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.

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell provided the following statement regarding her vote in support of establishing an emergency rent relief program for immigrant communities and preserving rent relief support for residents impacted by wildfires:  

I appreciate that the authors of the rent relief motion accepted amendments to avoid splitting the $10M commitment the Board made to our residents displaced by wildfires by keeping whole the amounts for wildfire survivors and immigrant communities. As well as adjusting the max grant caps for up to 6 months or $15,000 per household – since we heard from residents that $5,000 per household is not enough to fulfill the intent of housing stability.  

We have a responsibility and the capacity to hold multiple vulnerable communities at once. The attacks on our immigrant communities are devastating countless lives and livelihoods and require an urgent response that accounts for the lessons learned from previous rent relief programs. We know that the average amount needed per household to make up for back rent is between $17K to $27K.  

For any rent relief program to be successful it must be timely, targeted, and accessible. I will continue to urge the Dept of Consumer and Business Affairs to quickly get funding to the people who need it most, it will be 90 days for DCBA can get this program started. I will also continue to work with my colleagues on the Board to ensure we are applying the insights captured after this program once it launches to see where there is room to strengthen and expand access to these crucially needed funds.