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County outlines plan to absorb hundreds of LASA workers into county jobs; timing, fit remain challenges
Summary
Chief Executive Office and DHR officials told the Board the county is working to place county‑funded Los Angeles Service Authority (LASA) workers into county positions, with 65 outreach workers offered county roles and dozens more recruitments opening. Officials cautioned that job‑spec misalignments, LASA layoff notices and city funding uncertainty pose timing risks.
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors heard an extensive briefing on April 7 about the plan to transition county‑funded workers at the Los Angeles Service Authority (LASA) into county positions.
Chief executive office staff and Department of Human Resources officials said the transition effort has two parts: outreach workers (community health/outreach roles) and the remaining represented administrative, clerical and program posts. "We are dedicated to prioritizing pathways into the county for LASA workers," Lisa Garrett, the county director of personnel, told the board, describing job fairs, targeted recruitments and hiring fairs already underway.
DHR reported 65 offers have been made to outreach workers, 64 accepted and 29 were expected to start immediately to preserve benefits continuity. For the remaining roughly 159 county‑funded represented staff, DHR said it has secured 171 department commitments to interview and potentially hire LASA employees and will open some recruitments centrally and coordinate many more with departments.
Officials warned of significant challenges. Job specifications at LASA do not always match county vacancies and some LASA employees may need to accept different duties or classifications; background checks have already removed some candidates who had been slated for probation department positions; and LASA plans to issue 60‑day layoff notices at the end of April while some city funding decisions remain unresolved. Johan Yulene of DHR said departments had identified vacancies across 13 departments and that the county was using temporary emergency hire authorities to accelerate placements.
The board pressed for clearer timelines and safeguards for employees receiving layoff notices. County staff said they would do direct outreach, provide concierge application assistance, prioritize salary protections and aim to have as many hires made and onboarded before July 1 as possible, but cautioned that some placements depend on department vacancies and city funding choices.
The board did not vote on the report; staff will return with updates and continue to coordinate with SEIU 721 and LASA leadership.
Ending note: officials said the county plans additional in‑person and virtual meet‑and‑greet sessions to help LASA employees apply for openings and to post updated job bulletins online.
