Good morning and welcome to Records LA – City Hall newsletter. It’s Rebecca Ellis, and with the support of my colleague David Zannier, we’ll provide you with the latest on local budget struggles.

That’s the time to emphasize the belt.

The Los Angeles County government faces some incredible costs from the flood of historic wildfires and sexual abuse lawsuits in January.

There is another reason for the Board of Supervisors to be wary now. Large chunks of county budgets may be in the chopping blocks of DC

chief executive officer Fesia Davenport She expects to hit the Ministry of Mental Health somewhere between $20-475 million. The Public Social Affairs Bureau could lose about $261 million, she said.

The harsh forecast came as part of the necessary budget presentation from the department head under Measure G of County Government Reform Measures Passed in November.

The lengthy sessions (the number of supervisors totaling 25 hours) highlighted how much of the county’s social safety net could be quickly reduced.

“There’s a ton of uncertainty in the budget,” Davenport told the board on Tuesday.

Jackie ContrerasThe agency that provides cash, food and medical assistance to the county’s poorest residents said more than a third of the Department of Public Social Welfare’s funds come from the federal government.

She said she was being asked to do large cuts to her food stamps and cash assistance program. Funds for resettled Ukrainians will disappear. She said the federal government is saying that the state will be punished for providing Medicaid to undocumented immigrants.

It’s not just the vulnerable residents who feel the change. According to Davenport, roughly 1,100 jobs at agents could be at risk.

That adds to the freeze on potential employment that county leaders are pondering as they enter a new period of financial uproar. Davenport said board This week, the county will need to cut new recruits to avoid a “fiscal crisis.”

The White House did not immediately respond to a survey of local cuts. The Trump administration says it wants to cut “wasteful spending” and direct federal money towards its own policy priorities.

Brandon Nicholsthe Director of Pediatric and Family Services said he was worried that his staff would soon be overwhelmed by the number of young people helping them avoid deportation.

“Immigration, honestly, is something that causes me to be quite worried right now,” he said, adding that staff “fears it.”

The father of two children in the child welfare system was recently arrested for immigration and customs enforcement, he said. The immigration officer appeared at the school to ask another child questions, he said. The school didn’t let them in.

Supervisor Janice Hahn She said she saw it commercial Trump’s Secretary of Homeland Security Christie Noem He stared at the camera and told everyone in the country to leave illegally.

“I’m just continuing to think about how real this is,” she said. “I really feel that department has to deal with that fear and anxiety in particular.”

The county has a $49 billion budget, about 13% of which comes from the federal government. However, some agencies rely heavily on federal money. For example, the Ministry of Public Health roughly obtains Two-thirds of your budget From federal grants. This has put around $1 billion in its line of things, from prevention of avian flu to protect tuberculosis.

Public Health Chief Barbara Feller She told the board last week that she felt her division was already squeezed and had stopped filling many vacant seats to help the money grow even further.

“I’m sitting here trying to find a way to maintain my blood pressure level,” the supervisor said. Holly Mitchell After the presentation is over.

“We have to fill the gap, so people aren’t — I don’t want to say we’re going through the cracks,” she said. “That’s why people aren’t thrown over the cliffs.”

The state of play

– Please check your email: 1 day ago Mayor Karen Bass Records obtained by the Times show that they received an email on January 7th, 2018 about “high confidence in wind damage and rising fire conditions” on January 7th. Base spokesman Zack Seidl The email’s information, including a red graphic warning for “critical fire conditions,” was not broadcast to the mayor before she left town.

– Crawley Out: City Council voted 13-2 to support the bass decision to drive out the fire chief Christine Crowley. The firefighters praised the former chief for publicly demanding more resources from her department. However, critics have called some of the minutes of a larger attack on the bass authority as a black female mayor. “This won’t be done if she’s a privileged white man,” one supporter said.

– New gig: As per the council’s decision, Crawley is in a lower-level position within the fire department. According to her spokesman, she is currently the assistant chief assigned to the Operations Valley Bureau.

– Turn on tap: The city lifted a “do not drink” order at a Pacific palace on Friday after LA Water Department officials confirmed that there were no contaminants in their water supply. Bass credited the crew for working seven days a week to flush out toxic substances from the water supply, destroying the city of paradise compared to the November 2018 wildfire. In that community, the “don’t drink” consultation lasted a year and a half, the mayor said.

– Coming up: City Manager Matt Sabo This week, council members warned that the 2025-26 budget shortage was nearing $400 million, partly due to rising wages for city workers, increased legal payments and weaker tax revenues. City Controller Kenneth Meziah, He himself Revenue Forecast Reportprovided a similarly pessimistic outlook.

– Strict tally: Around 2,500 homeless people died in Los Angeles County in 2023, an average of nearly seven people per day, health officials reported this week. Overdose of drugs or alcohol was the cause of 45% of these deaths. Of these, 70% were involved in fentanyl.

– Court audit: The City of Los Angeles and the Los Angeles Department of Homeless Services lack financial controls to ensure that contractors are providing homeless services appropriately, according to an audit of a new court order. County Supervisor Lindsey Horbus The audit said in effect was approval of her proposal to create a new county department that would take over Lahasa’s contractual obligations.

– Union Probe: The former top officer of the LA Firefighters Union is faced with an internal investigation into allegations that he is engaged in financial fraud, including a charity of injured firefighters union, which was removed from his post. Adam Walkera former union officer told the Times that the allegations were false.

– Reminiscent of Redux: The LA mayor’s enemy has established a fundraising committee to launch a campaign to remove her from the office. The committee’s main funder is Nicole Shanahanpoured millions of millions from her personal property into Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s independent presidential bid. (Shanahan supported Trump after Kennedy dropped out of the race.) The recalls have been launched repeatedly in Los Angeles over the past decade, but were not eligible to vote.

–Fight Club: 30 LA County Probation Officers were criminally charged following allegations that they allowed a fight between teens within the county’s juvenile hall. Atty, California. Gen. Rob Bonta The brawl was called a “gladiator’s battle.”

– Human error: The company that provides emergency alert software to LA County says its failure to send evacuation alerts to West Altadena early in the Eton Fire was not a result of a software malfunction. The president’s statement leaves human error as the most likely cause of failure.

– departure: Bass ‘Office staff said goodbye to the vice mayor this week Joey Freemanhandled intergovernmental operations between city and county, state and federal agencies. Freeman, who spent about two years in the mayor’s office, will join LA28, the organising committee for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

– Apply now! 1 week after bass, on top Slow pace The work of updating the city’s charter, We have opened the application process Angelenos wants to work for the city’s charter reform committee.

Quick Hit

• Where is the inside? Mayor’s signature program to fight the homelessness went to councillors Karen Price The district focused on the area around 33rd Avenue and Hope Street, according to Bass aides.
• At the docket next week: Tuesday, Supervisory Committee take up government Gavin NewsomFederal wildfire relief demands $39 billion. The allegations thanked Trump for his “still” commitment to ongoing recovery efforts, including his push to remove the debris earlier than expected.