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.”

LOS ANGELES, Calif. —This week the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a motion authored by Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell that invests a total of $20 million dollars of Los Angeles County’s unallocated Measure B funding over the next four years to help support the operational needs of Martin Luther King Jr. Community Hospital (MLKCH). The motion authorizes the County’s Department of Health Services to allocate $8 million in one-time Measure B funding to be released to MLKCH and an additional $4 million up until the fiscal year 2026-2027.

“We have a responsibility to help ensure Martin Luther King Jr. Community Hospital has the funding it needs to continue to provide excellent healthcare services to our communities. It is a vital County institution providing lifesaving care to thousands of residents from communities that have historically faced limited access to quality health services,” said Supervisor Mitchell. “This investment builds on the County’s commitment to prioritize the health and well-being of our residents.”

MLKCH serves a patient population that faces disproportionately high chronic illness and unmet needs. Before it was built, the County projected that the MLKCH emergency room would receive roughly 25,000 to 30,000 visits a year. Last year alone, the hospital had 100,000 emergency room visits. MLKCH reported that nearly all the patients visiting the emergency room are covered by Medi-Cal, but current Medi-Cal rates do not compensate the hospital for the actual cost of care. The hospital estimates that it will run out of funding in December 2024 and is seeking other state and federal funding options.

In November of 2023, the Board passed Supervisor Mitchell’s motion directing the County’s Chief Executive Office (CEO) and the Department of Health Services to identify options to help financially stabilize MLKCH’s operations. The CEO identified various relief options that would have no net County cost, including using unallocated Measure B funding.

“I’m tremendously gratified for the leadership of Supervisor Mitchell and the support from the County Board of Supervisors to provide the funding MLK Community Hospital needs to continue to deliver on our mission in South L.A. said Dr. Elaine Batchlor, CEO of MLK Community Healthcare. “The Board’s unanimous vote unequivocally affirms the public-private partnership that makes us so unique—and so powerful a model for health equity throughout the state and the nation.”

The hospital continues to meet the high demand with excellence in service. MLKCH has earned a rare 5-star rating from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, for two years in a row and recently earned an “A’ from Leapfrog – an independent national non-profit that measures quality and patient safety.

To read the full motion, click here.

LOS ANGELES, Calif. —Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell provided the following statement on the death of civil rights activist, Dexter Scott King:

“I am deeply saddened to hear about the passing of Dexter Scott King, activist and youngest son of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Dexter King continued the legacy of his father, working tirelessly to promote the advancement of civil rights and non-violence. His contributions have left an indelible mark on the ongoing struggle for justice and equality.

In honor of the King legacy, we must continue our collective efforts to advocate for equity, justice, and inclusivity. Supporting institutions like the Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Hospital becomes not just a tribute to the past but a commitment to creating a better future for all. My condolences and thoughts are with the King family during this challenging time.”

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Today, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a motion authored by Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell and Board Chair Lindsey P. Horvath to further the County’s progress in making its contracting and procurement process more equitable by leveraging the $6 to $9 billion the County spends on goods and services annually to create pipelines into quality jobs on County contracts. The motion directs the Departments of Internal Services and Economic Opportunity, along with other key departments, to report back with recommendations for using the County’s market power to compel county contractors to hire residents who have completed either a County sponsored High Road Training Program, pre-apprenticeship, or apprenticeship program.

“Part of an equitable procurement process is not just diversifying who we, as a County, do business with, but also considering who benefits from our multi-billion-dollar spending,” said Supervisor Mitchell. “This motion increases the County’s ability to expand access to opportunity by ensuring residents in need of family-sustaining jobs in high-growth industries are reaping the community benefits from our largest contracts outside of construction.”

“Los Angeles County receives $6 billion worth of goods and services annually, providing significant opportunity to bridge our diverse local workforce with employment at these invaluable local businesses,” said Chair Lindsey P. Horvath. “Our workforce should benefit as the County meets our needs. This motion is a win for the County, our local economy, our businesses, and our workers.”

Over the last few years, the Board has passed motions to make the County’s contracting more accessible to small businesses. This motion will allow the County to expand on its efforts to connect large contracts to community benefits by asking for a process to include hiring goals from the community for contracts outside of construction in sectors like information technology, cybersecurity, social services, behavioral health, and more.

The motion directs the Internal Services Department (ISD), in collaboration with the Director of the Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO), to analyze the County’s top 10% largest contracts and report back in 90 days. Additionally, this motion directs the Director of the Department of Economic Opportunity and the Chief Executive Officer to provide data on individuals who have been trained and placed in high-road jobs over the last year and anticipated numbers of individuals who will be trained in 2024. The data from the report back will be used to create a centralized list of trained individuals for companies to source and hire qualified candidates.

To read the full motion, click here.

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Today, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a motion authored by Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell, representing the Second District, and co-authored by Supervisor Hilda Solis, representing the First District, to draft an ordinance granting the Probation Oversight Commission (POC), a civilian oversight body, authority to receive and refer complaints related to school law enforcement services provided by School Resource Deputies (SRDs). The proposed ordinance would establish an independent process for receiving and referring complaints, ensuring transparency, accountability, and protection of students and families. 

