Housing Authority says Jordan Downs redevelopment produced thousands of local hiring hours; city will hold item for follow-up

The Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA) reported to a Los Angeles City Council committee that its Jordan Downs redevelopment in Watts has generated substantial local hiring and met or exceeded several Section 3 and new-hire benchmarks, but the committee voted to receive the status report and hold the item for future follow-up.

HACLA Chief Development Officer Jenny Scanlon told the committee the agency applied HUD Section 3 requirements to both construction and operations at Jordan Downs and layered additional targets into developer agreements — a 30% new-hire requirement plus a 10% “hard-to-hire” carve-out focused on residents of the site and the surrounding Watts neighborhood. Scanlon said the authority is tracking labor hours and new hires across phases and reported that phases of Jordan Downs have produced hundreds of local hires and thousands of work hours on-site.

The report matters because Jordan Downs and the planned Rancho San Pedro redevelopment together represent multi‑phased, long‑term investments intended to create construction and retail jobs for residents of public housing and nearby neighborhoods. Council members said they wanted additional follow-up to ensure contractors, tenants and retail operators comply and to examine possible project labor agreements and other tools to secure career pathways.

HACLA provided a set of project metrics: Jordan Downs covers roughly 70 acres and began as about 700 public‑housing units; HACLA said this year it will call complete 788 newly built units and expects roughly 1,600 total units at final build‑out. The agency said the project includes nine parks (about nine acres) and roughly three miles of new street infrastructure. HACLA reported that large housing phases typically create about 1,100–1,300 construction job opportunities per project phase and that the full Jordan Downs build‑out could generate, HACLA estimates, at least 20,000 employment opportunities across construction and operations over the life of the program.

Scanlon described how HACLA adapted Section 3 over time. HUD’s current labor‑hours benchmarking requires a minimum 25% of total labor hours be performed by Section 3‑eligible workers and a 5% target for specific, locally targeted Section 3 hires; HACLA said it has tracked hours since 2022 and “overachieved” on targeted metrics across job categories. On new hires, HACLA said it routinely exceeded its negotiated new‑hire obligations and in many phases reported 50%–70% of new hires coming from the targeted Section 3 population.

HACLA also described an operations approach: the agency extends Section 3 responsibilities to commercial tenants (for example, large retail operators in the site’s commercial center must report hires) and to property management and maintenance positions. HACLA said tenants such as Ross and Food for Less and other major lessees provide hiring reports, and that HACLA tracks retail turnover and new hires annually.

On enforcement and compliance, HACLA Deputy General Counsel Howard Baum and compliance lead Laquina Lebron told the committee that developer agreements require economic opportunity plans and Section 3 plans for construction and post‑construction phases, monthly reporting from contractors, and individual hire forms for every new employee. Lebron described periodic site interviews and spot checks to confirm worker classifications and hours and said prevailing‑wage and Davis‑Bacon compliance are part of her team’s regular reviews. Baum said HACLA compares contractor reports to third‑party trackers and payroll data and retains contractual remedies for noncompliance.

Scanlon described several pipeline and retention strategies: HACLA partners with local WorkSource centers (including Watts-area centers), training providers, union halls for trade placements, and nonprofits for retention support. Retention efforts include a community ambassador program (described in testimony as a “White Hat” model) that helps residents get to job sites, troubleshoot issues and mediate workplace conflicts so new hires remain on the payroll. HACLA also said it offers “promises” such as scholarships, tuition assistance, tools and financial‑literacy workshops to support career continuity.

Public speakers at the meeting urged stronger community workforce agreements. Ray Lawson, introduced as a member of the Western States Carpenters Union, urged the committee to require project labor agreements (PLAs) for Jordan Downs and other major housing revitalizations so local residents receive stable opportunities and career advancement. Kyle Patterson, who identified himself as raised in South Los Angeles, also supported local hiring and said he observed residents being left out of on‑site employment. Earlier public comment included a speaker who said a local nonprofit — identified in the record as the Pennyship Bridal Fund — had placed thousands of people into the trades over four years; that speaker said 90% of their trainees are Black and Latino, 34% formerly incarcerated and 20% women.

Councilmembers thanked HACLA for its work but said they wanted continued negotiations with labor partners, consideration of PLAs or community workforce agreements where appropriate, and further data on hyper‑local hires for retail tenants and construction firms. Councilmember comments noted a plan to hold the item for a future committee agenda so the council can revisit the metrics, labor‑partner agreements and potential contract vehicles.

No formal action was taken on the item at this meeting; the committee received and filed the report and the item was held for follow‑up.