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For Immediate Release
April 14, 2025
Contact:
Angela Herrera Perez, Senior Public Information Specialist
press@opportunity.lacounty.gov
DEO Announces $32 Million Investment in Workforce Initiatives Supporting Over 2,300 Workers through 2026
LOS ANGELES, CA — Today, the Los Angeles County Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) announced a groundbreaking $32 million investment that will support 2,300 workers across the County by 2026. This investment includes the launch of two brand-new workforce initiatives: the Fire Recovery and Resilience Workforce Program and the High Road Training Partnership (HRTP) Fund. Together, these County programs address pressing and long-term workforce needs at scale, offering rapid reemployment for workers displaced by the January windstorms and wildfires, ensuring a skilled and sufficient workforce for the rebuild, and ensuring pathways to quality jobs and high-growth industries for all Angelenos.
“From disaster recovery jobs to career-building training, we’re making sure people have the tools to rebuild their lives and futures,” said Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey P. Horvath. “This $32 million investment—made possible from state and federal partnerships—reflects our commitment to an inclusive economy and to standing with workers every step of the way.”
“As a region, we have faced immense challenges, from COVID-19 to the recent wildfires. We have also seen the incredible resilience of our communities and know that we can only hasten the recovery and set our sights on a brighter future, together,” said Director Kelly LoBianco of the LA County Department of Economic Opportunity. “We are grateful to our Board, our State, our regional Workforce Development Boards, and partners for coming together, braiding funds, and helping the County and our region launch initiatives that will support thousands of workers hardest hit in the recent years with quality programming and quality jobs.”
The Fire Recovery and Resilience Workforce Program is a direct $14.2 million investment in the impacted and dislocated workers from the windstorms and wildfires. These funds enable DEO and the County’s network of Workforce Development Boards and America’s Job Centers of California (AJCCs) to offer 3-to-5 month paid work with County departments like Beaches and Harbors, Parks and Recreation, and Public Works and other partners supporting recovery efforts like cleanup and humanitarian outreach as well as job training, transitional work, supportive services and stipends, and connection to jobs in impacted and growing sectors like hospitality and construction. Participants in the 174 temporary subsidized employment opportunities will receive $20 to $27 per hour, benefits, and access to supportive services valued at up to $34,000. The program will support 1,000 total workers to start, who can visit the East San Gabriel AJCC or the West LA AJCC to sign up and access programs and services that meet their unique needs. This program is part of a $20 million investment by the State’s Employment Development Department (EDD) in the region’s recovery through its National Dislocated Worker Grant (NDWG) and Additional Assistance Grant Programs.
“Working in collaboration with our city and county partners, EDD was able to quickly get funds to assist with the recovery of the devastating LA wildfires. These grants will provide necessary resources to workers, ensuring they can focus on rebuilding their community” said Director Nancy Farias of the California Employment Development Department.
The HRTP Fund provides $17.8 million in grants for industry-led, worker-informed training models that inspire equity, job quality, and climate resilience in our region, targeting participants from historically disinvested communities as well as those impacted by COVID-19 and the recent windstorms and wildfires. The HRTP Fund, implemented in partnership with Dalberg LLC and the UCLA Labor Center, will support an estimated 20 HRTPs and 1,300 workers through those programs. HRTPs are an evidence-based approach to workforce development that elevate collaborative partnerships with employers and industry, workers and worker organizations, educational institutions and training providers, and the AJCCs and public workforce system for design and delivery of programs. All of these program entities may serve as lead applicants for the HRTP Fund. The program builds off the California Workforce Development Board’s framework and is part of the County’s $34 million investment in HRTPs, including active programs in Aerospace, Healthcare, Creative Economy, Early Care and Education, Construction, and Technology and leverages federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and the County’s Care Fire Community Investment (CFCI) dollars. HRTPs and their participants will not only access no-cost training, program stipends, and wages for work-based experiences, which may vary by program, all participants have access to also apply to a Worker Equity Fund, as needed, which offers flexible cash assistance that support retention in training and job search.
“Dalberg, a strategic advisory firm dedicated exclusively to social impact, has worked with job training programs all around the world – and the HRTP model is the best approach we’ve seen. Serving as the third-party administrator for the Los Angeles County Department of Economic Opportunity’s HRTP Fund has enabled us to help individuals across the county secure jobs that not only support them and their families, but also, creates pathways towards lasting prosperity,” said Joe Dougherty, Partner at Dalberg.
“The UCLA Labor Center is proud to support the LA County HRTP Fund—an essential investment in expanding equitable workforce pathways and advancing economic opportunity for historically underrepresented communities. We’re excited to build on the California Workforce Development Board’s groundbreaking HRTP model here in our region, alongside LA County’s efforts to modernize the workforce system. This Fund reflects a forward-thinking approach—comprehensive, industry-informed, and equity-centered—that aligns training with real-world needs and elevates the voices of workers and frontline communities,” said Dr. Ana Luz González-Vásquez, Project Director for POWER in Workforce Development at the UCLA Labor Center.
Both of these programs are open as of today, April 14th.
For the Fire Recovery and Resilience Workforce Program, interested workers, hiring employers, and training and community partners may go to opportunity.lacounty.gov/FireWorkforce/ to learn more and sign an interest form and/or visit an AJCC to sign-up and get started. Temporary work, job training, and supportive services area available now and on a rolling basis as new hiring and training opportunities as part of the program come online.
For the HRTP Fund, interested partnerships can apply now at: opportunity.lacounty.gov/hrtp/. DEO is hosting a series of informational sessions—both virtual and in-person—throughout the County, starting April 14th through April 17th in each Supervisorial District. In addition, an application toolkit, program FAQs, and live weekly office hours are available to guide HRTP applicants through the process. Beyond funding, grantees will receive technical assistance throughout the grant period, including workshops on program design and industry analysis. All selected HRTPs will participate in a Countywide Community of Practice designed to strengthen implementation and improve workforce outcomes. Selections are expected Week of June 9, 2025.
These new workforce initiatives follow DEO’s recent $19.1 million LA Region Small Business and Worker Relief Fund award to 1,372 small businesses and nonprofits and 2,309 workers, including $4 million in County dollars and a strong public-private partnership. Impacted and dislocated workers received $2,000 in direct financial assistance and will be engaged for additional hiring and training support with the launch of these programs. For more information on this grant program, visit: LA Region Small Business and Worker Relief Fund Press Release.
For more information about DEO, visit opportunity.lacounty.gov.
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About DEO: The LA County Department of Economic Opportunity, launched in July 2022, helps job seekers, entrepreneurs, small businesses, major industries, and communities access life changing opportunities, and is also home to the Office of Small Business, LA County’s one-stop shop dedicated to prospective entrepreneurs and small business owners. Stay connected with DEO! Follow @EconOppLA on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, subscribe to our newsletter, or visit opportunity.lacounty.gov to learn about DEO services.
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