WHO DEVELOPS THE BUDGET?
The Approval Process
The County CEO presents multiple iterations of the budget to the Board of Supervisors (BOS): the proposed budget (January), the recommended budget (April), and the finalized budget (May). The Board approves or revises the budget in each round of approval, and ultimately will approve the budget the CEO presents in its final form.
WHO IS THE COUNTY CEO?
The CEO’s Office is responsible for creating the budget and making sure all the departments in the County are upholding the direction the BOS has committed to.
For instance, the BOS has committed to a “Care First, Jails Last” vision, so the CEO should be increasingly directing funding toward community-based providers in alignment with that vision — toward housing, youth development, mental health, and more. However, we know this doesn’t happen in practice, as we have seen law enforcement budgets increase every year, while community investment is continually underfunded.
The current County CEO is Fesia Davenport.
What is the LA Board of Supervisors (BOS)?
The Board of Supervisors is a body of five elected representatives who make decisions for all of LA County and broadly oversee the actions of all government departments. These five people each represent one Supervisorial District (SD). There are approximately 9.8 million LA County residents living within these five districts.
The current Board of Supervisors:
- SD1: Hilda Solis
- SD2: Holly Mitchell
- SD3: Lindsay Horvath
- SD4: Janice Hahn
- SD5: Kathryn Barger