Cynthia Lezama

LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Today, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved the expansion of the Los Angeles County Nonconforming Vehicle Ordinance. For Los Angeles County’s Second District, represented by Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell, View Park-Windsor Hills, Ladera Heights and Marina del Rey have been included in the ordinance since 2017. Today’s action amends the existing ordinance to include all unincorporated communities in the Second District by adding: Del Aire, Lennox, East Rancho Dominguez, El Camino Village, Rancho Dominguez, Walnut Park, Florence-Firestone, West Carson, Willowbrook, Athens-Westmont.

Supervisor Mitchell voted in support of amending the ordinance and provided the statement below. The final reading and vote to approve the ordinance will take place on Tuesday March 3.

“Oversized vehicles—whether box trucks, semi-trucks, or recreational vehicles—continue to present significant safety concerns for pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers throughout the unincorporated communities in my district. In addition, these vehicles create quality-of-life challenges by occupying limited street parking, generating noise while idling, and, unfortunately, attracting illegal dumping.

Expanding the County’s Nonconforming Vehicle Ordinance to include additional unincorporated communities is necessary, particularly given the increase in oversized vehicles in our unincorporated areas after neighboring cities adopted and began enforcing similar parking restrictions.

I’m glad that this amendment – which was informed by residents – will now include all the unincorporated communities in my district. Amending this ordinance is an important step toward improving street safety as it relates to oversized vehicles. However, implementation will be just as—if not more—important to ensure residents see the tangible impact of the action we are taking today.

We cannot discuss oversized vehicles without acknowledging our unhoused residents who rely on RVs as their only form of shelter. It is important to be clear that this ordinance does not change the lawful and humane process for responding to people living in vehicles. We will continue to pursue a human centered and urgent response to the homelessness crisis. That means following established outreach protocols, obtaining consent from individuals experiencing homelessness before relocation to interim or permanent housing, and lawfully addressing and disposing of vehicles when appropriate.

The County’s Homeless Services and Housing Department remains responsible for addressing the standing list of encampment hot spots in the Second District and throughout the County. It is my expectation that we approach both the implementation of this ordinance and our outreach efforts to move residents off the streets with unwavering determination and steadfast action.”

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LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Today, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved in a 4-to-1 vote to pass Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell and Board Chair and Supervisor Hilda L. Solis’s motion to place a temporary ½ percent sales tax measure (set to end on October 1, 2031) on the June 2nd primary ballot. The revenue generated from the Essential Services Restoration Act will help create urgently needed funding to help address an anticipated $2.4 billion in federal funding cuts to the Los Angeles County healthcare system resulting from the Trump administration’s passage of H.R.1.

“I’m proud to join Chair Solis in standing alongside a coalition of city leaders, healthcare providers, patient advocates, union members, and working families from across our county – united in the fight to protect access to the lifesaving healthcare and essential services that every resident needs and deserves, said Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell, representing the Second District. “We have a responsibility to deliver care and services throughout LA County, even when the federal government cuts funding. This is about giving voters the choice on a temporary ½ cent sales tax – medicine, groceries and items purchased with WIC and SNAP are exempt – to prevent further straining working families or our safety net services. We are talking about 50 cents for every $100 dollars to help ensure critical services and healthcare is available when we need it the most.”

“The Trump administration has eliminated more than $1 trillion in Medicaid funding through H.R. 1 to expand inhumane immigration enforcement and deliver tax breaks to the wealthiest,” said Los Angeles County Board Chair and First District Supervisor Hilda L. Solis. “In Los Angeles County, these cuts are projected to strip Medi-Cal coverage from 1.5 million low-income residents by next year and reduce funding for the safety-net hospitals and community clinics our communities rely on. This is not a crisis that will only affect Medi-Cal patients. When clinics close and emergency departments scale back, patients do not vanish, they are pushed into fewer urgent care centers and hospitals, driving longer wait times, rising costs, and worse health outcomes across the region, including for families with private insurance. That is why this temporary, five-year tax measure is a real and necessary solution to stabilize our health system and protect access to critical health services, and why Los Angeles County remains firmly committed to meeting the needs of children, older adults, individuals with disabilities, working families, and immigrants.”

The federal funding cuts to Medicaid included in H.R.1 are the largest reductions in the program’s history, threatening healthcare access for millions of residents who rely on it. In Los Angeles County alone, one-in-three residents depend on Medi-Cal (California’s version of Medicaid). To help prevent worsening the affordability crisis, the proposed measure—if approved by voters—would exempt most essential items such as groceries, medicine, and purchases made with SNAP and WIC and would generate critical revenue needed to preserve access to essential services, including healthcare.

Los Angeles County Departments are the only providers of public healthcare for 86 out 88 cities in LA County – only the cities of Pasadena and Long Beach have their own health departments, and both those cities continue to rely on Los Angeles County’s healthcare infrastructure and departments to help serve residents. As the only public health shield for nearly the entire county and its 10 million residents, the federal funding cuts severely weaken the critical services needed to keep communities healthy and safe.

The ballot measure is a last resort effort after Los Angeles County has already implemented hiring freezes, limited overtime, consolidated services, and tapped emergency reserves – which are not enough to recoup funding taken away by the federal government to help keep healthcare centers and vital services available. To ensure accountability in funding being used for its intended purpose, the measure will require independent audits, public reporting, and a civilian oversight committee.

