Supervisor Mitchell Announces Partner Organizations to Implement Winning Ideas from Landmark $1.7 Million Community Participatory Budget Pilot

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.