LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Today, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors (the Board) unanimously approved the final reading of the County’s Microenterprise Home Kitchen Operations (MEHKOs) ordinance. This ordinance goes into effect on November 1, 2024. It is the result of Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell’s motion that passed last year calling for a streamlined process for the over 50,000 home cooks and sidewalk vendors throughout the County to become permitted to cook safe and regulated food for the public.

“Sidewalk vendors and home cooks are part of the cultural and culinary fabric of our neighborhoods – many times being a primary source of affordable and quality food for residents while providing an opportunity for families to earn a steady income,” said Supervisor Mitchell. “Our Microenterprise Home Kitchen Operations ordinance allows LA County to align with the state in creating a pathway for unregulated chefs to become permitted and builds on our efforts to provide guardrails that protect residents and brick and mortar businesses, while helping thousands of sidewalk vendors and home cooks benefit from our local economy.” 

In addition to the MEHKOs ordinance passing today, the Board approved Supervisors Mitchell and Hilda L. Solis’s motion to help remove financial barriers to applying for MEHKOs by allocating $600,000 in American Rescue Plan Act recovery funds to cover the $597 initial application fee for 1000 eligible MEHKO permittees. The motion also calls for $600,000 invested into an extensive outreach and education campaign led by the County’s Department of Economic Opportunity.

“MEHKOs represent an important economic vehicle for entrepreneurial County residents – especially women, immigrants, and communities of color – to create new opportunities in the formal economy,” said Supervisor Solis. “MEHKOs will create new financial lifelines for many residents, including undocumented residents, who may otherwise face barriers operating their own businesses.”

Dr. Barbara Ferrer, Ph.D., M.P.H., M.Ed., Director of the Los Angeles County Department of Health, whose department will be administering MEHKOs permits shared; “Microenterprise Home Kitchen Operations will provide new opportunities for food entrepreneurs and aspiring chefs and create significant economic opportunities for Los Angeles County residents, including women and immigrants. I am grateful that Supervisor Mitchell and the Board of Supervisors have created a path that will provide a pathway for small business owners while ensuring public health and safety standards are maintained.”

Los Angeles County becomes the 15th jurisdiction in the state to authorize MEHKOs. According to a statewide survey by COOK Alliance, 84% of sidewalk vendors and home cooks in the informal economy are women, and 48% identify as Black, Latinx, or multi-racial. MEHKOs provide a feasible pathway for diverse populations, including first-generation immigrants, to be part of the formal economy and further legitimize their businesses. 

“This ordinance represents a pivotal moment for culinary entrepreneurs across Los Angeles County,” said Roya Bagheri, Executive Director of COOK Alliance. “MEHKOs break down barriers, allow home chefs and vendors to come out of the shadows, and empower marginalized communities to thrive in LA’s world-renowned food scene.”

To read the entire ordinance, click here.

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Today, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a motion authored by Supervisors Holly J. Mitchell and Hilda L. Solis calling for the County’s Chief Executive Office in collaboration with the Department of Economic Opportunity to conduct an analysis within 150-days of the economic opportunities and potential impact of the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games for Los Angeles County and its unincorporated communities. 

“While the City of Los Angeles is the official host of the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic games, the broader region will share the limelight and responsibility of being on a global stage. In my district alone, several sporting venues and neighboring communities will be impacted. This is about ensuring we are prepared for the additional support our constituents will need and can maximize the economic benefits the Games bring,” said Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell, representing the Second District. “I’m excited for the opportunity to showcase our region’s unique cultural tapestry while also bringing lasting benefits and economic growth for our residents.”

“The 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games is right around the corner, and while I’m excited to welcome the world to Los Angeles, it’s critical that we ensure that our region is ready. That means uniting behind a regional approach that leverages the combined resources of our City, County, State, and Federal partners,” said Supervisor Hilda L. Solis, who represents the First District. “I’ve authored multiple motions at Metro Board and at the Board of Supervisors to that effect. The County, while not the Games host, is a critical player in making sure our residents – from our beaches to our mountains – benefit from the Games.”

The economic and opportunity analysis will also include anticipated costs to unincorporated communities, revenue-generating opportunities, expected jobs created, and proposed metrics that align with the priority outcomes identified by the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic and Paralympic Games. The motion also calls for the County’s Internal Services Department to collaborate with the City of Los Angeles to ensure that all County contracting opportunities for the Olympics are listed on the Regional Alliance Marketplace for Procurement, which will be used for Olympic procurement.

