LA County supervisors to consider $11 million to close Men’s Central Jail

Los Angeles County supervisors will consider a $69.5 million spending plan Tuesday that includes $11 million for programs intended to advance the long-delayed closure of Men's Central Jail, an effort that has faced years of setbacks and uncertainty over how to reduce the county's jail population.

The proposed funding is part of the county's sixth-year Care First and Community Investment (CFCI) spending plan, which supports community services and alternatives to incarceration. Of the $69.5 million, approximately $43.5 million comes from previously unspent funding, while $26 million comes from funds set aside for the initiative.

According to the county's October 27 board letter, the $11 million designated for jail-closure efforts would be distributed among three programs:

$4.387 million to the Public Defender's Holistic Early Assessment and Linkage program, which works to connect defendants with services and treatment earlier in the criminal court process.

$2.588 million to the Department of Public Health for substance-use client engagement and treatment navigation services.

$4.025 million to the Justice, Care and Opportunities Department's Rapid Diversion Program, which connects eligible defendants to treatment and supportive services as alternatives to incarceration.

The remaining $58.5 million would support one-time investments in other initiatives, including housing assistance, employment programs, youth development and community-based services.

The proposed jail-closure funding follows years of efforts by the Board of Supervisors to shut down Men's Central Jail. Supervisors voted in July 2020 to pursue closure within a year. A county workgroup subsequently developed an 18- to 24-month closure plan in 2021, and supervisors directed the county to pursue closure without constructing a replacement jail.

More than five years after the initial vote, the jail remains open, with county officials continuing to confront challenges involving jail capacity, access to treatment and the need for alternative placements.

Supervisor Kathryn Barger, who has advocated replacing the facility, reiterated her position in a September 9 statement responding to a federal investigation into conditions at the jail.

"I stand ready to shut down Men's Central Jail and approve a replacement," Barger said.

A July 2026 report from the county's Jail Closure Implementation Team found that seven identified actions, along with additional population-reduction strategies, could lower the county's projected average daily jail population by approximately 836 people by 2031.

However, the report concluded that those measures, combined with proposed transfers to other existing facilities, would not be sufficient on their own to close Men's Central Jail within five years without a replacement.

The team estimated that expanding the seven programs would require approximately $1.5 billion in new investments over five years, bringing the total estimated investment to $2.7 billion.

Sheriff Robert Luna has also supported closing the jail but favors building a replacement facility to accommodate people who cannot safely be diverted or released. During a July board meeting, Luna emphasized the changing medical and mental health needs of the jail population, according to LAist.

Whether the proposed $11 million allocation will significantly accelerate the jail's closure remains uncertain. Although the spending would support programs identified in the county's closure framework, the proposal does not establish a new closure deadline.

Supervisors are scheduled to consider the funding plan during a public hearing Tuesday, October 27, at 9:30 a.m. in Room 381B of the Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration, 500 W. Temple St., Los Angeles.

If approved, the plan would authorize the county to distribute the funding and move forward with associated program contracts. A separate report on progress toward closing Men's Central Jail also appears on Tuesday's agenda, although the county's chief executive officer has requested that it be postponed until January 26, 2027.