Los Angeles County officials are effectively passing the hat for public health, teaming up with Hollywood names to plug a growing hole in the county’s safety net after a wave of cuts and clinic closures.
At a Thursday launch event at Charles R. Drew University in Wilmington, Public Health Director Dr. Barbara Ferrer stood alongside health executives and actors to unveil The Fund for Advancing Public Health LA, a new private foundation organizers say is trying to raise $2 million this year. The fund is designed to prop up disease-prevention, environmental health, and emergency-response work as the county wrestles with shrinking federal and state support.
The founding board reportedly includes Ferrer; the CEOs of the Blue Shield of California Foundation and LA Care Health Plan; actors Sean Penn and Danny Trejo; and several other civic leaders. Board member Saree Kayne pledged $150,000 on the spot. The effort arrives in the wake of roughly $50 million in funding cuts since early 2025, the closure of seven county public-health clinics, hundreds of staff reductions, and an anticipated loss of up to $300 million for the department over the next three years. County leaders have also placed a half‑percent sales-tax measure on the June ballot as another way to raise money, according to LAist.
On its website, The Fund for Advancing Public Health LA describes itself as “a new and independent foundation dedicated to expanding and protecting public health efforts across the County” and invites donors to pledge on an online form. Organizers say the money will go to “basic public health infrastructure,” including prevention, health promotion, environmental health, and emergency response, with private dollars meant to sit alongside county programs rather than replace them outright.
Why county leaders are seeking donors
Officials say a combination of reduced federal support and recent budget cuts has pushed the county into scramble mode to keep core services intact. Federal funding has historically covered nearly half of the department’s budget, so when that share shrinks, the impact is immediate and painful. In that context, county leaders argue that private philanthropy can act as a short-term bridge while they chase longer-term fixes through the ballot box and the usual budget battles.
Who’s on the board
The fund’s founding board mixes public-health insiders, philanthropy executives, and familiar faces from the entertainment world. Members include Dr. Barbara Ferrer and Debbie I. Chang of the Blue Shield of California Foundation; Martha Santana‑Chin of LA Care; Saree Kayne of the R&S Kayne Foundation; Jarrett Barrios; Dr. Deborah Prothrow‑Stith; Kristin McCowan; and actors Sean Penn and Danny Trejo. Organizers say they intentionally assembled a blend of policy, health‑system, and community voices to steer money toward underserved communities that often feel public-health cuts first and hardest.
What comes next
In the coming months, organizers say they will be working the phones and inboxes to solicit donations while building out grant-making partnerships. At the same time, county leaders will keep pushing Measure ER, the proposed half‑percent sales tax, as a longer-term revenue option for the June ballot. For now, donors who want in can sign a pledge on the fund’s website, which is the group’s immediate tool for collecting commitments, according to The Fund for Advancing Public Health LA.