To read the full motion, click here.

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Today, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a motion introduced by Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell, representing the Second District to accelerate $21.5 million in Federal grant funding for the Florence-Firestone for All project to create safer streets, improve infrastructure, and enhance the overall quality of life for the over 64,000 residents of unincorporated Florence-Firestone community.

“With $21.5 million in Federal grant funding allocated to the Florence-Firestone for All project, we’re not just improving infrastructure, we’re saving lives. Florence-Firestone faces alarming rates of fatal and severe injury traffic collisions, disproportionately impacting our pedestrians. By accelerating these vital resources, we’re not just envisioning a safer future – we’re actively building it,” said Supervisor Mitchell.

Florence-Firestone has some of the highest rates of fatal and severe injury traffic collisions throughout Los Angeles County. Pedestrians in the community are involved in nearly 36% of these incidents, compared to 20% in the wider unincorporated County overall. Every major street in Florence-Firestone is identified as a Collision Concentration Corridor, with Firestone Boulevard, Alameda Street, and 92^nd Street ranking in the top 20 within the County’s Vision Zero Action Plan.

The $21.5 million grant funding will support traffic safety improvement projects, including:

• Designing and constructing proven safety countermeasures along the top three Collision Concentration Corridors
•  Launching a Safe Routes for Seniors Program
• Providing teen-focused traffic safety engagement to prevent distracted and impaired driving and discourage street racing
• Implementing demonstration projects to obtain community feedback and buy-in on roadway reconfigurations
• Conducting arts and culture engagement with community members to develop strategies for safer streets through incorporating art into infrastructure

The motion today directs several actions related to the Florence-Firestone for All: Achieving Vision Zero in South Los Angeles project. These actions include finding the project exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), authorizing the Director of the Department of Public Works (DPW) to file a Notice of Exemption for the proposed project, accepting grant funds of up to $21.5 million from the United States Department of Transportation for the project, along with potential future grants of up to $35 million per cycle under the Safe Streets and Roads for All program.

To read the full motion, click here.

LOS ANGELES, Calif. —Today, Los Angeles County Supervisor sent a letter to the Los Angeles County Congressional Delegation seeking their support in urging Congress and the Biden Administration to call for an immediate and lasting bilateral ceasefire in Gaza and the release of all captives, including Israeli hostages held captive by Hamas and Palestinians detained unlawfully by the Israeli government, and the urgent delivery of humanitarian aid.

Read the full letter here.

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Today, the LA County Board of Supervisors voted to submit an amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court in the Johnson v. City of Grants Pass case urging the Supreme Court to rule upholding the prohibitions on both criminal penalties and civil penalties for unhoused individuals considered camping in public spaces while clarifying the application of Martin v. City of Boise. The U.S. Supreme Court is considering the question whether the enforcement of generally applicable laws regulating camping on public property constitutes “cruel and unusual punishment” prohibited by the Eighth Amendment. An amicus brief assists the courts by offering additional, relevant information or arguments the court may want to consider before making their ruling. Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell presented an amendment to narrow the County’s arguments for its amicus brief and provided the following statement:

“It’s important for Los Angeles County, the largest county in the nation, to make clear our support for protecting basic human rights in our fight to end homelessness. This is why I fully supported the motion presented by Supervisors Barger and Hahn for the County to submit an amicus brief in the Johnson vs. City of Grants Pass case before the Supreme Court. The amendment I presented today, that was accepted by the Board of Supervisors, was about continuing to fight for the best outcome for our unhoused residents and communities impacted by the homelessness crisis, until the final decision from the Supreme Court is made. This amicus brief does that without supporting the City of Grants Pass’ position to criminalize the unhoused. My amendment insisted that our position would state to the court that we oppose criminalizing homelessness through criminal or civil penalties. And seeks to get clarity on when we can remove bedding that has been dumped. If we don’t ask for this clarity, our silence would not be a protest but naiveté as the Supreme Court is going to make a ruling. This is the clarity my amendment seeks. I understand that we must be strategic and that it’s not ideal to have to ask this important question to this Supreme Court, but this our current reality.”

“The Supreme Court will make a decision on this case this year. What we can do now is uphold the tenets of the Civil Rights Movement, and not stop fighting. We can continue to advocate to prevent the criminalization of poverty while protecting the safety and health of the public until the final decision is made.”