2016-2017 City Budget Emphasizes Improved Services 

The City Council has been working through the process of modifying and approving Mayor Eric Garcetti’s proposed $8.76 billion budget for the fiscal year beginning on July 1, 2016.  The budget was given final Council approval on Thursday, May 19. Some of its major accomplishments:

• More LAPD officers will be able to return to street patrols with the hiring of 300 civilians to do administrative and support services that are currently done by uniformed officers.
• Increased Graffiti Removal:   $1.5 million added for 13 new strike teams to help address the increased demand in graffiti removals, bringing full budget to $8.5 million.
• Cleaner Park Bathrooms:  Enough money for multiple daily cleanings of at least 50 of the City’s highest use park bathrooms. Normally park bathrooms are only cleaned once a day.
• Community Plan updates: $1.9 million to fund two dozen positions in the Planning Department to define and set clear zoning requirements and needs for the City’s many unique neighborhoods.
• Clean Streets (citywide): The budget allocates $1.6 million to add a fourth Clean Streets team to help address unclean streets and homeless encampments and for 15 cameras to help catch illegal dumping violators.
• Sidewalk Program: $11 million in funding is provided for five crews to address sidewalks with accessibility challenges for the disabled and other high-liability locations. $6 million is also set aside to split the costs with property owners who want to repair their own sidewalks.
• Vision Zero: The budget includes funding to survey high-risk areas and design improvements, and to create 20 new pedestrian refuge islands and 20 new bus refuge islands to help meet the City’s goal of zero pedestrian deaths.
• Street Lighting: Funding for pedestrian lighting at 20 bus stops, lighting at mid-block crosswalks, and lighting at the top 50 schools in the Safe Routes to School program.
• Tree Trimming:  funding for City crews to remove dead street trees and tree stumps and to do more tree trimming.
• Homeless Services and Housing:  $138 million in identified and prospective funds to kick-start the City’s effort to move homeless people off the street and into shelters and permanent supportive housing.