The Brief

Orange County officials released their recommended budget for the upcoming fiscal year Wednesday, detailing a $10.8 billion plan that increases overall spending, shifts money to pay for potential liability settlements, and eliminates about 160 vacant positions.

Want to know more? The county has released the budget recommendations in full, along with a citizen’s guide to the budget.

Here are five initial takeaways from the hefty document.

It doesn’t reflect effects of the state or federal budgets — yet

The recommended budget doesn’t anticipate any negative impacts from Gov. Gavin Newsom's revised state budget proposal or local funding effects from the Trump administration’s policies.

However, the budget notes that any new unexpected effects will be assessed and included in the mid-year budget report in late January.

Vacant jobs will be cut

The recommended budget eliminates 163 vacant positions, but no current employees will be laid off.

The vacant job cuts primarily target the district attorney’s office (79 positions) and public defender’s office (43 positions), with smaller cuts to positions in the county assessor, auditor-controller and tax collector’s offices.

However, the county is also recommending adding 35 new limited-term, grant-funded positions in the district attorney’s office and for animal care and health services.

The county had already been in a hiring freeze since January, when interim County CEO Michelle Aguirre directed departments to cut spending over concerns of a budget shortfall.

A costly increase for liability claims

The recommended budget allocates $417 million for the Property and Casualty Risk Internal Service Fund, the division in charge of handling liability claims against the county. That’s a major increase over the current budget — which allocates just $43.7 million.

The increase is in response to claims against the county over the Airport Fire in September, which totaled around $400 million as of November. LAist previously reported on public records that show county accidentally started the fire when they failed to follow through on recommended precautions. Under the current plan, the money would be borrowed from the county’s Orange County Waste and Recycling Capital Project Fund and the Capital Project Fund.

Aguirre said the county still doesn’t have specific numbers for how much it will owe in settlement payouts, but that the increase to the fund would “provide flexibility” as they handle the fire-related claims through the year.

Property tax revenue growth stays steady

The county expects to receive $1.2 billion in revenue for the general purpose fund, which pays for most services, including the Sheriff’s Department, public libraries and parks. That’s a nearly 7% increase from the current budget. It’s driven by an expected $72.1 million bump in property tax revenues, which makes up the vast majority of this fund.

This increase, which the chief executive's office described as “moderate” growth, is slightly higher than the $48 million that officials originally anticipated for this year according to its long-term financial planning forecast.

The state of California has a formula for determining how much of a person’s property tax bill gets allocated to their city, county or school district. Under this formula, Orange County gets the lowest share of property tax out of all other California counties.

The Sheriff’s Department sees a budget cut, but more overtime

The Orange County Sheriff-Coroner’s Department, whose budget makes up about 20% of the county’s general fund, will see a small 2% decrease in the recommended budget, with $1.05 billion allocated for the upcoming fiscal year. However, it overspent its budget last year by an estimated $35 million.

An evaluation from the CEO’s office in April found that the Sheriff’s Department spent more than $20 million due to “higher than budgeted salaries and employee benefits, including overtime” and costs associated with the reopening of the James A. Musick county jail.

Aguirre noted that the Sheriff's Department includes $73 million budget for overtime in the current fiscal year, and that the recommendation would increase it to $77 million for the upcoming fiscal year.

How to get involved

The Orange County Board of Supervisors has to review the budget proposal, ask questions and hold discussions during public hearings. This is when the public can weigh in with their thoughts. Here’s what’s happening next:

Members of the public can learn more about the budget through two virtual budget workshops being offered on Thursday, May 29. The first one of the day takes place from 3 to 4 p.m. and the second from 6 to 7 p.m. You can get more information and register here.

The first public hearing for the budget will be at the Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday, June 10. Meeting agendas will be posted here a few days ahead of time. You can also sign up to get notified by email when the meeting details get posted.

If you want to give a comment on the budget, you can attend the meeting and speak during the public comment period or submit a written comment through this online form.

After that, the Board is scheduled to adopt the budget (it needs a simple majority vote to pass) at its June 24 meeting.

In the wake of the Eaton Fire, Altadena and Pasadena’s music community have really shown up to support fire survivors, especially fellow musicians who lost instruments and record collections.

That effort continues this weekend with a special donation concert at a Pasadena record store, with the aim of getting vinyl records back in the hands of survivors who lost their collections.

“You know, our name is Healing Force of the Universe, and I think that gives me a pretty clear direction… especially after the fires,” said Austin Manuel, founder of Pasadena record store, where Sunday’s show will be held.

The record donation effort is the brainchild of musician Brandon Jay, who founded the nonprofit Altadena Musicians after losing his home and almost all of his family’s instruments in the Eaton Fire. Through Altadena Musicians’s donation and registry platform, Jay said he and his partners have helped some 1,200 fire survivors get their music instruments back.

Brandon Jay.

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Robert Garrova

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LAist

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Now, that effort has fanned out to restoring vinyl record collections.

“All of that stuff evaporated for thousands of people,” Jay said. “Look at your own record collection and be like, ‘Wow, what if that whole thing disappeared?’”

You might know Jay from several bands over the years, including Lutefisk, a 1990s alt-rock band based in Los Angeles. He and his wife, Gwendolyn Sanford, composed music for TV shows, including Orange is the New Black and Weeds.

