The Office of Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell is launching its first participatory budget pilot program in the 2nd District, allocating a total of $1 million dollars to the Florence-Firestone and Ladera Heights communities.
What is a Participatory Budget?
Participatory budgeting or PB is a democratic and inclusive process that invites community members to directly influence and decide how a public budget will be allocated. PB is an approach to public engagement that puts real decision-making power over real money directly into the hands of residents. With community leadership and engaging outreach events, PB offers community members the opportunity to determine how to spend County budget dollars to create changes that they want to see in their neighborhood.
Participatory Budget Steps
Designing Process
An advisory committee will be formed, which will include representatives from the community and relevant stakeholders to develop the plan for implementation.
Idea Collection
Residents and relevant stakeholders will be invited to submit ideas for how to use the funds in their community.
Voting and Selection
Residents will vote on which projects they believe should receive funding.
Implementation
The projects that receive the highest number of votes will be funded and carried out by the Office of Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell.
Monitoring and Reporting
Progress and outcomes of the selected projects will be monitored and reported to the community, ensuring transparency and accountability.
VIRTUAL INFO SESSION
The Office of Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell, in partnership with Participatory Budgeting Project and Re-Imagine LA, hosted an informative session on our first participatory budget pilot for the Ladera Heights and Florence-Firestone community!
Apply to Become a Community Engagement Partner
The 2nd District Community Budget project is excited to give community-based organizations the opportunity to lead outreach and engagement efforts across two unincorporated neighborhoods, Ladera Heights and Florence-Firestone. Selected organizations will receive funds to provide outlets for community members to participate in this process by brainstorming and proposing project ideas and voting on the ballot to determine which projects will be funded and implemented in their community.
Activities funded through this program may include but are not limited to educational events, canvassing or phone banking campaigns, informational tabling, digital outreach campaigns, or other outreach initiatives that will enable community members to decide how to spend a total of $1 million between Florence-Firestone and Ladera Heights -- $500,000 per community.
Community Engagement Partner Info Session
Monday, January 29 | 12:30pm via Zoom
There is a total of $50,000 available for partner organizations (up to roughly $10,000 per organization) that are selected to lead outreach and engagement efforts through the Community Engagement Partnership Program.
Community Engagement Partner Tentative Timeline
Community Engagement Partner Information Session
Community Engagement Partner Application Closes
Community Engagement Partner Selection
Community Engagement Partner Onboarding & Orientation
*Tentative timeline, please check back for updates
The Office of Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell invites everyone who lives or works in the Florence-Firestone or Ladera Heights communities, regardless of immigration status, to share their ideas on how to allocate $1 million to improve their communities.
Submit your ideas by June 15th!
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PARTNER APPLICATION
If your organization is interested in serving as a Community Engagement Partner please complete the application form linked below by 5:00 pm on February 9.
FAQ's
Yes, this amount is meant to go towards issue areas aren’t currently supported by County funds. Residents can get creative by voting on a package off small projects, or one large project. This is a pilot program and we are hoping that it will be successful so that it can be expanded.
$1,000,000 of Supervisor Mitchell’s discretionary funding has been allocated for the Ladera Heights and Florence-Firestone communities – $500,000 for each community. This is the largest amount of discretionary funding that the Supervisor has ever allocated.
Advisory Committee Related Questions
Advisory Committee meetings will occur weekly on Thursdays from 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm via Zoom starting January 11 except January 18.
There will be one Saturday meeting on January 20, from 10:00 am – 1:00 pm. Regular meetings will be held in the evening on Thursdays from 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm via Zoom starting January 11th .
Yes, the total stipend for each member will range from $1,000 – $3,000 depending on their meeting attendance. Payouts will occur on a monthly basis.
Alternates were assigned during the Advisory Committee finalization process.
The Advisory Committee will lead meetings with the community with assistance from Reimagine LA and the Office of Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell.
THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS
