LA County Budget Released

On monday, the Los Angeles CEO William Fujioka announced the county budget for the upcoming year. The budget proposes adding more than 1,300 positions to the county government, including social workers and staff for the Sheriff's Department. However, Fujioka expressed that the budget's primary concern will be centered around the improvement of public protection. 

Fujioka said the most critical funding occurs in the CARP program, where Sheriff's department administrative and investigative personnel continue to work mandatory patrol, jail, and court positions to prevent the need to hire overtime. This will hopefully decrease propensity for violence in prison. He also shed light on the positive economic growth that occured this past year. Fujioka touched on the decreased unemployment rate, as well as county sales tax, which have exceeded pre-recisionary levels.

However, economic expert Gene Urkin believes the county is still dealing with a tough economic period, and is concerned with the approximate 217 million dollar cost. The Board of Supervisors is scheduled to tentatively adopt the budget on Tuesday.