EmpowerLA Budget Transparency Hub
Follow the Department’s fiscal journey from proposal to adoption. Explore our strategic plan to restore critical field support, secure election outreach resources, and strengthen grassroots democracy as we build capacity for the future.
Brief Budget Proposal Overview
How to get Involved?
How do we move from proposal to adoption? This 5-minute guide explains our top three priorities: restoring Project Coordinator positions to support your Board, funding equitable Election Outreach, and stabilizing hybrid meeting infrastructure.
Want the full picture? Watch the complete recording of “NC Budget Advocates Town Hall: DONE’s FY 2026-2027 Budget Request.” We thank the NC Budget Advocates for hosting this comprehensive forum, which includes a detailed presentation and a robust Q&A session addressing questions submitted by the community.
Frequently Asked Questions
The City of Los Angeles is facing a challenging fiscal environment. As part of the standard annual process, the Mayor requested all departments to propose scenarios for a 5% reduction to their base budgets. However, EmpowerLA has also submitted a “continuation of services” budget that prioritizes maintaining core operations. Our strategy focuses on efficiency, modernization, and advocating for critical restorations—specifically seeking to restore positions that were previously cut but are essential for supporting the Neighborhood Council system.
Our proposal focuses on three main pillars:
- Restoring Field Staff: We are prioritizing the restoration of four Project Coordinator positions to lower the NEA-to-NC ratio and improve direct support.
- Securing Election Outreach Funding: We are requesting dedicated funds now to ensure high participation in the 2027 Neighborhood Council Elections.
- Operational Efficiency: We are structuring our operations to meet our Charter-mandated responsibilities and maintain compliance support despite the City’s fiscal constraints.
While our budget proposal aligns with key Mayoral priorities—such as Equity (Election Outreach), Efficiency (Zoom Licenses), and preparing for the 2028 Olympics (Staff Restoration)—our primary objective is ensuring the stability and basic functionality of the Neighborhood Council system. We have structured these requests not just to meet Citywide goals, but to solve immediate operational pain points for Board Members:
- Restoring Field Staff: Aligns with capacity building for 2028, but primarily ensures that Neighborhood Councils have the daily guidance needed to operate.
- Election Outreach: Aligns with Citywide equity goals, but is fundamentally critical to preventing failed elections and ensuring boards have quorums to conduct business.
- Zoom Licenses: Aligns with modernization, but specifically resolves an administrative bottleneck that frustrates Board Members and staff alike.
No. It is important to distinguish between the Department’s operating budget (which pays for staff salaries, office supplies, systems, and contracted services) and the Neighborhood Council Funding Program (the $25,000 allocated directly to each board). The NC Funding Program is administered separately by the Office of the City Clerk. EmpowerLA’s budget focuses on the human resources and tools needed to support, train, and advise the Neighborhood Councils.
The annual allocation for Neighborhood Councils is determined by the Mayor and City Council during the final budget adoption process in June. Currently, the base allocation is $25,000 per board. While EmpowerLA advocates for the resources necessary for NCs to fulfill their charter-mandated duties, the Department does not have the unilateral authority to increase this allocation. We continue to highlight the rising costs of operations (such as outreach and meeting facilities) in our reports to the City Administrative Officer (CAO).
The Department already maintains a centralized administrative account to manage both Zoom and Canva licenses for Neighborhood Councils, but the current funding model creates significant red tape. In the current fiscal year, a Neighborhood Council must vote to authorize the expense, after which the Department purchases the license and invoices the NC for reimbursement. This process places a heavy administrative burden on both the NCs and Department staff.
This is why we are requesting specific funding for Zoom licenses in FY 2026-27. Our proposal requests the funds to purchase one Zoom license per Neighborhood Council directly via the Department’s budget. This would eliminate the complex reimbursement process and ensure every board has guaranteed access to this essential tool.
EmpowerLA will have little to no translation funding in our base budget due to the severe cuts that have already been put in place. Whatever we will have will only be used to support Department-sponsored events and materials and unfortunately will not be available to the Neighborhood Councils for their events or materials. However, we would recommend boards reach out to the Office of the City Clerk for more information about funding for translation and interpretation services. The Clerk’s budget proposal includes a request for $60,000 to cover costs of translation services that will be provided by Neighborhood Councils.
We recognize that current staffing levels are stretched. Our primary budget request for FY 26-27 is the restoration of four (4) Project Coordinator positions. Restoring these positions is critical to reducing the ratio of Neighborhood Councils assigned to each Neighborhood Empowerment Advocate (NEA). Lower ratios mean faster response times, more personalized coaching, and better support for board operations. Without these positions, we are prioritizing mandatory compliance and election support, but capacity for developmental support is limited.
These positions are not “new” growth; they are restorations of critical field support roles. Currently, our Neighborhood Empowerment Advocates (NEAs) carry high caseloads, which forces them to focus primarily on mandatory compliance issues rather than proactive community building. Restoring these four positions will:
- Lower the NEA-to-NC ratio: Allowing for more dedicated time per board.
