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Council approves new human‑services funding package after appeals of RFP scores; members promise follow‑up to close gaps
Summary
After dozens of appellants urged restoration of funding slices lost under a new competitive RFP, the council approved the committee's recommended allocations while committing to pursue stopgap and follow‑up solutions for agencies that missed the cutoff. Councilmembers emphasized fairness and the need to modernize the appeal process.
Los Angeles — The City Council on Dec. 8 approved a community and economic development committee recommendation to allocate human‑services funds under a new competitive RFP system but heard repeated appeals from longtime neighborhood agencies that fell below the funding cutoff.
Speakers included representatives of family‑development networks, food‑security programs, legal aid and independent living centers that said the RFP scoring and deadline rules left proven community providers short of funds. Several speakers urged the council not to allow service interruptions for vulnerable clients and requested interim city support while the city refines procurement and appeals procedures.
Councilmember Mike Hernandez, who chaired the committee, described the lengthy appeal process that reviewed scores and said staff and committee tried to balance objectivity and community needs. “We know that in the appeal process the department heard 92 appeals… there’s a real effort to make the process as objective as possible,” he told colleagues.
Councilmembers approved the committee’s funding recommendation. Members and staff agreed to pursue additional steps to close gaps: possible short‑term stopgap funding, exploring tobacco‑settlement monies, UDAG or county human‑services coordination, and revising future RFP and appeal procedures to better protect small, community‑based providers and city‑run facilities that missed technical deadlines.
What it means: The city moves from the old delivery system to the new collaborative/NAP (neighborhood action plan) structure. Agencies that lost funding will look to the city for bridging funds and staff for revisions to the RFP and appeal rules.
Next steps: Staff to return with concrete recommendations for backfill and procedural improvements; the council directed follow‑up and asked departments to examine immediate options to prevent service disruptions.
