expenses are increasing faster than money coming in, Santa Ana could see a budget deficit next year.
Old Santa Ana City Hall.
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Eli Pousson, CC BY-SA 2.0
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Wikimedia Commons
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The city council is set to discuss and adopt the next fiscal year budget at the June 4 city council meeting. If you would like to weigh in, you can attend the council meeting in person or follow along online to provide your feedback via public comment.
The city of Orange is looking at a $19.1 million budget deficit and is exploring cutting services or raising the costs of fees for city services. To save on costs, city staff have proposed either selling Taft Library or not filling vacant positions, and cutting down on park clean ups.
Currently, visitors to Old Towne Orange can park at the parking garages for free. However, with the city down on money, that could soon change too.
City leaders have not decided which measures to go ahead with it as the fiscal year looms and could potentially bring it up at the next council meeting slated for June 11. The agenda for the meeting is yet to be posted.
Westminster
In the current fiscal year set to end on June 30, Westminster is facing a $9 million deficit. That could be partly alleviated with voters in the March election approving the ballot measure Measure E, which will increase Westminster’s sales tax by 0.05%.
Revenue from the tax is projected to add $8 million to the city’s coffers every year.
The Asian Garden shopping mall, also known as Phước Lộc Thọ in Little Saigon.
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Brian Feinzimer
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LAist
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In 2016, voters in the city approved Measure SS raising the sales tax by 1%. Again in 2022, they approved a ballot measure to keep that 1% tax increase through March 31, 2043. If the measure had not passed in 2022, city staff had warned that Westminster could face bankruptcy.
Westminster is set to adopt the next fiscal year budget later in June. Staff reports show expected revenue to be $143 million while the expenditures are expected to be $147.3 million.
Huntington Beach
Huntington Beach has been involved in a range of litigation with the state of California including over state housing mandates and voter ID requirements. For the 2023/2024 fiscal year, Huntington Beach’s city attorney Michael Gates’ office oversaw around 95% of litigation in house.
In the fiscal year that will conclude on June 30, the budget allocation for the city attorney’s office increased by over 30% to over $3.7 million. For the proposed budget for the next fiscal year, the office is expected to see a 13% increase in budget to $4.2 million.
To learn more about Huntington Beach’s proposed budget, click here.
Anaheim
Anaheim is looking at a proposed budget of $2.3 billion, up 9% compared to the last fiscal year budget. The city continues to rely on the general fund for expenditures with the city expected to spend $490.9 million in the next fiscal year with over 60% of it going towards the police and fire department.
Majority of the funding for the general fund comes from a 15% tax that hotels, motels and short term rentals charge guests.
For the 2023/2024 fiscal year, the transient occupancy tax is projected to bring in the city over $256 million, a 14% increase from the previous and is the highest in Anaheim’s history. This is the first full fiscal year the tax is being collected since Measure J went into effect in January 2023. Under Measure J, online and travel booking companies are required to levy hotels, motels and short term rentals the transient occupancy tax based on the total amount a guest pays them. Previously, online and travel booking companies charged a flat tax fee agreed on with the hotels, motels and short term rentals.
Anaheim is slated to hold a public discussion on the proposed budget on June 11. For more information, click here.
Tustin
While Tustin sets its budget on a biennial basis, the fire in the North Hangar at the former Marine Corps Air Station has led to the finance director asking the city council to increase the revenue budget and allow payments related to the fire by a further $27 million.
Since the fire broke out last November, the city has spent $85 million to clean the debris, monitor air quality, sample air dust and soil and deconstruct the doors of the hangar, among other costs incurred.
The historic blimp hangar, at right, seen as it burned on Nov. 7, 2023.
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Jae C. Hong
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“However, the true total fiscal impact on the City, County, and region remains unknown at this time and will continue to be assessed,” staff wrote in the report to the council.
The city has received $33.5 million in reimbursements from the Navy which owns the Hangar and is expected to receive a further $88 million.
How to check your city's budget
If your city's budget was not included in this list, you can check your city's website for details of the budget. The public can also weigh in on the city's spending during city council meetings.
Aaron Schrank
has been on the ground, reporting on homelessness and other issues in L.A. for more than a decade.
Published April 2, 2026 4:23 PM
Supervisor Holly Mitchell, L.A. County Department of Public Health Director Dr. Barbara Ferrer, actor Danny Trejo and others gathered at Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science in Wilmington.
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Aaron Schrank
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LAist
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Topline:
A new private foundation called The Fund for Advancing Public Health LA launched Thursday, aiming to raise $2 million to shore up county health services this year. It comes after the Department of Public Health closed seven clinics following $50 million in funding cuts since early 2025.