- Improve Response Times: Ensuring board members get answers to complex questions faster.
- Support “High-Need” Areas: Providing extra assistance to boards in communities that may lack administrative resources.
The Salary Savings Rate is a percentage deducted from our salary budget by the City, based on the assumption that some staff positions will naturally be vacant throughout the year.
- The Challenge: Currently, EmpowerLA’s rate is set at an unreasonably high 9%. For a small department, this far exceeds our natural turnover, creating a “structural deficit.” To meet this target, we are forced to intentionally keep critical positions vacant—essentially operating with a reduced staff despite being “authorized” for more—just to balance the budget.
- The Solution: We are advocating for an adjusted rate of 1-3%. This realistic target acknowledges our small size and ensures we have the actual funding to hire the staff we are authorized for, maximizing support to Neighborhood Councils.
We are proactively preparing for fiscal volatility. Our goal is to insulate the Neighborhood Council system from administrative shocks. If further reductions occur or resources remain flat, we will pivot to a Strategic Prioritization Model to maintain the best possible service levels:
- Focus on Mandates: We will strictly prioritize Charter-mandated services (Elections and Board seating) over discretionary programs. Note that Funding support is under the authority of the City Clerk.
- Triage Support Model: With a high NEA-to-NC ratio (potentially 1:11), the Department will not be able to guarantee staff presence at all board meetings. Instead, we will switch to a triage model, addressing the most urgent concerns first and deploying staff to assist with critical governance challenges or conflict resolution as they arise.
- Process Automation: We are accelerating the development of digital self-service tools and on-demand training modules. This allows Board Members to get immediate answers to routine administrative questions, freeing up our limited staff to focus on complex governance challenges and conflict resolution.
You cannot build a citywide volunteer network overnight. To successfully support the Mayor’s priorities for the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Olympics, we must begin capacity building in FY 2026-27. If we wait until the games are here to hire staff, it will be too late. Restoring these Project Coordinators now allows us to build the relationships and infrastructure needed to mobilize thousands of Angelenos when the time comes.
We have submitted a significant request for an Outreach Campaign for the 2027 NC Elections. This funding is distinct from the administrative cost of running the election (handled by the City Clerk). Our request focuses on raising awareness, recruiting diverse candidates, and increasing voter turnout, with a specific focus on 46 high-need communities that have historically had lower participation rates.
The City Clerk manages the administration of the election—ballot processing, candidate verification, and voting. EmpowerLA is responsible for the outreach and engagement—making sure people know the election is happening and inspiring them to run or vote. Without a dedicated outreach budget, we risk low turnout, which weakens the democratic mandate of the system.
The requested funds will support a multi-pronged strategy designed to reach voters where they are:
- Multilingual Marketing: ensuring materials are available in the many languages spoken in Los Angeles.
- Targeted Digital Advertising: to reach younger demographics and specific neighborhoods.
- Direct Community Canvassing: putting boots on the ground in the 46 communities identified as having historically lower participation.
Candidate Workshops: training new leaders on how to run a successful campaign
A successful election requires months of lead time. Candidate filing and recruitment often begin well before Election Day. Funding in FY 26-27 ensures that we can launch our awareness campaigns and candidate training programs before the filing window opens, giving new leaders the time they need to prepare.
No. This is a common misconception. EmpowerLA’s budget is exclusively for the administrative support and oversight of the Neighborhood Council system. Funding for infrastructure (Public Works), housing (Housing Department), street services, or homelessness solutions comes from those specific departments’ budgets.
However, transparency is a priority for the City. You can review every City Department’s budget proposal to understand what is being requested for these services at the City of Los Angeles Department Budget Requests Page.
Even though these items are not in the EmpowerLA budget, Neighborhood Councils play a vital advisory role in the City’s overall budget process. To make your voice heard on these issues, we encourage you to get involved in the following ways:
- Agendize a discussion on the City Budget at your local Neighborhood Council meeting.
- Communicate with the Neighborhood Council Budget Advocates.
- Submit a Community Impact Statement (CIS) to the City Council once the Mayor’s Proposed Budget is released (typically April 20th).
- Listen to and comment at the “Budget & Finance Committee” and “Personnel, Audits, and Hiring Committee” hearings in May.
- Review the City Controller’s Financial Data for deeper insights.
- Jan – Feb: Mayor’s Office & CAO review Department proposals.
- April 20: Mayor releases the Proposed Budget.
- May: City Council “Budget & Finance Committee” hearings.
- July 1: New Fiscal Year begins.
Stakeholders are encouraged to submit Community Impact Statements (CIS) to the City Council once the Mayor’s Proposed Budget is released in April.
Have Questions?
Our Administrative Services Team is here to help clarify the proposal.