Defund LA County Sheriff? What's next for West Hollywood after voting to cut deputy funds
LOS ANGELES - The City of West Hollywood narrowly voted to cut funds for the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.
Instead, West Hollywood leaders are planning to set aside that money for other safety programs, including the Block by Block program.
Block by Block features unarmed, blue-shirted security ambassadors that have been deployed on the La Brea Avenue side of the city.
The budget was narrowly given the green light – three in favor, two voting against it.
RELATED: West Hollywood votes to cut Los Angeles County sheriff funding amid crime wave
What's next for West Hollywood?
Below is West Hollywood's plan as they cut funding for LASD:
- Two deputies will be pulled from West Hollywood in six months
- Up to three deputies will be pulled from patrolling West Hollywood six months after that
- Entertainment Policing Team deputy will be restored
- The net loss will be a total of four armed deputies
- 30 Block by Block security ambassadors will be added in the residential areas, especially on the west side of the city
The decision comes as the city approved consideration by the state to give bars the option of staying open until 4 a.m. Critics of the pilot program argue this may raise safety concerns for nearby businesses and residents. On top of that, the area is seeing an increase in robberies targeting businesses and individuals.
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On Wednesday, LA County Sheriff Alex Villanueva gave the following response to the news of losing up to four armed deputies in West Hollywood:
"They want to experiment with your public safety. And so they may want to start re-imagining another line of work than being elected officials. If they're not going to represent the wishes of their own constituents," Villanueva said.
FOX 11 spoke with Mayor Pro Tem Sepi Shyne, whose motion amended the city's budget to change the allocation. Shyne said the foot patrols provided by the Block by Block program are financially more effective.