Today, the L.A. County Board of Supervisors, on a vote of 4-1 with Supervisor Barger as the sole “no” vote, approved a last-minute
motion by Supervisors Kuehl and Solis
to place a measure on the November ballot to shift 10 percent of the County’s unrestricted General Fund to “direct community investment” and “alternatives to incarceration,” phased in from 2021 to 2024.
Although the Probation Department does not presently see layoffs resulting from this action if the voters approved it, the 2020-21 Recommended Budget for the Probation Department includes $670 Million in unrestricted General Fund resources – 67 percent of the total Department budget.
Local 685 – in concert with other public safety unions, AFSCME, SEIU, and the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO – was actively involved in 11th
hour efforts to move the Supervisors along another path.
A report on the “processes and procedures” to put the measure on the November ballot, along with the draft ballot language, will be brought to the Board for consideration at the July 28, 2020, meeting.
We will keep you advised of our next steps.
