KTLA

Expecting deep cuts due to coronavirus, L.A. County OKs $35.5-billion budget

Los Angeles County Supervisors Sheila Kuehl and Mark Ridley-Thomas.(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved a recommended $35.5-billion budget for the coming fiscal year — a spending plan that is expected to change substantially over the next few months as the county continues to navigate the coronavirus outbreak and its significant drain on funds.

Already, the county is projecting that it will lose $2 billion in tax revenue — $1 billion by the end of the fiscal year in June and an additional $1 billion in revenue in 2020-21, according to the county executive’s office.

The county’s chief executive, Sachi A. Hamai, predicted a budget process “unlike any we’ve ever faced.”

“We are in a profoundly challenging economic environment that may get worse before it gets better,” Hamai said in a statement. “There are many factors outside the county’s control, including the length and severity of the COVID-19 crisis, and the amount of assistance we will receive from the state and federal governments.”

Read the full story on LATimes.com.