LA Sheriff: County’s 2022–23 Budget Is ‘Defunding the Police’

Then Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva speaks at a press conference in downtown Los Angeles on Nov. 2, 2021. Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images

Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva criticized the county’s recommended $38.6 billion budget for the 2022–23 fiscal year, claiming its Board of Supervisors is “defunding the police” by re-allocating the sheriff’s department’s funds to alternative programs.

In a press conference on April 20, Villaneuva said he decided to host his own press conference because the county’s Board of Supervisors allows him only three minutes to speak during the official budget presentation at the April 19 board meeting.

County CEO Fesia Davenport said during an April 18 press conference that Villanueva requested a $500 million budget increase, which the county denied.

Under the proposed budget, the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department (LASD) will receive $3.6 billion—about the same as the current fiscal year—including $12.3 million to expand the sheriff’s academy for training deputies and $15.3 million to close the Men’s Central Jail in Downtown Los Angeles.

Supervisor Kathryn Barger said in an April 19 statement that she was “pleased to see” funding for the LASD in the budget, which is “protecting public safety” and “a necessity.”

Despite the funding for the sheriff’s academy, Villanueva said the county is “restricting academy classes to an unsustainable level” due to a county-imposed hiring freeze on “nonessential personnel,” namely administrative roles fulfilled by civilians to support essential personnel, or sworn officers.

“That’s not a commitment to public safety,” Villanueva said. “You’re giving me $12 million but you’re restricting my ability to hire people.”

In addition, Villanueva said the LASD’s forensic crime lab, which is made up of mostly civilian staff, is “dwindling” because the department is unable to replace retiring employees with any new hires since the sheriff has been in office.

“We’re losing institutional knowledge, we’re losing the capacity to train and get replacements, and we’re degrading the capacity of the crime lab,” he said.

However, the sheriff may still hire critical positions such as officers, and 1,000 non-sworn reserve officers were approved to be hired earlier this year, according to a March statement by the county CEO’s office.

As for the $15.3 million to close Men’s Central Jail, it will not fund a new facility but will be split between the LASD to close the jail and the Health Services Department “to enhance and expand mental health services to inmates,” according to Davenport in the April 18 press conference.

The county plans to follow recommendations from a report last year (pdf) that estimated it will take between 18 and 24 months to transport its inmates to other jails, and plans to release about 4,500 inmates into residential programs or community treatment services.

Villanueva said the transport of inmates to other jails is not a viable option for the jail’s inmates.

“The fact is, we cannot close Men’s Central Jail without [a viable] alternative,” Villanueva said. “We need to provide a [minimum] level of care for all inmates in our custody. We can’t wish away 4,500 inmates.”

Villanueva also criticized the county’s decision to re-allocate $100 million from the LASD’s budget to the alternative incarceration program “Care First, Jails Last”—also known as Measure J.

A spokesperson for Supervisors Sheila Kuehl, Hilda Solis, Holly Mitchell, and Janice Hahn did not respond to a request for comment by press deadline.