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Council committee approves WorkSource Center redesign RFP; EWDD proposes fewer, better‑funded centers and higher case manager pay
Summary
The Economic and Workforce Development Department outlined a four‑year redesign of the WorkSource system, proposing to reduce 14 centers to 12, raise per‑center budgets, set a higher minimum for case managers and focus on sector strategies; the committee approved the report and recommendations.
The Economic and Workforce Development Department (EWDD) presented the city’s required quadrennial redesign of the WorkSource Center system and the Economic and Jobs Committee voted to approve the department’s recommendations to reprocure and restructure services.
EWDD said the redesign responds to current labor market conditions and aims to align workforce services with industry clusters, expand employer engagement and remove barriers to employment. Carolyn (EWDD representative) and Gerard Lodovacaba, assistant general manager for workforce development, described a research‑driven process that included a Cal State Northridge evaluation, labor‑market analysis and a people‑industry‑jobs study.
EWDD reported the program now serves roughly 12,000 unduplicated adults per year and that current funding for the WorkSource system is approximately $16 million. The department proposed increasing center funding to about $1.5 million per center, which it said would require consolidating the existing 14 physical centers to approximately 12 to preserve staff and training budgets. EWDD proposed raising case‑manager compensation over two to three years with a target minimum salary of $72,000 to reduce turnover and make the job sustainable in Los Angeles.
The redesign proposal identifies six focus areas, including: individualized customer flows linked to credential attainment and wage outcomes; stronger employer engagement around high‑growth sectors and nontraditional apprenticeships; expanded cross‑sector partnerships with community colleges, libraries and labor; enhanced incumbent‑worker strategies; increased virtual access and co‑location with partner agencies; and continued emphasis on high‑barrier populations (homeless, reentry, older workers and opportunity youth).
EWDD said it has prequalified about 25 organizations during an earlier RFQ phase and plans a two‑phase procurement. The department is contracting with Measure of America for localization indices to place centers in areas of highest need. EWDD also said it will allocate roughly $600,000 in philanthropic foundation funding toward a regional apprenticeship strategy described in the presentation.
Committee members expressed support and asked for assurances that consolidation would not reduce access in high‑need neighborhoods; EWDD said it would prioritize high‑need areas using data and expand access through co‑location with libraries and virtual services. After discussion the committee voted to approve the EWDD and Workforce Development Board report and authorize proceeding with the redesign and reprocurement process. Vote recorded: Councilmember Price, Aye; Councilmember Martinez, Yes; Councilmember Jurado, Yes; Councilmember Nazarian, Aye; Councilmember Park, absent.