Jay plans to play some holiday tunes at Sunday's record donation show (which LAist is the media sponsor), along with fellow musician Daniel Brummel of Sanglorians. Brummel, who was also a founding member of Pasadena’s indie-rock sensation Ozma, said he was grateful to Jay for his fire recovery work and to Manuel for making Healing Force available for shows like this.

Brummel, who came close to losing his own home in the Eaton Fire, recalled a show he played at Healing Force back in March.

Ryen Slegr (left) and Daniel Brummel perform with their band, Ozma, on the 2014 Weezer Cruise.

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Even Keel Imagery

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“The trauma of the fires was still really fresh,” Brummel said. After playing a cover of Rufus Wainwright’s “Going to a Town,” that night — which includes the lyrics “I’m going to a town that has already been burnt down” — Brummel said his neighbors in the audience told him the rendition hit them hard. “It felt really powerful. And without that space, it just wouldn’t have occurred.”

Details

Healing Force of the Universe Record Donation Show
Featuring: Quasar (aka Brandon Jay), Sanglorians (Daniel Brummel) and The Acrylic.
Sunday, Dec. 14; 2 to 5 p.m.
1200 E. Walnut St., Pasadena
Tickets are $15 or you can donate 5 or more records at the door. More info here.

Topline:

The case: In September, the city settled a lawsuit brought forward by two brothers in their 70s who said they suffered serious injuries after an LAPD officer crashed into their car. Days before the $18 million settlement was reached, lawyers for the brothers said Feldstein Soto called an expert witness testifying for the plaintiffs and “attempted to ingratiate herself with him and asked him to make a contribution to her political campaign,” according to a sworn declaration to the court by the plaintiffs’ attorney, Robert Glassman.

The response: Feldstein Soto did not respond to an interview request. Her spokesperson said the settlement “had nothing to do” with the expert witness. Her campaign manager told LAist the city attorney had been making a routine fundraising call and did not know the person had a role in the case, nor that there were pending requests for her office to pay him fees.

What Jurado says: In a statement to LAist, Jurado said she wants to “make sure that the city’s legal leadership is guided by integrity and accountability, especially when their choices affect public trust, civic rights and the city’s limited resources."

What’s next: The motion needs to go through a few committees before reaching the full City Council. If it passes, the motion calls for the city attorney to “report to council in closed session within 45 days regarding the ethics breach violation and give updates to the City Council."

Every year in Santa Ana, Luis Cantabrana turns the front of his home into an elaborate altar in honor of La Virgen de Guadalupe that draws hundreds of visitors.

Along the front of the house, the multi-colored altar is filled with lights, flowers and a stained-glass tapestry behind a sculpture of the Lady of Guadalupe. Cantabrana’s roof also is lit up with the green, white and red lights that spell out “Virgen de Guadalupe” and a cross.

Visitors are welcomed with music and the smell of roses as they celebrate the saint, but this year’s gathering comes after a dark year for immigrant communities.

Luis Cantabrana stands in front of the stunning altar he built in front of his home in honor of La Virgen de Guadalupe. Every year, his display draws hundreds of visitors.

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Destiny Torres

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LAist

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Why do they celebrate? 

In 1513, the Virgin Mary appeared before St. Juan Diego between Dec. 9 and Dec. 12, asking him to build a church in her honor. Her image — a brown-skinned woman wearing a green veil with her hands together in prayer and an angel at her feet — miraculously appeared on his cloak.

To celebrate in Santa Ana, worshippers gathered late-night Wednesday and in the very early hours Dec. 12 to pray the rosary, sing hymns and celebrate the saint.

Cantabrana has hosted worshippers at his home for 27 years — 17 in Santa Ana.

The altar started out small, he said, and over the years, he added a fabric background, more lights and flowers (lots and lots of flowers).

“It started with me making a promise to la Virgen de Guadalupe that while I had life and a home to build an altar, that I would do it,” Cantabrana said. “Everything you see in photos and videos is pretty, but when you come and see it live, it's more than pretty. It's beautiful.”

The Santa Ana home's elaborate altar in honor of La Virgen de Guadalupe draws hundreds of visitors each year.

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Destiny Torres

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LAist

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Gathering in a time of turmoil 

Many also look to the Lady of Guadalupe for protection, especially at a time when federal enforcement has rattled immigrant communities.

“People don’t want to go to work, they don’t want to take their kids to school, but the love we have for our Virgen de Guadalupe,” Cantabrana said. “We see that la Virgen de Guadalupe has a lot of power, and so we know immigration [enforcement] won’t come here.”

Margarita Lopez of Garden Grove has been visiting the altar for three years with her husband. She’s been celebrating the Virgencita since she was a young girl. Honoring the saint is as important now as ever, she said.

“We ask, and she performs miracles,” Lopez said.

Claudia Tapia, a lifelong Santa Ana resident, said the Virgin Mary represents strength.

“Right now, with everything going on, a lot of our families [have] turned and prayed to the Virgen for strength during these times,” Tapia said. “She's a very strong symbol of Mexican culture, of unity, of faith and of resilience.”

See it for yourself

The shrine will stay up into the new year on the corner of Broadway and Camile Street.