Formal Deliberations Begin Following Passionate Comments From Residents
The Los Angeles City Council’s Budget and Finance Committee will begin its formal review of Mayor Karen Bass’ proposed 2025-26 city budget on Tuesday, April 29, with a hearing scheduled for 1:00 p.m. at City Hall.
Committee Chair Katy Yaroslavsky is expected to open the session with remarks addressing the mayor’s proposed spending plan, followed by presentations from several key offices and departments, including the Mayor’s Office, the City Administrative Officer, the Office of Finance, the City Controller, the City Attorney, and the Department of General Services.
The hearing comes on the heels of two days of public input, during which the committee heard more than nine hours of testimony from residents. For the first time in recent memory, the public comment period included a session in the San Fernando Valley, held in Van Nuys, as part of a broader effort to improve civic engagement and accessibility.
Many concerned residents have spoken out about the Mayor’s proposed cuts and some have taken part in protests to insist that cuts not be made to city programs like the Los Angeles Animal Services. As proposed, the cuts to the Animal Services would close already overcrowded shelters.
The Mayor’s budget, which outlines spending priorities for the next fiscal year, will be analyzed and amended by the committee in the coming weeks before a final version is brought to the full City Council for approval.
The budget hearing will be livestreamed, and the full hearing schedule is available at the City Clerk’s website: https://clerk.lacity.gov/calendar.
