LA County lawmakers request close to $3 billion from state budget

Lawmakers representing Los Angeles have created their list of priorities for the next budget year and are asking the rest of the California State Legislature to allocate nearly $3 billion to L.A. County.

The delegation, made up of 37 Assembly members and senators, has highlighted a handful of main priorities for the 2026-27 budget year, including county preparations for the 2028 Olympics, wildfire recovery, health and homelessness investments and more.

“The Los Angeles County Legislative Delegation recognizes the challenging budget year the state faces and will work to approve a responsible, balanced and on-time budget,” said Delegation Chair Assemblymember Tina McKinnor (D-Inglewood). 

Governor Gavin Newsom announced his proposed budget in January, which is now being reviewed and revised by both houses in the Legislature. Newsom will release a revised budget proposal in May and the Legislature must negotiate and approve a final budget by June 15.

The state budget determines how much money there is for local services, programs and city/county improvement projects.

“A responsible budget includes protecting patient access to Los Angeles County’s public hospitals, restoring proposed Medi-Cal cuts impacting low-income residents and helping more families find a safe, affordable and permanent place to call home,” McKinnor said in the statement. “A responsible budget also includes looking ahead in order to have necessary security, accessibility and critical infrastructure investments completed prior to the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.”

With over 9.8 million residents, L.A. County is the biggest county in the state. This means its delegation will inevitably ask for a sizable allocation of the state budget.

The delegation is requesting:

• $100 million for wildfire recovery and community rebuilding. Includes money for soil testing, development of safety standards and funds to rebuild the Altadena Library District and Palisades Branch Library;

• Over $1 billion in health and homelessness investments. The largest budget priority, the delegation is asking for money to restore the state’s share of inpatient Medi-Cal costs, which the delegation says will relieve “long-standing financial burden on county systems.” Funds are also being sought for homeless response efforts, a wildfire recovery loan program and more;

• $735.9 million to get Los Angeles ready for upcoming global events. The funds will target street and transportation improvements, energy upgrades, arts and culture programming, safety improvements, clean-up efforts and more.

• $8 million for affordable housing and homelessness prevention. These funds will specifically go toward the implementation of the Los Angeles County Affordable Housing Solutions Agency.

• $379.29 million to support a “transit-first Olympic Games.” The delegation is requesting specific funds to support L.A. Metro projects including rail station upgrades, light rail system improvements.

• $240.5 million for Exposition Park improvements. The park is set to host FIFA World Cup and Olympic/Paralympic activities, leading the delegation to request funds to upgrade the park’s ADA accessibility features, fire safety improvements, enhanced security infrastructure and other site improvements.

The Assembly and Senate budget subcommittees will hold hearings for the public to weigh in on the proposed budget and various delegations’ budget priorities. Once the Legislature and Governor successfully negotiate, pass and sign the 2026-27 budget, it will go into effect July 1.

“We are confident that we can accomplish all of these goals and look forward to working with legislative leadership and the governor to deliver for Los Angeles County residents,” McKinnor said.