Willowbrook Residents Get a Say in $600,000 Community Budget: What LA County’s 2026 Program Means

WILLOWBROOK, Los Angeles County — October 28, 2026. Residents in unincorporated Willowbrook are being brought into a Los Angeles County participatory-budgeting initiative that assigns $600,000 to the community. Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell’s office announced the expansion of the Second District Community Budget in its August 29, 2026 newsletter.

How much funding is involved?

The district allocated a combined $1.45 million for two separate unincorporated communities: $600,000 for Willowbrook and $850,000 for Athens–Westmont. Those amounts should not be added together and presented as a single Willowbrook allocation. The program is intended to give residents a more direct role in considering and selecting community-focused projects.

What is participatory budgeting?

Rather than having officials choose every initiative on their own, participatory budgeting invites community members to propose priorities, develop realistic ideas and take part in a resident decision process. The supervisor’s office cited earlier pilot programs in Ladera Heights and Florence–Firestone that supported beautification, training, rental assistance, exercise classes for seniors and digital literacy.

Could residents join the advisory committee?

The county’s August announcement invited Willowbrook and Athens–Westmont residents age 16 or older to apply to a local advisory committee regardless of immigration status, gender, race or ethnicity. It specified a September 18, 2026 application deadline. That deadline is already past, so this article does not suggest that the original application is still open or that all committee seats remain vacant.

What comes after the applications?

The county described an advisory process to develop and evaluate proposals that would later be presented to residents for voting. As of this report, the original newsletter does not establish which projects eventually won, what construction contracts were issued or a new 2026 voting schedule. Residents should follow subsequent county updates and the supervisor’s official Community Budget page for those details.

How does this affect daily life?

Eligible projects may focus on local practical needs, but the allocation alone does not guarantee a new park, road, childcare service or housing project. The community decision process is designed to identify the eventual uses of the funding within county rules.

Official source: LA County Second District newsletter, August 29, 2026; Second District Community Budget information. The $600,000 figure is a Willowbrook allocation, not a cash payment automatically available to individual residents.

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