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Council approves welfare‑to‑work oversight, narrows staffing firm rules to favor training leading to living‑wage jobs
Summary
The council approved amendments directing the Community Development Department (CDD) to convene a working group and to use staffing firms only if they provide skill‑based training and guaranteed permanent placements that pay a living wage; it also established an oversight structure with community and labor participation.
The Los Angeles City Council on May 7 approved amendments to the city's welfare‑to‑work implementation plan aimed at creating permanent, living‑wage jobs for recipients of public assistance. Council Member Jackie Goldberg explained amendments to items 9 and 11 that instruct the City Administrative Officer (CLA) to convene a working group (including CDD, personnel, CAO, labor representatives and other departments) and to authorize the Community Development Department to issue an RFP for staffing firms that guarantee permanent single full‑time placements paying at least a living wage and provide skill‑based training.
Speakers from labor and community groups urged adoption and described the vocational worker program as a model partnership. Teresa Sanchez of Local 347 thanked the council and personnel and economic development committees for their work and said the city’s public‑sector job creation program is “an essential part” of creating living‑wage jobs for people on public assistance. Vivian Chang of the Metropolitan Alliance described the program’s oversight structure as a chance for recipients and community organizations to participate in implementation. A program participant, Jennifer Rhodess, described completion of a training program and urged passage, saying the oversight committee would let participants have direct input into decisions that affect them.
The council approved the amendments and adopted the welfare‑to‑work oversight measures (roll call: unanimous as recorded in the minutes). The amendments also require CDD to work with community partners (Metropolitan Alliance and the National Employment Law Project) to prepare the RFP and report back to the relevant committee prior to releasing it. The RFP will be subject to review by the private industry council and the city attorney.
Next steps: CDD will collaborate with named partners to prepare an RFP reflecting the new criteria; the CLA will convene the working group to coordinate program expansion. The council recorded the vote and instructed regular reporting back on program progress.
Vote: Items (as amended) passed by recorded vote (12 yes).
