LA City Council Approves Redistribution Of $100 Million Cut From LAPD Budget

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) -- The Los Angeles city council voted unanimously on Wednesday to put $100 million, which was cut from the LAPD budget earlier this year, toward community programs in underserved neighborhoods.

"This year we saw a national and local call for change in our disenfranchised communities of color,'' Council President Nury Martinez said.

"We listened to our Black and brown communities as they asked for more resources, the same resources they see in affluent communities and are easy to take for granted unless you've had to push a stroller through dirt in the dark, unless you live in a garage and your kids rely on parks as their only play space.''

Over the summer, the L.A. city council approved a recommendation from Mayor Eric Garcetti to slash the LAPD's budget by $150 million and forego a proposed increase in the department's operating budget in the wake of protests against police brutality.

So far, $40 million has been spent to address the city's budget deficit due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and $10 million went to an unappropriated account.

Of the remaining $100 million, the city council approved for $10 million to go to the Summer Youth Jobs program for children in underserved communities and $1.8 million for the newly created Civil and Human Rights Department.

The remaining $88.2 million will be distributed throughout all 15 Council Districts based on need and income disparity, with Council District 9 in South Los Angeles as the highest-need district, and Council District 11 as the lowest-need district.

(© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)