On Tuesday, Los Angeles County CEO Sachi Hamai presented the LA County Board of Supervisors with a proposed $30.8 billion budget for Fiscal Year 2018-2019 the mission of which is to “improve the quality of life for all County residents, particularly those struggling on the margins of society,” according to Hamai.
The more than 1000-page budget allocates $52.2 million in federal and state money for California foster care and adoption programs. With the money comes an increase of 104 positions to the Departments of Children and Family Services and Mental Health. The first state-required program, the Continuum of Care Reform, which is overhauling counties’ child welfare placement systems by eliminating traditional group homes, and focusing on long-term placements with foster families. As part of the county’s efforts to comply with CCR, it has implemented the Resource Family Approval, which program works to improve the assessment, approval, and training process for foster and adoptive caregivers of vulnerable youth.
A total of $374 million is set aside for fighting the county’s homelessness crisis. The figure includes an extra $100 million over last year, thanks to Measure H’s quarter-cent sales tax increase.
According to Hamai, during the second half of 2017, more than 7,000 people in LA County entered crisis, bridge, and interim housing, and more than 3,000 homeless families moved into permanent housing.
The budget includes $21.5 million in additional funds for increasing the number of inpatient mental health beds and the use of state hospital beds for the county’s mentally ill. Another $18.9 million is set aside for mental health services laid out in the Mental Health Services Act of 2004. This money will pay for 20 positions to run services focused on prevention and intervention for the county’s residents who live in permanent supportive housing.
The county’s substance abuse programs and services would receive an additional infusion of $79.2 million.
The Office of Diversion and Reentry are slated to get a new pot of $14 million (for a total of $34.3 million budgeted) to increase permanent supportive housing for justice-involved individuals from a supply of 1,000 to 1,500.
Hamai’s budget would increase the county’s spending on programs intended to reduce recidivism among the county’s probationers under SB 687 by $26.9 million. The money will go toward re-entry centers, individual case management, employment services, and more.
The LA County Probation Department would also gain an extra $4 million to “enhance critical operational administrative support services that focus on improved metric systems, self-auditing, sustained quality improvement processes, staff training and improved communication systems.”
A total of $12 million from probation’s budget dollars is slated to help with the ongoing establishment of The Office of Youth Diversion and Development, “to identify and support diversion programming targeted at youths.” The $12 million will be allocated over a four-year period.
The supervisors voted last November to launch a comprehensive and county-wide youth diversion program designed to redirect the thousands of LA kids who would otherwise be headed for the juvenile justice system.
“This budget reflects our determination to confront homelessness, the dearth of affordable housing and the need for criminal justice reform,” Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas said. “It also expands access to health services and an equitable economy, ventures into innovations in technology and biosciences and celebrates the arts.”
The county will hold public hearings on the budget starting on May 16, and the supes will start their deliberations on June 25.
The board also received a letter from LA County Chief Probation Officer Terri McDonald recommending the board apply for (and accept) state juvenile justice funding totaling $60 million for both the state’s Juvenile Justice Crime Prevention Act (JJCPA) and Youthful Offender Block Grant (YOBG).
Report Details Overspending at Sheriff’s Department
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department is running a budget deficit of approximately $40.3 million in county funds for the current fiscal year, according to a 14-page report by LA County’s CEO and Auditor-Controller.
The report, presented to the LA County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, says the “net county cost” deficit can be attributed, in part to the $81.5 million in over-expenditures on salaries and employee benefits and by $6.7 million in “under-realized revenues.” Part of this extra cost is offset, the report says, by spending less money on “services and supplies ($23.8 million), other charges ($7.4 million), capital assets-equipment ($11.6 million) and an increase in reimbursable revenue from other County departments of $5.1 million.”
The report blamed the LASD’s “struggle to absorb cost increases in retiree health, workers’ compensation (WC) and additional overtime incurred to meet operational needs.”
The cost of this fiscal year’s overtime payments is estimated to be $260 million—more than double the $118 million allocated in the department’s budget. The report shows that the department regularly overspends in this category. During the previous fiscal year, the LASD spent $125 million more on overtime than projected. The year before that, the department exceeded the budget by nearly $136 million.
