SANTA ANA, Calif.—Orange County has released its proposed budget for the 2023–24 fiscal year, with the spending proposal up nearly $475 million from last year.
The county’s proposed annual spending plan is $9.3 billion, up from $8.8 billion during the current fiscal year. The general fund budget, which is the more flexible portion of the spending plan, is $4.9 billion. The rest is primarily spending mandated by law, giving county officials little ability to manipulate.
The budget will be the first in the past couple of years that does not include state and federal funding related to the COVID-19 pandemic, but officials are still focusing on the build-out of its public health initiatives, stemming largely from efforts to reduce the homeless population….