LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Today, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors (the Board) approved a motion authored by Supervisors Holly J. Mitchell and Janice Hahn that directs the Los Angeles County Internal Services Department (ISD) and Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) to launch a three-year Community Hiring Pilot Program. The pilot will be countywide and connect high-road jobs from five of ISD’s largest procurement contracts to residents living in zip codes with high rates of poverty.

Each year, the County spends $6 to $9 billion dollars on good and services to meet the needs of its 10 million residents. Last year, the Board passed Supervisor Mitchell’s motion committing the County to using its purchasing power to expand access to high-road jobs – jobs that provide family supporting pay, benefits, and growth opportunities – for residents living in communities with high concentrations of poverty. Today’s action moves that commitment to implementation.

“This pilot program links procurement, workforce development, and economic mobility into a coordinated strategy that will provide quality job opportunities for talented and qualified residents in communities that have face historical under investment and high rates of poverty,” said Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell. “We have an opportunity to show how equitable hiring practices tied to how we spend our money are good for business and for strengthening our efforts to end the cycle of poverty.”  

“If the County is going to spend billions of dollars every year contracting out to provide our residents services, we should use these contracts as tools to invest in good jobs in the communities that need them most. That is our goal with this Community Hiring Pilot Program – to use the County’s own purchasing power to open doors for LA County residents to stable careers and to help workers build a pathway out of poverty,” said LA County Supervisor Janice Hahn.

The Board will receive a report back within 90 days with a list of the five eligible ISD contracts, community hiring goals, and a timeline for implementation. The pilot will also include targeted outreach to America’s Job Centers of California, High Road Training Partnerships, and other community partners to support referrals of qualified job seekers.

“The County and our contracted partners hire for thousands of high-quality jobs and careers across almost every sector and occupation as we collectively invest billions in goods and services for our community wellbeing,” shared Kelly LoBianco, Director of the LA County Department of Economic Opportunity. “Thanks to our Board of Supervisors and this motion, we are excited to formalize and scale these community hiring opportunities with talented, local workers, trained by our America’s Job Centers and training partners.”

The Community Development Technologies Center (CD Tech) is among the many community partners helping to prepare residents in South Los Angeles for quality employment opportunities. CD Tech President and CEO, Benjamin Torres, shared, “For 30 years, CD Tech has been combining grassroots community building towards strengthening the skills and self-sufficiency of residents especially though workforce development into high wage career pathways that make a difference. Thanks to Supervisor Mitchell’s Motion, the Community Hiring Pilot will open more doors into good jobs, hire people from our communities, and provide families with the economic mobility to make uplift our community.”

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell, representing Los Angeles County’s Second District, in partnership with the Reimagine LA Coalition, Participatory Budgeting Project, and Tres Lunas Consulting, announced a total of $1.7 million in grants to be distributed among the following organizations: Bridge the Digital Divide, Inc., Building Futures, Inc., Inspire Together, Los Angeles Conservation Corps,  Los Angeles Trade Tech College,  St. John’s Community Health, Tree People, and UNITE-LA.

These organizations will serve as Community Implementation Partners, bringing to life the winning ideas that residents in the unincorporated communities of Florence-Firestone and Ladera Heights voted for as part of the Second District Community Participatory Budget pilot program.

“This is about putting co-governance in action and showing the power of a public budget when it reflects the values of the communities it serves. From the moment we launched this pilot with our partners, our unincorporated communities of Florence-Firestone and Ladera Heights have been engaged in deciding how $1.7 million should be invested back into their neighborhoods. Reaching the implementation phase is a significant step toward turning thoughtful ideas – ranging from job access to neighborhood beautification – into a reality. I look forward to collaborating with the trusted community organizations that have been selected to help us make a meaningful and lasting impact,” said Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell.

The Second District Community Participatory Budget is a pilot program created by Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell in partnership with Reimagine LA Coalition, Participatory Budgeting Project, and Tres Lunas Consulting. The program provides $780,000 to the Ladera Heights community and $920,000 to Florence-Firestone – a total of $1.7 million – for local residents only to decide how that money should be invested back into their communities.