“Disturbing reports of racial bias in school policing make painfully clear the need for stronger protections for students and families who are often afraid to file a complaint about their experiences with school law enforcement,” said Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell. “Creating a process that is safe, responsive, and independent of the department that complaints are made against is an important step towards stronger accountability.”

“Creating a system for students to complain to an independent entity, like the Probation Oversight Commission, creates trust and transparency,” said Supervisor Hilda Solis, who co-authored the motion. “I believe having this accountability tool will help with underreporting of misconduct and will offer protections for all parties.”

A recent analysis of Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department (LASD) data highlights troubling evidence of bias and disproportionate criminalization of Black students who have come into contact with LASD’s SRDs in certain schools, with similar biases being found Countywide, disproportionately impacting Black and Hispanic students including through arrest and citation. Suspension rates for Black students in SRD contract schools exceed statewide averages and there are alarming instances of SRDs having contact with children as young as 5 and 7.

Students also recently shared concerning feedback with the Human Relations Commission’s (HRC) Transformative Justice team about their experiences with SRDs. A report by the Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission (COC) highlighted that most interviewed students expressed a negative view of SRDs, feeling intimidated, targeted, and experiencing aggressive interactions. A student lawsuit alleging excessive force and harassment by an SRD further illustrates why students feel unsafe making a complaint.

Today’s motion instructs County Counsel to draft an amending ordinance that creates a process, independent of the Sheriff’s Department, for referring complaints related to school law enforcement services, to be implemented by the POC. While the POC will be able to refer complaints, it would not be authorized to conduct investigations or discipline Sheriff’s Department personnel.

The motion also instructs the Executive Director of the POC to organize a public meeting for presenting and receiving public comments on the draft ordinance. This motion also requires a biannual regular report on complaints, especially as it pertains to any data that may indicate racial, disability, and other types of bias.

To read the full motion, click here.

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Today, Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell, representing the Second District, joined her colleagues on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors in unanimously supporting Supervisor Lindsey Horvath’s motion, Support for the State of Israel. Supervisor Mitchell also read-in a new motion “Calling for Protection of Human Rights in Gaza and Israel,” that received unanimous support from the Board. The motion calls for the urgent need to prevent the deaths of more innocent Palestinian and Israeli civilians. Supervisor Mitchell, provided the following statement on this:

“All human life is sacred. I am grieving the loss of Israeli and Palestinian civilians in Israel and Gaza. My read-in motion today calls on the Biden administration to provide humanitarian assistance in Gaza and calls for Israel and Hamas to follow international humanitarian law and protect human rights. Israel has the right to defend itself, but it must take caution to protect Palestinian civilian life. I grieve for my Jewish and Israeli residents who are mourning unimaginable loss – the worst massacre of the Jewish people since the Holocaust. I also grieve for my Palestinian residents and mourn for the innocent Palestinian civilians who have been and continue to be killed and displaced this week by Israel’s government. I am very concerned about the rise in antisemitism and Islamophobia that has surfaced across the country this week in response to the war. 

We must continue to partner and address the hate right here in LA County that our Palestinian, Arab, and Jewish community is experiencing every day.” 

To read the full motion, click here. 

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Today, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a motion authored by Supervisors Holly J. Mitchell and Kathryn Barger, to prevent vanlords – people who rent recreational vehicles to people experiencing homelessness – from continuing to profit off the homelessness crisis and to hold them accountable in fostering unsafe living conditions. The motion calls for a report back in 90 days on potential County ordinances that will help significantly lessen the sale, lease, or rental of recreational vehicles (RVs) that are in the public right-of-way to help reduce the number of RV encampments Countywide.  

“Everyone deserves safe housing free from exploitation and fear,” said Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell. “RVs rented by vanlords, often lack proper registration and insurance and aren’t subject to housing regulations, creating unsafe and hazardous living conditions for those living in RVs and the surrounding communities. I’m proud that this motion will create the legal tools to prevent the rental of RVs and continue the County’s priority to provide stable permanent housing for our unhoused residents. “

 “I appreciate the opportunity to co-author this motion that tackles vanlords preying on our homeless,” said Supervisor Kathryn Barger. “My district is home to several very large RV encampments, including up to 90 RVs that line Forest Lawn Drive. Although I’ve been working with our City of L.A. partners to explore solutions, it has been challenging because city and county ordinances haven’t been updated so our hands are tied. I’m very hopeful that this motion will both bring justice to the predatory networks of vanlords that are taking advantage of people in need and help those housed in RVs know what their rights are.” 

Over the past three years, LA County has seen a significant increase in RV encampments in our unincorporated communities. To address this issue, in 2022, the Board of Supervisors approved a motion authored by Supervisors Mitchell and Barger to establish a Countywide RV pilot program that is now a key component of the County’s Pathway Home initiative.  

Since the roll-out of the RV encampment resolution pilot, the County has learned of the critical role vanlords play in perpetuating the RV encampment crisis and the underground economy that is associated with it. Vanlords target unhoused residents to rent to and often neglect the health, safety, and community concerns associated with RV encampments that they are helping to develop through their rentals. The result is serious public safety issues like improper waste disposal, unsanitary conditions, illegal parking, and more. There have also been reports of vanlords setting RVs on fire to evict occupants, highlighting the need for stricter regulations. 

