<![CDATA[The People’s Budget]]>We present the following proposed priorities for the City of Los Angeles 2020-21 budget. This report was created through a participatory public process. You can also explore the data by race, gender, sexuality, employment status and council district.
NOTE: The 2nd Edition of the People’s Budget Report is up! We’re updating the Tableau dashboard so you can explore the newest data. Follow @BLMLA to see when it’s updated.
This report details our findings and presents a People’s Budget alternative to the Mayor’s proposed 2020-21 budget. Our document and data both reveal a clear referendum: invest in universal needs (e.g., housing security, public health/health care, mental health and wellness, etc.) and divest from traditional forms of policing.
Here’s a summary of our methodology and results:
Tens of thousands of people were engaged in the drafting of the People’s Budget. This includes 24,426 Angelenos who took our survey, which was distributed by over 50 organizations; 3,300 participants who engaged in our participatory budgeting process in real time on May 24, 2020 (via Zoom and Facebook Live); over 10,000 viewers who have watched that session after-the-fact; and thousands more who have dialogued with us on social media and in other forums.
The top priorities for investment include housing, public health and healthcare, child and youth development, food security, public transportation, and environmental justice.
The top priorities for divestment include parking enforcement, police and policing, and the City Attorney’s Office.
The People’s Budget allocates just 1.64% of general funds to law enforcement and policing – far less than one-tenth of the 54% given to the LAPD in the Mayor’s proposed budget.
The People’s Budget allocates the largest amount of money to Universal Aid and Crisis Management (45.61%), followed by Built Environment (27.61%), then Reimagined Community Safety (25.06%), and finally Law Enforcement and Police (1.64%). These categories are further defined below.