In her presentation, CEO Hamai pointed out that the sheriff’s overages for overtime pay have also jumped from $11 million during FY 2013-2014 to $64 million in F& 2014-15, to $142 million this year.
The LASD blames the budget-breaking overtime payments on “hiring delays, vacancies, 98 percent compliance rate for contracts and mandated requirements associated with court settlements and agreements.”
“One of the areas that we believe we need to work with the sheriff’s department,” said Hamai, “is really doing an in-depth study of the overtime costs” to make sure that those costs are indeed tied to staff vacancies.
The department says it plans to offset the deficit through a number of “one-time solutions including a reduction in overtime and a hard freeze on services and
supplies and capital assets spending.”
The “misalignment” of the LASD’s budget is not a new problem, Hamai said, but one that has been going on for “20 years or so,” and one that will not be solved “overnight,” but which will instead require a “phased-in” strategy.
“I think through our joint effort, we have identified important budget realities that must be addressed,” LA County Sheriff Jim McDonnell told the board. “This includes the very real possibility that the LASD is underfunded, but also the opportunity for the LASD to critically review past practices such as overtime, growth in projects and programming, and so forth.”
So what are the hiring delays sheriff? Typical politically correct reply by the sheriff. Over time has always been off the hook in my 31 years. Except when we were carping for 5 years so Baca could get HOJJ done. How about no one wants to be a cop anymore. There is really no pay raise in our future because of this mess. Funny Ontario Police Department just got 5/5/5 and a 5k signing bonus for laterals. We get nothing because of poor management. Didn’t we hire that lady from Orange County to help us balance our budget. She did such a fine job there also.
And yet ALADS stands on the sidelines with a muzzled mouth. Without making excuses for McDonnell, the Board of Supervisors can toy with ALADS forever how long they please. I’m specifically speaking about a past due pay raise. I’m sure the other two candidates running for the Sheriff’s position would at least call the Board of Supes on the carpet.
LASD has become more top heavy in the captain and above ranks, morale is horrible because of the mandated overtime, no one wants to join the Department because of its reputation and all the executives will do is make the real workers suffer due to their mismanagement. You reduce overtime, put out fewer cars, double up folks duties. It’s not safe, but who cares, it’s a quick way to save money at the cost of workers safety. The Federal government and other monitoring bodies want change but don’t want to foot the bill.
Change at the top is needed badly. Maybe this will motivate the voters.
Conspiracy,
So you’re basically saying that there’s no light anywhere in the tunnel for the “Line Swine”?
Fyi, the general public voters has no “real time” clue as to how LASD is ran.
Carping here we come. Overtime and Carping are the only ways to maintain the 98% compliance. With OT gone or significantly reduced, Carping is the only answer.
Without a significant pay raise, newer deputies will lateral and potential recruits will choose other departments. Oh how history repeats itself.
Catch 22 and the LASD is fucked. The idiots who run the LASD have always saddled the contracts on the line and always will.
Buckles and Stickers are the new metaphor of mismanagement. Great legacy, but who gives a fuck when the line can Carp?
The 14 page report on LASD overspending definitely puts a damper on current contract negotiations. Hard to justify anything reasonable with the excess on money spent on overtime. Speaking of recruitment, a while back, ALADS was printing openings in the Dispatcher of other local law enforcement agencies who were hiring and looking for lateral’s. Whatever message that was supposed to send obviously backfired.
McBuckles is beginning to bore me. It’s hilarious seeing him and the BOS in the same room, talking in circles about the mismanagement of the man standing right in front of them. The sooner the voters fire McBuckles, the sooner the organization can start repairing the damage, right the ship, and work on making it an attractive career choice. The BOS are part of the problem they helped create, they sit on their hands and drag ALADS along, and work hard behind the scenes to keep the worthless “fresh eyes” sheriff in office because they need a weak sheriff to do their bidding.
And yet ALADS fails to pull the trigger, instead they straddle the fence. History will repeat itself.
Very true indeed LATBG, however you have to keep in mind that ALADS vetted, endorsed and doled out funds to put every Supervisor on that County Board. The photo ops show no discord as they provide the ultimate “Here I am with……” With a secure spot in LACERA, I still feel for the hard working Deputies who put their time and life on the line.