“Through years of organizing and advocacy, we’ve worked to create participatory democracy models that put decision-making power directly in the hands of county residents. With Supervisor Holly Mitchell’s leadership and the vision of community members who helped guide this process, the 2nd District pilot has laid a strong foundation. Now, we enter an exciting new phase: launching projects with Community Implementation Partners who will bring these priorities to life in each unincorporated area,” said Megan Castillo, Reimagine LA Coalition. “This milestone is not an end but a beginning and will serve as proof that when communities lead, budgets can truly reflect the values and needs of the people. We look forward to continuing this partnership and expanding participatory budgeting into more neighborhoods across Los Angeles.”

Last year, more than 700 ideas were submitted across both communities. With the help of an advisory committee made up of residents from both Ladera Heights and Florence-Firestone, those ideas were narrowed down and presented for a final vote by fellow residents. Below are the winning projects that the eight Community Implementation Partners are expected to launch by 2026:

Florence-Firestone Winning Projects & Community Implementation Partners

• Florence-Firestone is Home – St. John’s Community Health

Provides cash grants of $500 to support 200-600 residents facing rent increases and financial hardship, with the option for residents to renew up to three times.

• Connection to Ready-to-Hire Jobs – Inspire Together

Prepares and connects residents of all skill levels to ready-to-hire jobs with family-sustaining wages through candidate pre-screening, soft skills training, and a local job fair.

• Nourishing Our Neighborhood: A Green Space Initiative – Tree People and Los Angeles Conservation Corps

Collaborates with residents and nonprofits to plant trees and install planters to enhance community health and overall quality of life.

Ladera Heights Winning Projects & Community Implementation Partners

• Tree & Common Area Improvement Project – Los Angeles Conservations Corps and Los Angeles Trade Tech College

Beautifies communal spaces with signage, climate-specific trees, and landscaping while improving underdeveloped areas with drought-tolerant plants, lighting, and outdoor art.

• Active Minds, Healthy Lives Initiative – Building Futures, Inc.

Enhances programming at the Yvonne B. Burke Senior and Community Center with physical activities and digital literacy classes helping seniors gain the skills to safely connect with family online and access resources.

• Digital Literacy Empowerment – Bridge the Digital Divide Inc.

Establishes technology classes at a local community center for all ages. Classes will include expert-led sessions, certification opportunities, and job placement assistance for residents most affected by the digital divide.

• Youth Digital Workforce Development – UNITE-LA

A year-long job training initiative in partnership with local non-profits that provides young people ages 14 to 24 with work experience, training, and pathways to employment in high-growth industries.

“So many community members and leaders have contributed to reigniting the spirit of participatory budgeting through Supervisor Holly Mitchell’s Community Budgeting Pilot Project. It is an honor to see a community dream realized as several community-based organizations receive funding to implement the ideas that were generated over the year long process through several community input and voting processes. Everyone involved should be so proud of themselves for prioritizing the time and energy to practice participatory budgeting. This is one model that will lead to a wide range of opportunities that will open up for the county as we heal our relationship to government resources and the processes attached to them. We can’t wait to see the projects fully implemented in the unincorporated areas and how community members will benefit from them,” said Diana Zúñiga of Tres Lunas Consulting & RELA.

For more information and to stay updated on the Second District Community Budget pilot, visit http://mitchell.lacounty.gov/cb-2023 and follow Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell on Instagram, Facebook, X, and Bluesky.

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell provided the following statement in response to a swastika being graffitied on a home in the Los Angeles Labrea-Hancock Park community:

“There is no place for symbols or acts of hate in our community. It is deeply disturbing that a swastika was graffitied on a home in the La Brea–Hancock Park neighborhood—especially during the Jewish Holy Days. No one should have to experience this. I urge residents to report any acts of hate at LAvsHate.org. We will continue to speak out and do all we can to end antisemitism and all forms of hate.”

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell provided the following statement regarding her support for a report back on exploring an eviction moratorium:

Eviction moratoriums must be anchored with sustainable funding because we are not erasing debt, we are only deferring payments– tenants will face an even larger bill when the rent is finally due, placing them and small and pop landlords at greater risk of losing their housing.

The attacks on our immigrant communities are devastating countless lives and livelihoods. When the report returns to the Board in the coming weeks, I expect it to include a comprehensive analysis of the impact of previous emergency tenant protections—including the eviction moratoriums enacted during the COVID-19 pandemic. We must apply the lessons learned to strengthen the County’s housing policies, with the goal of keeping people housed and supporting the small property owners who provide that housing.