The motion requires the report back to also include a comprehensive review of existing federal, state, and County laws, codes and fine structures for violations, current restrictions on the sale or auctioning of RVs and recommendations for holding vanlords accountable for relocation expenses for unhoused individuals they are leasing RVs or oversized vessels to.  

To read the full motion, click here.  

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — To help provide a pathway for unregulated home cooks and sidewalk vendors to become permitted, this week, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a motion authored by Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell that directs the Department of Public Health to report back in 120 days with an ordinance to implement Microenterprise Home Kitchen Operations.   

Microenterprise Home Kitchen Operations allow sidewalk vendors and home cooks to prepare, cook, and serve up to 30 meals daily and no more than 90 meals a week from their homes. The California Retail Food Code allows home cooks to apply for a public health permit for their home kitchen to be a Microenterprise Home Kitchen Operation (MEHKOs). So far, 11 counties within the state have already authorized MEHKOs in their jurisdictions.  

“We are taking a major step towards getting the over 50,000 unpermitted sidewalk vendors in Los Angeles County on a path to being permitted and operating safely in our local economy. Microenterprise Home Kitchen Operations help ensure food safety and address the costly barriers many underinvested communities, women of color, and immigrants face when trying to access approved kitchens to do business. I look forward to the Board receiving a comprehensive ordinance to vote on to make this proven model accessible across the County,” said Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell.   

Over the next 120 days, the County’s Department of Public Health, Economic Opportunity, Chief Executive Office, and other relevant departments will engage in extensive outreach for feedback from microentrepreneurs, sidewalk vendors, brick-and-mortar businesses, and residents across the County to inform the MEHKO ordinance and development of the permitting program.   

If the Board approves the ordinance, the County will manage and regulate the MEHKOs program, and cities within LA County will maintain local authority to address any potential challenges unique to their communities, such as nuisance and noise regulations, through their own municipal ordinances.  

In addition to calling for a draft ordinance to present to the Board for a vote, the motion also establishes an education and awareness program to help inform sidewalk vendors and home cooks on the requirements for MEHKOs and how to avoid being disruptive within the neighborhoods they operate in once the ordinance passes.  

To read the entire motion, click here. Subscribe to the email distribution list here to sign up for updates and more information on the MEHKOs program.  

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell provided the following statement on the Marina Central Park idea that has been proposed by the non-profit Streets for All.

“The potential implications of the Marina Central Park require a comprehensive feasibility study that takes into account the feedback of residents who live near the Marina Freeway and those that use the freeway. I do not support blindly agreeing to a disruptive change such as closing the freeway without a detailed assessment with full community input including those Angelenos that regularly use the freeway. I want to be clear that there are currently no immediate plans to alter the Marina Freeway and a feasibility study as of yet has not been funded.”

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Known as one of the pioneering architects of the civil rights movement, Rev. James Lawson Jr., for more than half a century, has been a force for justice and an influential teacher of non-violence. In honor of Rev. Lawson’s leadership in advancing worker and human rights, today, the Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a motion authored by Supervisors Holly J. Mitchell and Hilda L. Solis proclaiming Rev. James Lawson Jr. Day on his 95th birthday, September 22, 2023.

The motion also directs the County’s Department of Consumer and Business Affairs and Anti-Racism Diversity and Inclusion Initiative to create an awareness campaign that will launch this October to help educate residents throughout unincorporated communities on their rights and protections in the workforce.

“Rev. Lawson is a titan among us who has helped write the blueprint for standing up to racism and winning hard fought battles for our shared humanity with non-violence at the core. It is an absolute honor to join my colleagues in celebrating Rev. Lawson, I cannot think of a better way to say thank you for the impact he continues to have on countless lives.” said Supervisor Mitchell. “I look forward to September 22 being recognized across LA County and more residents being equipped with the resources and support to protect their rights.”

“Reverend James Lawson Jr. is a giant. He has devoted his entire life to racial, civil, and economic justice – creating a more just and equitable society along the way. I am proud to lead this effort with Supervisor Mitchell and hope that Angelenos throughout Los Angeles County take September 22nd to remember and commend the contributions Reverend Lawson Jr. has made to working-class communities, immigrants, and communities of color in Los Angeles County and beyond,” said Supervisor Solis.

At Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting, Rev. Lawson shared what this acknowledgment means to him and the importance of government being in service to the people it represents: “…the dignity of every human being must be reflected in our own personal behavior, so I thank you very much for this resolution and wish you Godspeed. You represent all of us [here in] Los Angeles County and you must know that there are many of us like myself, who keep an eye on you from a distance and who want to see your continued good work. Government must be for the people, for all the people…” 

In 1974, Rev. Lawson moved to Los Angeles, since then, he has served as a lecturer for the UCLA Institute for Research on Labor and Employment and was the pastor of Holman United Methodist Church for twenty-five years in South Los Angeles. Rev. Lawson continues to share the teachings of non-violence and be a global voice in the ongoing fight for freedom and justice.