Who's behind it: The foundation's board includes Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer, the CEOs of Blue Shield of California Foundation and LA Care Health Plan, actors Sean Penn and Danny Trejo and more. Board member Saree Kayne of the R&S Kayne Foundation pledged $150,000 at the launch. Ferrer acknowledged it's "a hard day" when a public agency has to turn to private donors to fund basic services.
Deeper cuts ahead: The federal "Big Beautiful Bill" slashes Medi-Cal funding, and the department anticipates losing up to $300 million over the next three years. Federal dollars account for nearly half the public health budget.
Some government funding streams for L.A. County’s public health system are drying up, and officials are turning to private philanthropy to fill the gap.
A new privately funded foundation launched Thursday to strengthen public health services after $50 million in federal, state and local funding cuts to the county’s Department of Public Health since early last year.
“It is really a hard day for our community when we have to ask for private donations to fund a public good, but unfortunately, we've lost too much money to not take this important step,” said Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer.
In February, the county’s Public Health Department closed seven clinics, with six remaining open. About half of the patients seen in those clinics are uninsured, according to county officials. The department also cut hundreds of staff positions.
She said the fund will help the county maintain its basic public health infrastructure, including disease prevention, health promotion, environmental health, and emergency response efforts.
Other board members include several health insurance executives, as well as actors Sean Penn and Danny Trejo. Board member Saree Kayne of the R&S Kayne Foundation pledged $150,000 to the fund Thursday. Kayne said she hopes the donation encourages others to give.
The foundation aims to raise $2 million this year.
More cuts expected
L.A. County Supervisor Holly Mitchell said it’s crucial to have an alternative funding stream to protect services for the county's most vulnerable residents.
“We are saving public health,” Mitchell said. “This fund represents a new approach, one that brings together government philanthropy in the private sector to invest in community-based solutions, protect vulnerable populations, and strengthen our public health infrastructure.”
Officials say more public health cuts are coming, through the federal budget law known as the "Big Beautiful Bill," which slashes funding for Medi-Cal.
The county Department of Public Health anticipates losing up to $300 million in revenue over the next three years because of the federal budget bill and other potential funding freezes. Federal funding accounts for almost 50% of the public health budget, according to county officials.
Mitchell also led an effort to put a half-percent county sales tax increase to fund public health on the June ballot.
If approved by voters, that proposal, known as Measure ER, is expected to raise about $1 billion a year for county safety net health services, including about $100 million for the public health department.
Adolfo Guzman-Lopez
is an arts and general assignment reporter on LAist's Explore LA team.
Published April 2, 2026 4:20 PM
Water infrastructure such as pipes that feed water to drinking fountains and toilets at the Rose Bowl Stadium are getting an infusion of $1 million for fixes.
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Adolfo Guzman-Lopez/LAist
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Topline:
Rep. Laura Friedman today announced that she secured $1 million for improvements to the water infrastructure at the aging Rose Bowl Stadium as it prepares for a global starring role in the LA28 Olympics.
Why it matters: The pipes may be working fine — for now — but the fear of backed-up toilets as the world watches is an ongoing worry at the venue.
Why now: Public officials have been pushing for spending to improve Olympic venues and surrounding areas as L.A. and other municipalities roll out the red carpet for the world to attend the Olympics. But they’ve hit road bumps and detours.
The backstory: The Rose Bowl is 103 years old and public officials have committed to spending $200 million to upgrade the Pasadena venue over the next two decades.
The Rose Bowl in Pasadena may be a centenarian, but it’s holding up pretty well as it continues to host events on its way to a starring role in the LA28 Olympics.
But before it can host the soccer final, it needs fixes, especially to the infrastructure serving the bathrooms and drinking fountains. Fears of a toilet backup while in the world’s spotlight led Rep. Laura Friedman to seek federal funds for upgrades. On Thursday she announced she secured just over $1 million.
“Two years from now, athletes around the world are going to compete for gold right where we are standing. This is not the time to find out whether or not these pipes are up to the task,” Friedman said.
The planned work, she added, will lead to improved water flow capacity and water drainage, eliminating the risk of backups and emergency maintenance.
The funds came from the House of Representatives Interior and Environment subcommittee. The fixes, an official said, will be completed by the LA28 Olympics.
The funds, however, are a drop in the bucket when it comes to what’s needed to make needed improvements to the Pasadena venue.
Officials, including (left to right) Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation President Dedan Brozino, Deputy Fire Chief of the City of Pasadena Tim Sell, Congresswoman Laura Friedman, and Rose Bowl Stadium CEO Jens Weiden announced infrastructure funding for the 103-year old Rose Bowl.
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Adolfo Guzman-Lopez/LAist
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“Over the next 20 years there's about $200 million that we need to put in and that's everything from updating light fixtures to updating gas, water, wastewater lines, etc.,” said Dedan Brozino, president of the Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation, the nonprofit that supports the Rose Bowl stadium's preservation and enhancement.
