About Communities

Committee for Greater L.A.’s No Going Back Report Calls for Sweeping Systemic Change (2020)

In a groundbreaking report, No Going Back: Together for an Equitable and Inclusive Los Angeles, the Committee for Greater L.A. is proposing a sweeping regional agenda for systems change. Rooted in new data and analysis, the report attacks systemic racism at the root—identifying the policies and institutions that were designed to oppress, exclude and marginalize people of color for centuries—and lays out a roadmap for transformation centered in racial equity. Funded by philanthropy, the independent No Going Back report contains critically important data and context about how COVID lifted the veil of structural racism in Los Angeles; guiding principles to reinvent and reimagine a more equitable L.A.; and a policy blueprint for system change. To read the report click here.

How Race, Class, and Race Fuel a Pandemic (2020)

No matter where we live, the color of our skin or where we come from, we all want to be safe and protect our loved ones from COVID-19. But race counts—even during an all-encompassing global pandemic. Even when the crisis has impacted every community and every walk of life. Research from the Advancement Project shows that race matters in a particularly sharp and uncompromising way in this crisis—and unless our collective response starts with addressing our unequal conditions, none of us will be safe. To read the report click here.

Targeted Universalism: Policy & Practice (2019)

The Haas Institute for a Fair and Inclusive Society at UC Berkeley released its first primer on the “targeted universalism” framework, which allows for creative, new policy remedies to pressing social problems as an alternative to traditional approaches inadequate for achieving goals of universal access and inclusion. Targeted Universalism: Policy & Practice provides a roadmap to design policy that can serve groups otherwise excluded, while also promising to improve outcomes for people situated in relatively privileged positions. To read the primer, click here.

An Equity Profile for Orange County (2019)

Orange County is often seen as the sleepy suburb of Los Angeles where residents enjoy beautiful weather, beautiful beaches, and a strong economy with a wealth of community assets. But not all residents have been equal beneficiaries of the county’s economic growth. In fact, over the next couple of years Orange County will face social and physical challenges that leaders must be aware of and ready to address. The 2019 Equity Profile of Orange County highlights what Orange County must do to lead the way on racial and economic equity, strategies to ensure accountability, and ways the community as a whole can prepare for any challenges along the way. To read the report, click here.

Report and Recommendations of the Ad Hoc Committee on Black People Experiencing Homelessness (2018)

The persistent overrepresentation of Black people among the population experiencing homelessness is a troubling reality across the United States, and Los Angeles is no exception. In recognition of the urgent need to dedicate focused attention to better understand and address this critical issue, the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) Commission called for the creation of an Ad Hoc Committee on Black People Experiencing Homelessness to lead this effort. This report summarizes the key insights illuminated by this Committee’s work as well as the Committee’s recommendations for necessary actions to advance equity and eliminate racial disparities impacting Black people experiencing homelessness across Los Angeles County. To read the report, click here.

State of Immigrants in the Inland Empire (2018)

One in five residents in the Inland Empire is an immigrant. As in decades past, the region’s economic strength and cultural vitality depends on the contributions of immigrants and native born alike. State of Immigrants in the Inland Empire, a report from the Center for Social Innovation at UC Riverside, the California Immigrant Policy Center, and the Inland Coalition for Immigrant Justice, sets forth the history, resources, and partnerships that support the pressing issues and needs of immigrants in the region. As the region continues to grow, it is important to examine key issues pertaining to its immigrant communities, including poverty, education, employment, and social service needs. To read the report, click here.

More Than a Million Reasons for Hope: Youth Disconnection in America Today (2018)

In 2016, the number of young people disconnected from both work and school declined for the sixth year in a row. The 2016 disconnected youth rate of 11.7 percent represents a 20 percent decrease since 2010, when disconnection peaked in the aftermath of the Great Recession—about 1.2 million fewer young people. More than a Million Reasons for Hope: Youth Disconnection in America Today analyzes youth disconnection in the United States by state, metro area, county, and community type, and by gender, race, and ethnicity. To read the report, To read the report, click here.

