Los Angeles is barreling into a high-stakes budget showdown, with a nearly $15 billion spending plan, but before a single department defends a dollar, City Hall is handing the floor to activists.

The City Council’s Budget Committee will launch hearings Friday on Mayor Karen Bass’ $14.9 billion proposed spending plan, a blueprint that will shape everything from policing to homelessness spending in one of the largest municipal budgets in the country.

Traditionally, the process starts with budget analysts, department heads and top financial officials laying out the numbers.

Instead, this year’s opening presentation is reserved for Black Lives Matter–Los Angeles and the People’s Budget LA coalition, groups that have spent years pushing to slash police funding and, in some cases, dismantle traditional law enforcement entirely.

The decision is raising eyebrows not just because of what these groups advocate, but because of how they’ve operated inside City Hall.

These are the same activists previously documented by The California Post shutting down public meetings.

Just weeks ago, members of that network were seen outside a downtown police union headquarters, hurling toy pigs at officers at their downtown union headquarters.

“To think, just a few days ago the People’s Budget mastermind Melina Abdullah was tossing miniature toy pigs over a fence at our office and now she will present her confirmation bias-riddled sham of a defund the police budget to the city council—well, it just warms our hearts,” the Los Angeles Police Protective League told The Post.

“Cue the circus music, pop some popcorn and get ready to be entertained with some budget comedy. Keep it classy Melina.”

In January, activists aligned with Black Lives Matter–Los Angeles derailed a meeting of the Los Angeles Police Commission, flooding public comment, chanting over speakers, and forcing officials to shut the meeting down.

Commission President Teresa Sánchez-Gordon attempted to restore order, but the session ultimately collapsed and the room was cleared.

Black Lives activist Joseph Williams has used the platform to press for a sweeping shift in priorities, calling on councilmembers to move money away from law enforcement and overhaul how the city defines public safety.

The People’s Budget LA coalition has gone further, outlining a plan to shrink law enforcement funding to roughly 1.64% of the city’s general fund and redirect billions toward social services. Its long-term vision includes eliminating both policing and incarceration systems as they currently exist.

And it’s not operating from the margins.

The group runs annual “People’s Budget” surveys, organizes large-scale events like its recent People’s Movement Assembly, and produces detailed alternative spending plans designed to influence how City Hall allocates billions.

Meanwhile, Bass’ proposed budget takes a different track, aiming to preserve core services, avoid widespread layoffs, and hire more than 500 additional police officers while continuing major homelessness initiatives like Inside Safe.

The decision to hand activists the opening slot underscores the growing grip of a progressive bloc at City Hall, a faction that has steadily pushed to shrink the role of policing while expanding alternative spending priorities.

I once worked at LA City Hall. I know the culture there can make it very difficult to speak up for what you believe.

Thank you to the hundreds of current and former city employees who have taken this courageous stand advocating for a People's Budget. I signed too! https://t.co/nIuiMSyxdG

— Nithya Raman (@nithyavraman) July 3, 2020

That influence runs straight through the committee itself.

Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez, a self-described abolitionist who sits on the powerful Budget Committee, has been explicit about why she’s there.

Hernandez has publicly said her appointment reflects her stance on cutting police funding and redirecting those dollars elsewhere, a position that has made her one of the most outspoken voices in City Hall calling for a reduced LAPD footprint.

Alongside her is Councilmember Nithya Raman, a mayoral candidate who has backed key pieces of the People’s Budget framework and broader efforts to rethink traditional policing.

Raman has aligned with past proposals to halt police hiring, including the “No New Cops” push tied to former Councilmember Mike Bonin, and has repeatedly voted against expanding enforcement tools like anti-camping laws.

We reached out to Raman’s office to see if her outlook on police staffing and her support of the People’s Budget has changed.

What remains unanswered is how the coalitions secured a lead role, and why, in a budget cycle that will shape public safety, homelessness response, and basic city services for millions, the opening argument is coming from activists, not the officials responsible for the money.