The main factor why there are so many vacancies is because of McBuckles, and his fake reform. He has over 1000 deputies currently under investigation, many of those are fabricated charges against deputies. He has fired a historic number of deputies, others at are at home sitting, waiting for their day in court, and the rest, just not doing much out of fear of getting fired. The word is out, 17000 Sheriff’s personnel, deputies, nurses, custody assistants, security officers, and any employee, telling potential recruits to look somewhere else. If you look at the report presented by McBuckles to the BOS, you will see that attrition is almost the same as recruitment. At the current pace, the sheriff will not see in his lifetime a fully staffed functioning sheriff’s department, he is a mess as a leader and needs to go. Lateraling to Ontario will probably sound good to many new deputies.
By the way, the NURSES and DOCTORS at the jails hate McBuckles, because when inmates throw feces at them, coupled with a barrage of racist insults because of their race, (Asian nurses) the deputies just can’t do anything other than, let’s get out the way and call a sergeant. The old school nurses, wish deputies could do more. Deputies cannot defend themselves nor others, out of fear of getting fired. They just prefer to clean themselves and let it be. It is just a matter of time, for a deputy or nurse to be killed in the jails. McBuckles will honor their memory, calling the dead personnel heroes. Yeah, under those conditions, good luck recruiting any individual to work the jails, whether deputies or civilian staff.
This report is so laughable, not for the ridiculous political doublespeak verbiage, but for providing layers of excuses for obvious areas of mismanagement.
The combination of the inability to recruit qualified applicants and then the failure to properly process them in a timely manner to the point of placing them in an academy class is shameful. Who in their right mind would want to join LASD with the shopping list of internal management problems that have gone from bad to worse? The media is doing now exactly what they did for Baca, turning their head and therefore leaving the voting public completely in the dark. Record numbers of terminations and unwarranted severe discipline, record numbers of ROD and IAB investigations equal the days of disgraced former one-term LAPD Chief Bernie Parks. Just when you think morale is at an all time low, management finds a way to get it lower as they congratulate themselves, telling the Sheriff all is well.
I’m happy to say, retirement is beautiful. To those in the trenches, we morn for you. Punch your time card and handle your calls. Your turn with LACERA will soon come and you won’t look back. Stay safe.
So what the hell are unions for? The axe that chopped Bernie Parks head off was LAPPL.
PPOA & ALADS does not get a pass!
Alads is supporting McBuckles 100% and circumventing the great majority of members wishes, here is the info… http://surruo.com/
In addition, high ranking executives are monitoring all the media news referencing McBuckles and his corruption. All comments made critical of him, and the crooked DA, regarding filing fake cases and the sort, are being deleted, and that commentator banned from the site. They are accusing the commentator as being defamatory and libelous…this constitutional warriors only want their opinions heard and truth buried…Yes, McBuckles is suppressing as much as he can, bad news, and punishing people critical of him…where is the FBI and the DOJ? Muller should be looking at McBuckles real-time…
I am sorry, I forgot the FBI and DOJ are on a fishing expedition, trying to frame the president into a crime. They are upset the president has told them to go F****up…..
Are you kidding me:
“So what are the hiring delays Sheriff?”
More on that here
http://www.scpr.org/news/2018/04/11/82229/why-is-the-sheriff-paying-for-so-much-deputy-ov/
@Cognistator
Great link to that article. That type of article needs to be read by the general public. This Sheriff is a bafoon and is in way over his head. And I’ve said it before and I will say it again, all you Chiefs, Commanders and Captains, you are pathetic. You stand by and let this clown ruin the department and ruin deputies lives. Way to be leaders. Weak sauce.
I read the above link. While I chuckled at the satire, I saw the truth within it.
Not too far off the mark. I found the words of Bob Lindsey to be rather timely especially when he said “whether ALADS endorses him or not”……Funny how people who lead organizations self destruct because of pride and arrogance.
I like some of the information on surruo.com, however the online poll is apparently run by a Lindsey supporter, and it takes away from the rest of the site. If deputies want to see the candidates going head to head in a debate, there’s one coming up on April 19th in West Hollywood. This will be informative, nowhere to hide for the unworthy…
A labor union big as ALADS can’t feign neutrality when the the stakes are high and morale at its lowest. If the little man didn’t take everything so personal at 2 Cupania Circle, this campaign wouldn’t be so damn dramatic. Unless ALADS makes a choice, I see many angry deputies who will demand a change even before SCOTUS rules.
