2nd District Unincorporated Communities Newsletter | Saturday, December 20

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Dear Neighbor,

For this week's newsletter, we’re covering updates on our Community Participatory Budget, emergency rent relief, full-scope Medi-Cal enrollment deadline (Dec 31), preparing for expected rainstorms next week, and more. 

Let's start with updates on our Community Participatory Budget. Remember when we asked residents in Florence-Firestone and Ladera Heights how they would like to invest a total of $1.7 million back into their neighborhoods as part of our 2nd District Community Budget pilot? 

I’m thrilled to share an update on two out of the seven winning ideas. This week, we launched Florence-Firestone is Home, one of the winning ideas that residents in Florence-Firestone voted on. 

Florence-Firestone is Home provides qualifying residents who are 18 and older—regardless of their immigration status— and in need of support paying their back-due rent, utilities, or mortgage with a $500 cash grant (that they do not have to pay back). 200-600 Florence-Firestone residents may receive a $500 grant up to three times. 

We’re proud to have St. John’s Community Health as our implementation partner for this resident-driven initiative. To learn more about eligibility requirements and apply, visit: sjch.org/florence-firestone-is-home. Florence-Firestone residents can apply now until January 31, 2026.

If you’re not eligible for the Florence-Firestone is Home program, we encourage you to check out the County’s Emergency Rent Relief program, which is countywide for landlords to apply if their tenants have been financially impacted by the January wildfires or federal government raids in our immigrant communities. 

Ladera Heights 

In our Ladera Heights community, one of the winning initiatives residents voted for was a Digital Literacy Empowerment project. We are partnering with Bridge the Digital Divide to implement this project that provides free workshops at the Yvonne B. Burke Community Center. Just this week, we co-hosted a laptop giveaway that reached 50 households. 

The 2nd District Community Budget is the County’s first participatory budget program. My office is proud to have launched this initiative in partnership with Reimagine LA Coalition, Participatory Budgeting Project, and Tres Lunas Consulting in our unincorporated communities of  Florence-Firestone and Ladera Heights. 

These are just two out of seven winning ideas that were voted on by community members. We look forward to sharing updates as more winning ideas are implemented in the new year and seeing this pilot expand to every unincorporated community in our district in the years ahead. 

In service,
Holly J. Mitchell
Supervisor, Second District

Earlier this week, my office in partnership with the County’s Homeless Initiative, conducted a Pathway Home resolution in West Rancho Dominguez, in the Broadway Corridor between El Segundo Blvd and Compton connecting 20 people to interim housing, removing 10 RVs, and removing 160 cubic yards of debris.

LA County’s Pathway Home team will continue to provide wraparound services to support residents with accessing long-term housing stability. Thank you to our partners on this initiative, including the LA County Department of Public Works, Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, Homeless Outreach Program, Integrated Care System (HOPICS), LA County Sheriff’s Department Homeless Outreach Services Team (HOST), LA County Animal Care and Control, and Department of Mental Health-Homeless Outreach & Mobile Engagement.

 If you would like to notify the County of encampments in your community, you can submit via The Works App here.

The LA County Emergency Rent Relief Program is now open. Landlords can apply now through Friday, January 23 for assistance to help cover unpaid rent for tenants who have experienced economic hardship due to the January wildfires or federal government actions impacting immigrant communities.

Eligible landlords may receive up to $15,000 per rental unit or up to 6 months of back rent.

Tenants are encouraged to share the application with their landlords to apply.

Apply here by Friday, January 23 at 4:59 pm: LACountyRentRelief.com

The December 31 deadline is quickly approaching for undocumented residents or those without qualified immigration status to sign-up for full scope Medi-Cal - which covers doctor visits, prescriptions, preventative care and hospital care. Sign-up for benefits now at BenefitsCal.com.

Yesterday, I joined Dr. Jackie Contreras, Director of LA County’s Department of Public Social Services (DPSS) and other stakeholders to raise awareness about the deadline, view a recording of info shared and discussed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4zMR23Hax4&t=1287s

As part of DPSS’s Keep Your Benefits campaign, they hosted a series of Medi-Cal webinars to share updates on changes to eligibility requirements and to help answer frequently asked questions. To access all Medi-Cal webinar recordings in different languages, visit the DPSS YouTube page here: bit.ly/MC-Change26. 

