Monday, February 27, 2023

LA County Residents Can Help Shape How Millions Are Spent on Community Projects

Los Angeles County residents have a chance to provide their input on how millions of dollars should be spent on community projects that aim to address racial and economic disparities.

The Los Angeles County Care First and Community Investment (CFCI) initiative is a voter-approved measure that allocates funds for alternatives to incarceration and programs that serve under-resourced communities across the county.

The CFCI Advisory Committee, which is composed of eight county department appointees and 17 community representatives, is seeking recommendations from the public on what priorities and projects they want to see funded by CFCI.

The committee held six listening sessions last week, where they heard from thousands of residents and stakeholders about their needs and ideas. They are also collecting feedback through an online survey, which is open until March 6.

The survey asks residents to rank their top preferences for CFCI funding in categories such as:
• Community health services
• Community counseling
• Youth development programs
• Affordable housing
• Supportive housing, rent assistance
• Jobs creation
• Community-based restorative justice programs
• And other critical priorities

To access the survey in English, click here or para acceder a este encuesta en español, presione aquí.

The feedback from the listening sessions and the survey will be used to create a comprehensive report that will guide the committee in drafting a spending plan for this year. The spending plan will allocate millions of dollars for innovative projects that address negative outcomes caused by racially driven criminal justice inequities and long-term community economic disinvestment.

The CFCI initiative is part of the county’s Care First, Jails Last vision, which aims to reduce reliance on incarceration and invest in community-based solutions.

The initiative was approved by voters in November 2020 as Measure J, which requires at least 10% of locally generated unrestricted county funds to be spent on CFCI programs by 2024.

Last year, the Board of Supervisors approved a $187.7 million spending plan for CFCI programs4, which included a $100 million down payment for the first year and an additional $87.7 million from the American Rescue Plan5. This year, another $100 million will be allocated for CFCI programs.

The CFCI Advisory Committee encourages all LA County residents to participate in the survey and share their voice on how they want their tax dollars to be spent on improving their communities.

For more information about CFCI and background, please click here.