LAPD Budget Tops $3.5 Billion as Mayoral Race Focuses on Chief’s Future

The Los Angeles Police Department’s budget exceeds $3.5 billion, a figure that represents more than half of the city’s general fund. This financial weight places the department at the center of the upcoming mayoral election. Candidates are clashing over the role of Chief Jim McDonnell and the power dynamics that govern his position.

Councilmember Nithya Raman is challenging incumbent Mayor Karen Bass. Raman has called for McDonnell’s removal. She argues the department was too cooperative with federal immigration agents during last year’s protests over raids. “I believe he’s lost the trust of Angelenos, especially in light of the ICE raids,” Raman said at a debate earlier this month.

Bass, who appointed McDonnell in 2024, supports keeping him in his role. She warns that removing the chief so close to the 2028 Olympics could send the department into disarray. Bass also notes that crime is down across the city, mirroring national trends. “I don’t think you have any idea what it takes to remove a police chief,” Bass told Raman during their debate.

The process for removing a police chief is complex. The mayor cannot unilaterally oust the chief. Only the five-member Police Commission can make that decision. However, the mayor appoints those commissioners, giving the executive significant influence. An ousted chief can appeal to the City Council, but reinstatement requires the support of two-thirds of its members.

Raphe Sonenshein, executive director of the Haynes Foundation, noted that removing a police chief used to be nearly impossible in Los Angeles. The chief once enjoyed civil service protection and was a powerful political figure. Sonenshein said, “The police chief stayed as long as the police chief wanted to stay.”

Major events in the 1990s changed this dynamic. After the 1991 beating of Rodney King and the subsequent riots, voters approved Proposition F. This measure stripped police chiefs of civil service protection and created a five-year term limit, subject to one five-year extension. The 1992 riots also led to the election of conservative Richard Riordan as mayor.

This month, Raman praised former Chief Daryl Gates for his policy against asking officers about immigration status. She called it a gold standard for police not cooperating with federal agents. Bass criticized the comment, saying it showed Raman was out of touch with the history of Gates’ tenure. Raman has since apologized on the Yesi Ortiz podcast and on CNN.

McDonnell has defended his officers’ response to the ICE protests. He said demonstrators threw rocks, bottles, and Molotov cocktails, which necessitated the use of tear gas. He described his officers’ actions as heroic. Robb Korinke, who runs the political consultancy GrassrootsLab, said opposing McDonnell fits an anti-establishment trend in this election. “I don't think anyone is safe, whether you're an incumbent, elected or figurehead of a major city department,” he said.

Billionaire developer Rick Caruso announced on Monday that he is voting for Bass. Caruso lost to Bass by 10 percentage points four years ago. He said Bass has grown into the job but expressed serious concerns about Raman’s desire to remove McDonnell. He warned against turning the LAPD into a laboratory for experimentation by the Democratic Socialists of America, which has endorsed Raman.

The police union is spending nearly $2.8 million to defeat Raman and elect Bass. This is a significant increase from the more than $1 million spent to defeat Raman’s council reelection bid two years ago. Bass approved big pay raises for officers in 2023, while Raman voted against them, preferring to spend the money on parks and streetlight repair.