We understand that there is a lot of concern about how the Federal Government’s Public Charge Rule and eligibility changes will affect our immigrant communities. Here is a helpful fact sheet - 3 Things You Need to Know About Public Charge and resource page from the national coalition, Protecting Immigrant Families to help with making an informed decision that best meets your needs. This is a dynamic issue, please continue to connect with DPSS and trusted organizations on updates and support. 

The LA County Department of Regional Planning wants to hear from you! LA County is developing a 10-year Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) to guide infrastructure investments in unincorporated communities within the Metro, South Bay, and Westside Planning Areas. Learn more about this project and complete the quick 3-5 minute survey to make your voice heard here: https://bit.ly/4b4nhMe

The National Weather Service is forecasting a potential winter storm that is expected to result in rainfall in our area starting Tuesday, December 23 through Thursday, December 26. Due to this being a long-range forecast details on the exact timing and rainfall amounts remain uncertain but we want you to be aware and prepared. 

For preparedness tips and to sign-up for alerts, please visit Ready.LACounty.gov. We will continue to monitor the forecast and share updates as they become available.

LA County Commission on HIV

The LA County Commission on HIV is seeking engaged individuals with lived experience, community insights, or professional expertise to actively shape HIV planning, policy, and funding across the County. 

To learn more and to apply, visit https://bit.ly/3Y6ZeVs

LA County Department of Public Works is Hiring a Civil Engineering Assistant

Start your career in engineering with LA County Public Works. Civil Engineering Assistants support vital infrastructure projects that serve millions of residents, while gaining hands-on experience, mentorship, and long-term career growth.

For more information and to apply, visit lacounty.pw/cea

LA County Department of Economic Opportunity Park Tree Grant: Request for Proposals (RFP)

The LA County Department of Economic Opportunity in partnership with LA County Parks is accepting proposals to plant 500 new trees across 9 county parks. Up to $2.2 million in funding is available for qualified contractors with experience in:

• Tree planting, trimming, and removal
• Irrigation system installation
• Ongoing maintenance and project management

Proposals are due by January 21, 2026 at 12:00 p.m. For more information and to submit your proposal, visit bit.ly/ParkTreeGrantRFP

LA County Department of Economic Opportunity Hiring a Community Services Analyst II

The LA County Department of Economic Opportunity is hiring a Community Services Analyst II to join its Workforce Development Team. The position will support program planning, analysis, and service delivery that advances economic opportunity across LA County. The application will remain open until the position is filled.

For more information and to apply, visit bit.ly/3KV60KS

(Spanish Flyer)

La Brea Avenue Bus Priority Lanes Project Listening Sessions

Wednesday, January 7 at 6:00 p.m.

Online via Zoom

Metro, in partnership with Biking While Black, is hosting community listening sessions to gather feedback from people who live, ride, and travel along La Brea Avenue.

In-Person Listening Session

Saturday, January 10 at 10:00 a.m.

Gleicher/Chen Health Center Annex

3741 S La Brea Ave

Los Angeles, CA 90016

You can learn about and provide public comment on upcoming Board motions before they come to the Board of Supervisors for a vote at one of the five public meetings also known as Cluster Meetings taking place each Wednesday. 

The next set of Cluster Meetings is on Wednesday, January 7. To learn about cluster meetings, visit ceo.lacounty.gov/agendas. Sign-up to receive weekly notifications on cluster meetings here.

The Board of Supervisors meets every Tuesday at 9:30 a.m., except on Tuesdays following a Monday holiday when meetings begin at 11:00 a.m. The next meeting is a Regular Board Meeting on Tuesday, January 6. View all public Board meetings live at: http://bos.lacounty.gov/Board-Meeting/Live-Broadcast.

We encourage you to share this newsletter with your neighbors! 

Sign up for the Second District Unincorporated Newsletter here.