LOS ANGELES — Members of various community organizations Wednesday held a news conference outside of City Hall to urge the City Council to invest an additional $6 million to fund safety response measures that do not involve police.

What You Need To Know

  • LA Forward, Represent LA Coalition and other groups asked the city to invest an additional $6 million to fund safety responses not involving police

  • The groups want the City Council to revise the budget to include $4.5 million for unarmed crisis response programs, and $1.5 million for the Represent LA program, which provides legal services to the city's immigrant community

  • LA Mayor Karen Bass has proposed a $12.8 billion budget for fiscal year 2024-25

  • LAPD leadership has made statements in the past about how the department would work with city officials to implement alternative response programs

LA Forward, Represent LA Coalition, The TransLatin@ Coalition and others gathered to the discuss Mayor Karen Bass' proposed $12.8 billion budget for fiscal year 2024-25. The groups want the City Council to revise the budget to include $4.5 million for unarmed crisis response programs, and $1.5 million for the Represent LA program, which provides legal services to the city's immigrant community.

LA Forward is proposing that of the $4.5 million, city officials use $2.5 million to create a centralized dispatch for emergency management and crisis services and $2 million to evaluate all current unarmed crisis response services.

According to the groups, their ask makes up less than .05% of the city's proposed budget. They said it is "imperative" that the city revise the budget to ensure that these programs receive the funding required to "effectively serve the needs of all Angelenos."

Tracee Porter, a member of LA Forward and a Black and queer woman, said people like her are often overlooked and their voices go unheard, especially when it comes to public policies.

Porter said she has been a taxi driver for 17 years and has witnessed incidents where people desperately needed help, but hasn't always known who to call for help. Porter said law enforcement agencies should not be responding to high-stress situations, with individuals experiencing a mental health emergency.

"It is disheartening that securing this funding remains a challenge despite the widespread support," Porter said. "This is about justice and providing compassionate care for Angelenos including those with mental health challenges."

The Los Angeles Police Department last year released a list of some 19 calls for service that they recommended be diverted to alternative response programs. LAPD leadership has made statements in the past about how the department would work with city officials to implement these programs.

Council President Pro Tem Marqueece Harris Dawson and Councilwoman Eunisses Hernandez joined the community organizations for the news conference and backed their message.

The LA City Council has dedicated Wednesday's meeting to review revisions made by the budget committee on Bass' proposed budget, and hear from residents of the city about the spending plan. Hernandez urged Angelenos to provide public comment or submit their thoughts on the budget via online.

"These are your tax dollars. You should have a say in how they play out," Hernandez said.