L.A. County has extended its survey deadline to hear residents’ thoughts on what services should be prioritized heading into the fiscal year 2027-2028 budget. County officials are doing this through a series of short online surveys, which are now open until Nov. 15.
The goal is to distinguish what programs should get cut, what programs should experience an increase or decrease in funding, and how officials should be spending budget money. In each survey, residents can give their input on any and all of the 39 programs. These include the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Public Health and Youth Development.
Respondents have the option to share their contact information, but otherwise the surveys are completely anonymous. Departments will use the survey results to inform their budget planning for fiscal year 2027-2028. The new fiscal year will start July 1, 2027. Before then, county officials will present budget recommendations to the Board of Supervisors in April.
The Board of Supervisors’ job is to monitor how the county is functioning and providing for its residents. The county is home to more than 9 million residents according to 2025 Census Bureau estimates, a slight decrease from the census count of 10 million in 2020. Regardless, Los Angeles County is still one of the largest county governments in the country both by population and budget scale, with more than 100,000 employees across 38 departments.
“The County’s budget reflects its values. Our overarching goal in building the budget, especially during challenging times, is to ensure that we are maintaining safety net services and meeting the most essential needs of our communities,” said Chief Executive Officer Joseph M. Nicchitta in a press release statement.
“That includes everything from health and mental health care to making sure elections are secure and transparent, from emergency operations to supporting our justice system. Getting a broad view of how the public thinks about and values these services is an important part of the County’s work.”
This September, the board approved its final budget for the 2026-2027 fiscal year with $54.2 billion, going toward initiatives like wildfire recovery, emergency preparedness and civic engagement, and housing and safety net services.
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