Measures Matter: Ensuring Equitable Implementation of LA County Measures M & A (2018)

In November of 2016, Los Angeles County voters decided to invest in infrastructure in order to improve the sustainability, connectivity, and livability of our region. Measure M is estimated to raise $860 million annually in perpetuity for transportation improvements. Measure A is estimated to raise $94.5 million annually for parks, beaches, and open space. These major investments in Los Angeles County can be the foundation for building a more sustainable, equitable region for decades to come. Measures Matter contends that the County through its related agencies has the opportunity to use public policy to help close equity gaps instead of widening them. To read the full report, click here.

An Equity Profile of the Los Angeles Region (2017)

An Equity Profile of the Los Angeles Region highlights the widening inequities in income, wealth, health, and opportunity in Los Angeles County. The report was developed by PolicyLink and the Program for Environmental and Regional Equity (PERE) at USC, and is supported by the Weingart Foundation. While the nation is projected to become a people-of-color majority by the year 2044, Los Angeles reached that milestone in the 1980s. Los Angeles’ diversity is a major asset in the global economy, but inequities and disparities are holding the region back. The report underscores how closing racial gaps in economic opportunity and outcomes will be key to the region’s future. To read the full report, click here.

KCET Town Hall LA Interview with Councilmember Marqueece Harris-Dawson and Jennifer Ito (2017)

Rising rents. Stagnant wages. Homelessness. Gentrification. Today’s big stories in Los Angeles have a common thread: a gap in social and economic equity. How we solve these problems is a big question and one that can’t be answered unless we understand how inequity has divided Los Angeles. In this episode of Town Hall LA, which aired on KCET, Val Zavala addresses these issues in an in-depth interview with Councilmember to LA 8th District, Marqueece Harris-Dawson, and Jennifer Ito, research director for the USC Program of Environmental and Regional Equity. To see the episode, as well as related articles about equity and the South LA Transit Empowerment Zone (SLATE Z), click here.

Race Counts: Advancing Opportunities For All Californians (2017)

California has long been known as a beacon for progressive politics, but for many communities of color and Indigenous people, this idealistic vision of California has never been the reality. The Advancement Project’s report launching RACE COUNTS makes the case for racial equity and lays out a path to achieve that vision for all Californians. Through a three-dimensional analysis of racial equity — looking at performance, disparity, and impact across 44 indicators in seven issue areas — the authors find that though racial disparities are present everywhere in California, each region has its own unique landscape of key issues and needs. To read the full report, click here.

A Portrait of Los Angeles County (2017)

A Portrait of Los Angeles County is an exploration of how LA County residents are faring in terms of well-being and equity. It examines well-being and access to opportunity using the human development framework and index, presenting American Human Development Index scores for LA County places and demographic groups and exploring a range of critical issues, including health, education, living standards, environmental justice, housing, homelessness, violence, and inequality. The report concludes with an ambitious goal: to increase well-being for all county residents and narrow the gaps between groups by 2025. To read the report, click here.

Highway to Health: Life Expectancy in Los Angeles County (2017)

A new brief published by Measure of America in collaboration with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Highway to Health: Life Expectancy in Los Angeles County reveals up-to-date life expectancy calculations for cities and unincorporated areas within Los Angeles County, the first release of such data in more than a decade. The report examines 106 cities and unincorporated neighborhoods and includes recommendations for increasing life expectancy and reducing disparities. To explore the data, click here.

The Curb-Cut Effect by Angela Glover Blackwell (Stanford Social Innovation Review, January 2017)

There’s an ingrained societal suspicion that intentionally supporting one group hurts another. That equity is a zero sum game. In fact, when the nation targets support where it is needed most—when we create the circumstances that allow those who have been left behind to participate and contribute fully—everyone wins. The corollary is also true: When we ignore the challenges faced by the most vulnerable among us, those challenges, magnified many times over, become a drag on economic growth, prosperity, and national well-being. To read the full article, click here.