Getting venues ready will be expensive
The money is a much-needed win at a time when elected officials in city, county, state and federal offices have been struggling to find the funds to get L.A.-area venues ready for the global Olympic stage in two years.
The entrance to a men's bathroom at the Rose Bowl.
Additionally, to save money, LA28 organizers moved Olympic diving to the Rose Bowl complex last year because it has two Olympic-sized pools, while the Exposition Park complex doesn't and would need expensive upgrades.
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Kevin Tidmarsh
is a producer for LAist, covering news and culture. He’s been an audio/web journalist for about a decade.
Published April 2, 2026 3:39 PM
This Cape vulture chick hatched March 14 at the L.A. Zoo.
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Courtesy Misha Body/LA Zoo
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Topline:
The zoo said it’s the first major breeding success in its Cape vulture habitat, which opened up last year. The chick now joins the zoo’s committee — that’s the name for a group of vultures.
About the chick: The chick hatched on March 14. The zoo opened its Cape vulture enclosure in February 2025 after years of planning to encourage the birds to roost and nest, welcoming a new breeding pair that year. When it grows to be an adult, it’ll have a wingspan of eight and a half feet.
About the enclosure: The L.A. Zoo said it spent years developing the vulture habitat, which was designed to mimic the vultures’ natural environment in South Africa. Dominick Dorsa II, the zoo’s director of animal care, said in a statement the successful hatching is “a testament to the design and construction” of the habitat.
How to see the chick: You can’t for the time being. Zoo officials are keeping it away from visitors until the chick matures, though you can still see adult Cape vultures at the zoo’s enclosure.
Though visitors will have to wait until the chick matures to see it in the enclosure, you can still take in the impressive eight and a half foot wingspan of the adult Cape vultures.
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Courtesy Jamie Pham/L.A. Zoo
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What zoo officials are saying: “Welcoming a Cape vulture chick is a thrilling moment for our team and a beacon of hope for African vultures,” the L.A. Zoo’s curator of birds Rose Legato said in a statement. “Vultures are one of nature's most misunderstood marvels, and I cannot wait for our guests to eventually watch this chick grow and learn just how vital they are to our ecosystems.”
About the species: Cape vultures are listed as a vulnerable species due to human activities and encroachment. According to the L.A. Zoo, African vultures are more closely related to eagles and hawks than vultures native to the Americas, like the California condors that just hatched last year at the L.A. Zoo.
Topline:
The Los Angeles Zoo said it’s the first major breeding success in its Cape vulture habitat, which opened up last year. The chick now joins the zoo’s committee — that’s the name for a group of vultures.
About the chick: The chick hatched March 14. The zoo opened its Cape vulture enclosure in February 2025 after years of planning to encourage the birds to roost and nest, welcoming a new breeding pair that year. When it grows to be an adult, it’ll have a wingspan of 8 1/2 feet.
About the enclosure: The L.A. Zoo said it spent years developing the vulture habitat, which was designed to mimic the vultures’ natural environment in South Africa and nearby countries. Dominick Dorsa II, the zoo’s director of animal care, said in a statement the successful hatching is “a testament to the design and construction” of the habitat.
How to see the chick: You can’t for the time being. Zoo officials are keeping it away from visitors until the chick matures, though you can still see adult Cape vultures at the zoo’s enclosure.
Though visitors will have to wait until the chick matures to see it in the enclosure, you can still take in the impressive eight and a half foot wingspan of the adult Cape vultures.
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Courtesy Jamie Pham/L.A. Zoo
)
What zoo officials are saying: “Welcoming a Cape vulture chick is a thrilling moment for our team and a beacon of hope for African vultures,” the L.A. Zoo’s curator of birds Rose Legato said in a statement. “Vultures are one of nature's most misunderstood marvels, and I cannot wait for our guests to eventually watch this chick grow and learn just how vital they are to our ecosystems.”
About the species: Cape vultures are listed as a vulnerable species due to human activities and encroachment. According to the L.A. Zoo, African vultures are more closely related to eagles and hawks than vultures native to the Americas, like the zoo's California condors that hatched last year.
What should have been a celebration for formerly incarcerated youth completing a reentry program at the Boyle Heights Arts Conservatory (BHAC) last week instead ended with seven students and two staff members detained by the Los Angeles Police Department, according to witnesses.
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Screenshot courtesy of BHAC
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Topline:
Last week, seven students and two staff members from the Boyle Heights Arts Conservatory (BHAC) were detained by the Los Angeles Police Department, according to witnesses. Now, BHAC staff and city officials are demanding answers from the LAPD, with some accusing officers of racial profiling.