The measure is backed by a growing coalition that includes residents, city leaders and a group called Restore Healthcare for Angelenos that consists of St. John’s Community Health, SEIU Local 721, SEIU Local 2015, the Community Clinic Association of Los Angeles County, Planned Parenthood Advocacy Project LA County, Health Justice Action Fund, InnerCity Struggle, and numerous community leaders.

Jim Mangia, Restore Healthcare for Angelenos spokesperson and St. John’s Community Health President and CEO shared, “We are so grateful to the Board of Supervisors for giving voters the power to enact these critical protections for essential services and healthcare in LA County,” said “Now, we focus our efforts on turning out our voters so we can restore the healthcare services our communities depend on.”

Louise McCarthy, MPP, President & CEO, Community Clinic Association of Los Angeles County (CCALAC) which consists of over 600 community health clinics stated, “Health centers are a vital part of the county’s safety net. They provide medical, dental, and behavioral health services to over 2 million residents — that’s 1 in 5 Angelenos and 1 in 3 Medi-Cal enrollees. They serve low-income families, seniors, and people experiencing homelessness. This is a crisis. Federal cuts and new MediCal policies will reduce coverage and cut funding. Medi-Cal accounts for over half of clinic funding, so these changes will lead to clinic closures, longer wait times, overcrowded ERs, and higher costs for the county.”

Cástulo de la Rocha, President & CEO, AltaMed, the nation’s largest independent Federally Qualified Health Center added, “For nearly 60 years, AltaMed Health Services has been a trusted provider for anyone who walks through our doors. Today, that promise is at risk. Families will lose coverage and the safety net our communities depend on will not survive. This moment calls for courageous leadership. This measure is about protecting access to care, safeguarding jobs, and ensuring every Angeleno — regardless of income or background — can continue to rely on a strong healthcare system. We cannot let this safety net fail.”

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LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Today, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell’s motion to transition the County to a collaborative stakeholder driven process for the allocation of opioid settlement funds to strengthen transparency in ensuring these critical resources are reached the communities most impacted by the opioid crisis.    

In July 2021, opioid manufacturer Janssen Pharmaceuticals/Johnson & Johnson and distributors McKesson, AmerisourceBergen, and Cardinal Health agreed to a $26 billion nationwide settlement to resolve more than 3,000 opioid-related lawsuits. California is expected to receive approximately $2.05 billion over 18-years, with Los Angeles County administering its share of the funds in alignment with local priorities.  

In August 2023, the Board approved the County’s Opioid Settlement Funds Spending Plan and directed the Department of Public Health (DPH) to report annually on funded programs. Under today’s approved motion, the Department of Public Health’s Bureau of Substance Abuse Prevention and Control (DPH-SAPC), a nationally recognized leader in substance use disorder prevention and treatment, will convene County departments, subject-matter experts, community stakeholders, and individuals with lived experience to inform funding priorities. 

“By centering public health expertise and community voices, Los Angeles County can maximize the impact of these funds and continue making progress on addressing the devastating impacts of  the opioid epidemic, said Supervisor Mitchell who represents Los Angeles County’s Second District. “These opioid settlement funds represent a rare and critical opportunity to help make people and their families on the lifelong road to recovery and healing investments in prevention, treatment, and harm reduction at a time when other public health funding is increasingly uncertain.”  

The motion also includes the following key actions: 

– Quarterly reviews of available and anticipated opioid settlement funds to account for funding variability; 

– Convening community stakeholders and experts to guide future spending plans; 

– Ensuring a smooth transition to the new collaborative process without disrupting existing services; and 

– Reporting back to the Board within 90 days and annually on outcomes and effectiveness. 

In 2023 alone, more than 105,000 people nationwide died from drug overdoses, nearly 80,000 involving opioids. Locally, the County reported more than 2,000 opioid-related deaths, with disproportionate impacts on Black, Latino, and Indigenous communities. Los Angeles County recorded the largest decline in drug-related overdose deaths and poisonings in its history in 2023 and 2024 reflecting the impact of expanded prevention and harm-reduction strategies. Yet opioid use remains a severe public health crisis. 

Los Angeles County Department of Public Health Director, Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, Med, shared, “Investments in prevention, harm reduction, treatment, and recovery have led to the most significant decline in drug-related overdose deaths in LA County history. These funds provide the opportunity to build on that progress by continuing a public health approach that strengthens communities disproportionately impacted by overdoses.”  

The new collaborative framework aligns with national best practices, including principles developed by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and adopted by more than 25 states. These principles emphasize saving lives, using evidence-based strategies, investing in youth prevention, centering racial equity, and ensuring fair and transparent decision-making. 

Community organizations on the frontlines of serving residents impacted by the opioid crisis shared their support for the motion:  

 “The people we proudly serve in the Second District are navigating complex challenges, and in the urgency of the opioid crisis, we must rise to meet this reality and prioritize opioid settlement funds. Our continuum of services—which includes harm reduction and treatment—requires sustained investment to save lives and stabilize communities. We applaud Supervisor Mitchell’s leadership in ensuring the transparency and vitality of our substance use harm reduction-to-treatment pathway and centering lived experience in this motion,” said Sam Joo, CEO of the Asian American Drug Abuse Program (AADAP).

“LA County’s progress in prevention and harm reduction is a direct result of evidence-based investment. This motion ensures that our future spending priorities remain rooted in public health expertise and collaborative, community-informed decisions. We must build on the measurable progress LA County has made through public health driven treatment and prevention. This motion is vital because it brings stakeholders to the table, ensuring that substance use funding is guided by evidence and the lived experience of the marginalized communities we serve, shared Latonia Mister Melanin Angels CEO of Melanin Angels. 

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