Board Approves LA County’s Spending Plan for Phase One of American Rescue Plan Act Funding
An Update on our Journey Towards an Equitable Recovery & Thriving 2nd District
The American Rescue Plan Act (ARP) is a $1.9 trillion economic stimulus bill that was signed into law by President Joe Biden in March of this year. It provides local governments across the nation with significant funding to address the devastating impacts of COVID-19. Los Angeles County will receive a total of $1.9 billion in ARP Funding.
I recently joined my colleagues on the Board of Supervisors in unanimously approving the Chief Executive Office’s proposed spending plan for the County’s first allocation of $975 million in American Rescue Plan Act Funding (the second allocation of $975 million will be received in May 2022).
This is an important step on our path to recovery and an opportunity to invest in addressing long standing inequities tied to housing, healthcare, public safety, education, and economic mobility that have only worsened due to COVID-19.
Hearing directly from the Second District residents on how this funding should be used was valuable in establishing the priorities I advocated for.. My office hosted public virtual discussions with residents, small businesses, and community based organizations throughout the district to help us answer the question: how can this funding truly meet your needs and better sustain our communities?
I am proud to say that the responses we received created the recommended Second District Funding Priorities provided to the Chief Executive Office and are reflected across multiple initiatives throughout the approved ARP Spending Plan.
If you participated in our community discussion or survey, thank you for taking the time to share your insight. The responses provided by hundreds of constituents reinforced the fact that we do not live in silos and must ensure this unprecedented investment is used with the goal of making a generational impact.
Below are a few components of the County’s ARP Spending Plan that are aligned with the recovery and poverty alleviating recommendations provided by Second District residents:
Ending Homelessness and Expanding Affordable Housing
$468 million for services to meet the wide-ranging needs of our unhoused residents and for the development of affordable options for interim & permanent housing and homeownership.
Economic Mobility
$15 million for the launch of an Economic Mobility Initiative to spur wealth building and business expansion opportunities for women and entrepreneurs of color. This program will include a Entrepreneurship Academy.
$37 million to help get residents connected to family sustaining jobs and career pathways into thriving industries like life sciences, technology, and advanced manufacturing.
Supporting Small Businesses, Entrepreneurs and Nonprofits
$70.5 million in financial grants and support to small businesses, entrepreneurs and nonprofits that have historically been denied access to opportunities due to institutional racism and support for nonprofits that are an extension of the County’s safety net services and are essential service providers for our communities in this pandemic.
Guaranteed Basic Income
$16.3 million to launch a Guaranteed Basic Income Program to help disrupt the cycle of poverty and lessen the cost and reliance on public services. This will include the GBI pilot my office is working on to serve up to 1,000 residents over three years.
Support for Children & Families
$20 million to strengthen the childcare infrastructure to increase the capacity and wages of providers and access to quality care for families.
$32.6 million to address food insecurity among our most vulnerable populations by providing stipends and support with accessing nutritional food programs and meals.
Enhancing Public Safety & Reducing Trauma
$47.1 million to the County’s Care First Jails Last model that supports community-based diversion, healing and restorative alternatives to jails.
$21 million for community based responses to trauma, violence prevention and increased capacity to address the rise in hate crimes related to the pandemic.
Bridging the Digital Divide
$12 million to install and expand public WiFi and partner with organizations to provide the technological tool and skill building to communities most impacted by the divide.
$2 million to support Teen Tech Centers as safe after-school spaces staffed by youth development professionals and equipped with the latest technology.
Transparency in the Distribution of ARP Funding
$4 million to create the necessary auditing and reporting tools that will allow the County to publicly track and share ARP allocations.
The above allocations do not represent the entire ARP Spending Plan. To view the full County ARP Spending Plan, click here.
Next Steps - Equitable Implementation of the ARP Spending Plan
As we move into the implementation stage for ARP funding, our success is tied to ensuring our community based organizations, residents and small businesses are informed of the ARP funding process and know how to tap into this resource.
In the upcoming weeks the CEO’s team and County departments will share updates on how to apply for and access programs funded by the ARP spending plan. My office will continue to track and share this information with constituents.
Our road to recovery is just getting started. I hope you will join us in ensuring this funding reaches the communities hit hardest by the pandemic.
Thank you,
Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell