LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Board of Supervisors Feb. 12 held a special board meeting in which county departments presented their budget requests for the upcoming fiscal year. Among those, a presentation of the Department of Consumer and Business Affairs’ or DCBA budget requested additional funding for legal support for immigration services through the Office of Immigrant Affairs or OIA.
In 2017, at the request of Chair Pro Tem Hilda L. Solis, Los Angeles County established the Office of Immigrant Affairs within DCBA. Since then, RepresentLA, a program under the OIA, has provided legal representation to over 5,000 individuals, including removal defense, affirmative legal representation, and assistance securing employment authorization.
Just after the November 2024 elections, the county approved a motion put forth by chair pro tem Solis directing the county’s chief executive office to identify at a minimum, $5.5 million to ensure the RepresentLA program continues to help families during these trying times. Unless additional funding is provided, the RepresentLA program will end in June 2025.
“The last few weeks have been difficult for our immigrant residents, with changing federal policy creating a sense of fear and insecurity. Our youth have organized incredible peaceful student walkouts across Los Angeles County in response, voicing their concerns and fear for family members amid uncertainty. This comes at a time when many of our families are facing historic home and job loss from the Eaton and Palisades Fires,” said Chair Pro Tem Solis. “Today, we’ve heard directly from constituents and DCBA that without additional funding for the County’s legal representation and support services, our immigrant communities will be left vulnerable at a time when there is so much fear around family separations. We cannot let this program lapse at the end of this fiscal year. I am committed to working with CEO and DCBA to ensure Represent LA has the resources it needs to continue supporting our residents.”
As a result of the passing of Measure G during the 2024 elections, Los Angeles County voters approved a comprehensive package of reforms to answer the public’s call for transparency and accountability, including public budget presentations.
The County of Los Angeles will be holding public budget request presentations from County departments on the following dates:
February 21, 2025
February 24, 2025
March 4, 2025