As Los Angeles County considers adopting a $50.3 billion budget while dealing with federal spending cuts, wildfire recovery and other fiscal strains, a new report is highlighting how many taxpayer dollars have gone to legal costs involving law enforcement and jails.
The May 2026 report by Million Dollar Hoods at UCLA found that the L.A. County sheriff’s and probation departments have cost the county more than $1 billion on litigation expenses, including settlements, judgments and legal fees, over a 12-year period. Many of the cases involved allegations of excessive force and inadequate jail facility conditions, according to the report, which analyzed data from the Office of County Counsel Litigation from 2013 to 2025 to determine the cost to taxpayers.