ALADS, hahaha
Well, little men appear to suffer from a complex of some sort, lack of self-esteem and self-worth, always taking things personally and willing to fight at the most insignificant of the insults. If little men were more humble, accepting criticism from the people they are supposed to lead, this department would be much better. And that is the problem, the department is run by a lot of little men with egos the size of the world, when they are challenged, they resort to vengeance and evil acts, just to show who has bigger hand…
Recruiting? Recruiting to the sheriff,means using a camel named sergeant Bert and a video of deputies making doughnuts.. More info on that here
http://surruo.com/2018/04/12/la-sheriff-jim-mcdonnell-cant-stop-hemorraging-personnel-or-money-l-a-board-of-supervisors-steps-in-and-takes-over-for-the-incumbent/
Anyone is reluctant to “fall on their sword” while in the political spotlight.
Is anyone on the BOS or in the accounting section wondering why their are no vacancies in the upper ranks while the Sheriff’’s Department: 1. can’t hire enough people to meet normal staffing levels and 2. attrition and hiring levels are basically balanced all while the Departmrnt is in the red and projected to be way over-budget due to overtime costs? If this was a private company, the CEO would be asked to step down for incompetence and his “team” would be following him out the door. As they say in the military, “removed from their command due to a lack of confidence in their ability to lead”.
Just keep on blaming all the woes of the Department on those least able to impact it’s current and future direction or effect change. The proverbial s**t starts at the top of the hill, gains momentum as it rolls downhill and picks ups trash along its path, gets side-stepped by those in the middle or who are “connected”….until it splatters over all the unsuspecting worker bees in the low lands.
So, so sad……
Oh my God…I just checked out the You Tube video regarding “Sergeant Bert”. How pathetic for deputies (might be a cool gig for them though), the camel and the Department. They should have put a Camel cigarette (marijuana for CA and the young crowd) in the camels mouth (trademark issues?), threw on a leather harness with a “shinny brass buckle”, and heavy weight tan blanket with green leg wraps.
It’s bad…..very bad…
Looking at the Sheriff Candidate Poll in the aforementioned blog with Bob Lindsey in the lead, it should be no problem endorsing him. Maybe I’m not savvy enough to understand politics. We do know that 1+1 = 2 and we also know that if something is broke, it should be fixed. Is it something that we are not aware of? Is it Deja vu of 2014?
Another question would be (from within) what candidate would have the best interest of & for the deputies?
Every deputy under the rank of Sgt is the true future of LASD. We have to start thinking “long term”.
Online polls are notoriously easy to manipulate, particularly when it’s in house.
Even the more to get ballots out to every non ranked deputy in LASD. The conflict of interest occurs with ALADS selective and limited following. True example, over 4 years ago at Candidates Forum in the Hall of Administration LASPA members were not invited. The B.O.S and the Sheriff are acutely aware of the divisions in LASD.
Latest interesting information on ALADS at Surruo.com. Not a good look for a L.E. Union. One again LASPA members who wear the same badge have no say-so as to endorsement for Sherrif. Inner feuds exposes weakness in any organization. Maybe ALADS is concentrating more on their trial next month consisting of another inner feud.
That website, surruo.com, has finally revealed itself for what was obvious for some time, it’s a Lindsey-controlled website hosted by his campaign supporters. While Villanueva is racking up the legitimate endorsements from the political establishment, Lindsey is peddling CCW permits in South LA . Desperate times call for desperate measures I guess…
Do you really think that ALADS would give a endorsement to the co-founder of LASPA? We’re talking swallowed pride and miracles. Imagine that.
Another twist and laugh concerning ALADS internal feuds is that former ALADS President George Hofstetter dropped ALADS and joined PPOA. Incredible! This is the same guy who spewed hate about Brian Moriguchi and the PPOA Board of Directors. No true leadership at ALADS as their pompous and ever revolving Board is fashioned after a Boy’s club. Crossing my fingers for Neil Gorsuch.
