California State Assembly Majority Leader Isaac G. Bryan and L.A. City Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez released a statement in response to a decision by the 2nd District Court of Appeals on Saturday, July 29, 2023, declaring Measure J constitutional.
Measure J requires that 10% of locally generated, unrestricted L.A. County money — estimated between $360 million and $900 million — be spent on social services, including housing, mental health treatment and jail diversion programs.
The unanimous ruling reversed a lower court’s decision that temporarily stalled the implementation of Measure J, a 2020 ballot measure which was passed by over 57% of L.A. County voters.
Bryan and Hernandez served as co-chairs of the “Yes on J” campaign.
“Yesterday’s decision is a monumental win for Los Angeles,” said Councilmember Hernandez. “This reaffirms the will of the more than two million Angelenos who voted to reimagine LA when they passed Measure J almost three years ago. This ballot measure was a shared vision and a call to action for Los Angeles to invest in care-first initiatives. For too long, our budgets have not reflected the will, values, or the needs of our communities.”
“This is not just a win for the Board of Supervisors – this is a resounding victory for our communities,” added Majority Leader Bryan. “The millions of people in Los Angeles County who had the vision, drive and hope to reimagine Los Angeles can now have their voices heard. This is the moment to invest in our systems of care and opportunity and empower our communities – our families – to thrive. I’m incredibly optimistic, and grateful that we have leaders at all levels of government and in the community working to ensure that the promise of Measure J is realized.”
Caleb Rabinowitz