What happened: According to the LAPD, officers observed a large group gathered on the corner of Cesar E. Chavez Avenue and Mott Street around 4:16 p.m. on March 26. The group, classified by police as an “aggressive gang group,” consisted of seven 18-year-old students from the BHAC’s Bridge Academy Movement (BAM) program and two BHAC staff members.
Allegations of racial profiling: In total, seven 18-year-old students and two staff members were detained. BHAC staff said one student and one staff member were taken to Hollenbeck Community Police Station and released less than two hours later after advocacy from community members and Councilmember Ysabel Jurado. According to Rene Weber, a teaching artist at the BHAC, the students had gone to coffee across the street at Milpa Kitchen as they often did. After Weber told the officers that all of the students were 18, they said they would investigate whether the group had any gang affiliation.
What is BAM? The BAM program pays formerly incarcerated youth to complete 200-250 hours in media and visual arts training to prepare them for creative careers. That day, students were set to showcase their work at the BAM program graduation for families and community members.
What should have been a celebration for formerly incarcerated youth completing a reentry program at the Boyle Heights Arts Conservatory (BHAC) last week instead ended with seven students and two staff members detained by the Los Angeles Police Department, according to witnesses.
Now, nearly a week later, BHAC staff and city officials are demanding answers from the LAPD, with some accusing officers of racial profiling.
According to the LAPD, officers observed a large group gathered on the corner of Cesar E. Chavez Avenue and Mott Street around 4:16 p.m. on March 26. Authorities then requested backup for what they described as “a large group surrounding officers,” LAPD Public Information Officer Tony Im said.
The group, classified by police as an “aggressive gang group,” consisted of seven 18-year-old students from the BHAC’s Bridge Academy Movement (BAM) program and two BHAC staff members.
The BAM program pays formerly incarcerated youth to complete 200-250 hours in media and visual arts training to prepare them for creative careers. That day, students were set to showcase their work at the BAM program graduation for families and community members.
Rene Weber, a teaching artist at the BHAC, had been with the students setting up for the ceremony minutes before the incident occurred.
According to Weber, the students had gone to coffee across the street at Milpa Kitchen as they often did, when staff were alerted that they were being detained.
Weber said he arrived to find students and a staff member pressed against the wall in handcuffs.
Video from the scene, taken by a staff member at the BHAC, shows multiple officers surrounding the group. At one point, an officer orders a person to “get on the wall” and displays a stun gun.
“No, none of that, these are kids right here,” the staff member replies.
Another staff member, Teotl Veliz, recorded a large police response.
“I counted 12 cop cars, that’s at least 25 cops, and they had a helicopter,” Veliz said. “It was just so comedic, tragically comedic, that it was on their graduation day too.”
Officers established a perimeter with yellow tape along the side of Ashley’s Beauty Salon as local business owners and witnesses gathered around the students.
“I was just incredibly disappointed in LAPD… because it became so apparent to everybody, all at the same time, that it was racial profiling and nothing else,” Veliz said.
Weber said officers gave shifting explanations for the stop at the scene, including blocking the sidewalk and possible underage vaping. After Weber told the officers that all of the students were 18, they said they would investigate whether the group had any gang affiliation.
Police have not responded to questions about what led officers to believe that the group was gang-affiliated.
Weber recalled pleading with the officers to let the group go and explaining to them that they worked across the street. Community members and local business owners also stepped in to vouch for the students.
“Our job is to help them gain a new perspective on life,” Weber said. “They’re coming out of juvenile detention and they’re turning their lives around. We can do our part in keeping them off the streets and keeping them doing better but what does it mean if they’re going to be profiled and treated exactly the same way?”
In total, seven 18-year-old students and two staff members were detained. BHAC staff said one student and one staff member were taken to Hollenbeck Community Police Station and released less than two hours later after advocacy from community members and Councilmember Ysabel Jurado.
The incident ultimately resulted in an infraction for smoking a cannabis e-vape on a public sidewalk, according to a photo of the infraction shared with the Beat. LAPD did not provide details about the people taken to Hollenbeck Station or the infraction.
The graduation ceremony was cancelled that night and is expected to be rescheduled in April.
“Graduation should be a moment of pride and possibility — not fear,” Jurado said in a statement. “I’m seeking answers about what occurred, and this underscores the need for stronger relationships between law enforcement and community organizations so moments like these are protected, not disrupted.”
Carmelita Ramirez‑Sanchez, the conservatory’s executive director, said she was grateful to the community and Jurado for advocating for the students’ release. Jurado met her at Hollenbeck Station within 20 minutes of being alerted to the incident, she said.
“They had store owners, señoras, barbers, that ran out and were trying to explain to the police who our kids were,” Ramirez‑Sanchez said.
Still, she said the incident tarnished what should have been a joyous celebration.
“I imagine that what this does is derail this entire idea that you can be an active participant in your own restorative growth,” she said.