Surrou.com News just posted a new article about money issues at the sheriffs department http://surruo.com/2018/04/17/sheriffs-crime-lab-cannot-afford-to-replace-a-key-piece-of-scientific-equipment-the-money-is-all-gone/
Doesn’t matter. No one within LASD is yelling loud enough for anyone to hear, much less do anything.
A great piece of information, unfortunately overshadowed by the website’s not very carefully concealed agenda, shilling for Lindsey. They took Villanueva to task for daring to support the national equal pay day, which draws attention to equality in the workforce. In surruo.com’s own words:
“Race baiting is something we will not tolerate Alex. And just as we have long wondered about Sheriff McDonnell’s racial impartiality, we are equally disgusted by this.” I think most voters will be disgusted by Lindsey’s message that all women should “know their place” and never dare aspire to attain the financial success of male whites. Is that your message Lindsey?
And then surruo.com, aka Lindsey for Sheriff, has the nerve to claim they will speak out when any candidate “challenges common sense or good judgment.” Not sure how Lindsey peddling CCW’s in South LA, or enlisting the aid of convicted felons is good judgment, but maybe surruo.com can clarify this.
Looks like a “no-holds barred” campaign. Villanueva appears to have a slower but assuredly positive pace. For those other than the incumbent, it’s going to take deep pockets. I admire the effort of the challengers is the uphill battle. Much respect for the deputies in the trenches. Signs of the time is unlike any other in law enforcement & politics.
Alex and Bob, cannot be enemies, because they are up against their common enemy, McBuckles…there are some that will warm up to Alex message, others will find his message, politics, as usual, others will think Bob has a better message, yet some like you will question it. It is fine, either one would do much better than McBuckles…I like both, but I have chosen my candidate.
I am spreading his message, showing new voters how to register to vote, placing yard signs, bumper stickers, I feel my candidate’s message has already reached a lot of my friends and family members. I am exposing what I believe to be a crooked regime and exposing the corruption McBuckles was supposed to fix. I helped McBuckles once to get elected, by spreading his message, he failed miserably, turned out to be worse, I miss Baca…
The problem with Lindsey’s campaign is that he has to pretend he wasn’t part of the corruption of the Baca/Tanaka regime, and he definitely was. McBuckles would love to face a guy he can point to and say he was part of the problem. I agree with you any vote for Villanueva or Lindsey is a vote McBuckles doesn’t get, and they are chasing a different demographic, but time will tell who has the better message that resonates across the entire electorate.
George Hofstetter did not drop ALADS. He joined PPOA as a service member $10 a month for the uniform store and a tax write off. Know your facts before you start rumors.
Not Tanaka, but Baca? Do tell.
All we see in our neighborhood and station is a huge support and Lindsey following. Every Deputy and Supervisor I’ve spoken to says not only will they vote for Lindsey but so will their family and neighbors. Out of all 3 candidates, I personally want Lindsey. He is sincerely and genuinely wants what is best for Deputies. Alex just doesn’t have the experience that Lindsey has. The highest rank he’s been at is a Watch Commander at Pico. No other department management or executive position. Additionally, according to our Sergeant, Alex is notorious to filing grievances and lawsuits if he didn’t get his way. That’s not who anyone wants. Sounds to me like a whining cry baby. Not what this department needs. In all seriousness, he’s not even a contender. No one even mentions his name when they talk about the Sheriff’s race. It’s always McDonnell or Lindsey. We really hope Lindsey wins. Sorry Alex, I mean LATBG.
I think Lindsey must be suffering from amnesia. He was the director of personnel when Tanaka was appointed division chief of admin services by Sheriff Moonbeam, and he was waist deep in the entire pay to play scandal as it began to unfold. When he was ultimately transferred out to another assignment, a nice promotion kept his mouth shut for many years. Hundreds of careers were essentially ended under the heal of Tanaka’s boot while Bob “CCW” Lindsey studiously looked the other way. It was only long after retirement, when his son was in harm’s way, did Bob find his voice to speak out – too little, way too late.
Let’s see how surruo.com spins this one…
Wowzer! Thanks for information.
