Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Opposes Assembly Bill 2986

East Los Angeles (Photo – Graphics Dept.)

The Bill would consider incorporating East Los Angeles into a City or Special District.

By News Desk

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a motion authored by Supervisor Hilda L. Solis and coauthored by Supervisor Kathryn Barger to oppose Assembly Bill (A.B.) 2986 ─ proposed legislation by Assemblywoman Wendy Carrillo that seeks to explore the feasibility of converting the unincorporated area of East Los Angeles into its own city or special district.

“A false narrative has been established by the bill’s author implying that East Los Angeles is without local representation and that incorporation would benefit residents, and that is simply not the case,” said Supervisor Solis, who has represented East Los Angeles for the past nine years.

Los Angeles County covers 4,000 square miles and is home to almost 10 million people. Within the County are 88 incorporated cities, each with its own city council. The areas that are not part of these cities are unincorporated. Los Angeles County departments provide municipal services to these areas.

East Los Angeles is an unincorporated community. There have been four previous attempts to incorporate the area. However, a 2012 comprehensive finance and fiscal analysis by the Local Agency Formation Commission for Los Angeles County showed that East Los Angeles does not generate sufficient tax revenue to sustain cityhood, as California law requires. The analysis showed that in the first year alone, East Los Angeles would run a $19M deficit.

Supervisor Barger said, “It’s disingenuous to foster the notion that incorporating East Los Angeles will improve quality of life when that’s simply not the case…Multiple studies have concluded it’s not economically viable or sustainable unless taxes are raised or services for the community are decreased. It also speaks volumes when Sacramento leaders gut and amend existing legislation to introduce an initiative without involving local government leaders. That’s not OK.”