Public safety, children services and vital infrastructure needs top the list of priorities as we enter a new fiscal year. For fiscal year 2008- 09, the adopted budget for the County of Los Angeles provided funds for the County’s infrastructure needs to expand its jail capacity, add new libraries, improve animal shelters, add fire and sheriff stations, make improvements at parks, probation camps, and juvenile halls, as well as address numerous other infrastructure needs.

In addition, the budget provided $25 million dollars to increase the County’s initiatives in the growing area of information technology.

Public safety continued to be a high priority for the County.  Funding was provided in the Sheriff’s Department budget to add or refurbish jail beds and increase positions in the custody system.

The budget also includes additional positions for the Probation Department to staff camps, halls and placement to assist in ensuring compliance with U.S. Department of Justice requirements and reduce caseloads. 

To address the gang problem in Los Angeles County, a crime assessment center is being created to gather intelligence to better focus County resources.  In addition, the budget provides full funding for staff and operational costs for the new Los Angeles Regional Crime Laboratory.

Looking forward, some of the greatest budgetary challenges facing Los Angeles County in the near future are the potential impacts from the downturn in the housing market and potential reductions resulting from the state’s budget deficit.  The County’s three primary revenue sources are state revenues, property taxes, as its primary source of discretionary funding, and federal revenues.

Recent events will require close monitoring of local revenues, State and Federal revenues, and potential reductions in programs administered by the County on behalf of the State and Federal governments.
Moreover, the state is threatening to raid county property tax coffers to balance its budget.

Communities in the unincorporated area of the Santa Clarita Valley saw many amenities, projects and programs realized over the past year;  the regional water plan for Santa Clara river watershed was approved, the Santa Clarita Valley summer beach bus service, over three million dollars in park improvements, funding to purchase vacant property for additional park uses, funding to open a temporary library in Castaic, funding to enhance mental health services in the Santa Clarita Valley, a $5 million dollar Public Works project to synchronize traffic signals, installation of a replacement security fence at the Pitchess Detention Center East Facility, 3-way traffic signals for Sunset Pointe, $681,000 to the Sunset Pointe Landscape Maintenance District for new irrigation lines, timers and controllers, funding for the expansion and improvement of the Santa Clarita Sheriff Station public and staff parking areas, funding for 9,000 square feet of leased office space for the Santa Clarita Sheriff Station, $41 million dollars for the I-5-Hasley Canyon Interchange Project, $5,000 in allocations for  Santa Clarita Valley not for profit organizations and $9,500 in Performing Arts Grants for Santa Clarita Valley.

I look forward to the continued positive results that the unincorporated communities of Castaic, Southern Oaks, Stevenson Ranch, Sunset Pointe, Tesoro del Valle, Val Verde, Westridge and the County have shared.

Michael D. Antonovich, Los Angeles County Supervisor