To Bob’s credit, I don’t blame him for not speaking up earlier, nobody does, because most people who work for the department are afraid of being framed into a crime, harassed and fired for criticizing the regime, is a perfect dictatorship. It was very unfortunate; his own son was framed into a crime by the same people he probably promoted while being the director of personnel. I am glad he’s running against McBuckles, someone who has lived through the hell of the so-called “Justice System”. Likewise, Alex did try to fix the system while working in it, only to find out later, he would too be framed into an allegation of misconduct, that he was later able to clean up. Yet, Alex has paid a steep price for speaking up, I am glad he is running as well.
Why do you think most of us here use an alias? Because we are afraid of being framed into a crime, and afraid our family members currently in the sheriff’s department, could be framed into a crime for speaking up.
I am also glad Alex retired recently so that at least McBuckles cannot fire him after the election is over, should he win again. Now, you probably know that if you become the target of any higher up in the sheriff’s department, they will make a case against you. It is a well-known secret, that the CPA orders ICIB and IAB to make a case against deputies when they can get creative to create probable cause. The ICIB guys then will go to the DA’s office shopping for a crooked DA attorney willing to file charges. After a few tries, they find one DA who thinks he can win the case, that DA then engages in misconduct himself in trying to convict that deputy. Some may say, yeah, whatever, but there are several cases like that, one prime example is the prosecution of Bob’s son. This website covered that case.
I was looking at a recent POLITICAL picture of McBuckles, his commanders, and chiefs on Twitter, take a look. https://twitter.com/LACoSheriff/status/983079675181191169
If you have been in the department long enough, you will see that most of those characters were not street cops, but a bunch of nerds, always trying to pass a test to promote. Who of those characters you personally know, would turn McBuckles in? What would cause them to forgo a payment of over $200,000.00 just to be a hero? The answer is NONE. They will sit quietly, knowing the sheriff and the CPA are railroading bunch of lower hanging deputies, yes, for political reasons, while they run to the bank.
Phase6Deputy, with all due respect, I disagree with the negative remark against Alex by the “sergeant”. Alex was doing what a LEADER and all in the sheriff’s department should do now against McBuckles. All deputies now should be “filing grievances and lawsuits” However, nobody does out of fear of retaliation, and the fear of being called a “whining crybaby.” I am focusing all my energy against McBuckles, I feel all of us who know how crooked McBuckles is should do the same.
Wasn’t retired Commander Lindsey from a non “ghetto patrol” region, thus not in the Tanaka car? I thought he did refuse to have his folks in backgrounds look the other way and blindly hire and promote folks who didn’t meet the standard?
I think Commander Lindsey influenced and tried to effect change within his “orbit of influence”, which says a lot when you consider how many yes men/women just play “follow the leader” at the expense of those subordinates they can positively effect.
He did pay a price, which was evident by the vindictive “old score” members on the Department tried to settle by going after his son. What type of evil person would go after someone’s child in order to get back at the parent? Chilling!!
Re: your last paragraph, the same evil department members who go after parents of those with children and families to support. Imagine the number of those who were fired because of lies and bogus charges. Get a calculator and reminisce down Memory Lane. Karma has a helluva way of paying visits to evil doers.
JoeNoBuckles, I agree that Deputies need to file grievances and law suits against the monster McDonnell, but Villanueva did it at a time when things were great in LASD. He beefed everything that didn’t go his way. It was all for personal gain, not for any cause to help others. He’s a self self serving, sniffling non policemen. Now he wants to run the department and his nonsense rebuild, reform platform that makes no sense. He’s a poser and will always be. Like said many times before, he’s not even a contender in this race. No one, I mean no one even mentions his name when discussing this race. He’s a hack and will always be one. Lindsey has to win this for everyone. If not, this department will be ruined beyond repair.
Seems like something personal to your whining, let it go.
Copy that bro, you may know things I don’t, but I still believe we should unite our powers against the current regime.
The sheriff department in general makes things work no matter how bad the budget gets. The only way the department is going to receive more money for their budget will be to reassign all the specialty units like the department did in the 90’s. Move personnel back to patrol until we hire enough people. Stop fulfilling all of the community needs. When the community starts to complain then the board of supervisors will listen. End the Carping. Minimum staffing at Gangs/Narco/Majors/SEB/COPS/Special Victims/Human Trafficking etc. It happened to me and it all goes by seniority. Pick a station and be happy about it. It will also end the mandated OT. It impacts deps/sgts/Lts. Just my thoughts.