Los Angeles, CA – The Los Angeles City Council unanimously voted to approve Councilmembers Monica Rodriguez and Jose Huizar’s motion calling for the creation of a Youth Development Task Force responsible for developing a Citywide strategy to ensure that youth are equipped with the skills to succeed
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
March 20, 2019
Press Contact:
Tran Le, tran.le@lacity.org
213-257-0475
LA CITY PLEDGES TO INVEST IN YOUTH, EXPLORES EXECUTIVE YOUTH TASK FORCE
Los Angeles, CA – Today, the Los Angeles City Council unanimously voted to approve Councilmembers Monica Rodriguez and Jose Huizar’s motion calling for the creation of a Youth Development Task Force responsible for developing a Citywide strategy to ensure that youth are equipped with the skills to succeed.
“Today, we took a very important step in Los Angeles to invest in our youth and help them achieve their full potential,” said Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez. “Too often our youth do not have a seat at the table in making decisions that impact their futures and this Council action allows us to strategically invest in our City’s future.”
There are 800,000 youth ages 10-24 in Los Angeles, and in 2017-2018, the City spent $60.3 million to provide resources to young people. Youth programs in Los Angeles are spread across 26 departments; however, there is neither a central strategy nor a body dedicated to overseeing youth programming. Prioritizing youth in Los Angeles is critical — 200,000 youth currently live in poverty, 68,000 are disconnected from school and job opportunities, and over 3,000 are homeless.
“Prioritizing youth in our government budgets is of utmost importance and fiscally it makes a lot of sense. Unlike other large cities such as New York, Boston, Chicago, Oakland, San Francisco, the City of Los Angeles’ investment in youth is spread over 26 departments, with limited collaboration, and lots of duplication,” said Lou Calanche, the Executive Director of Legacy LA.
The motion directs City departments to establish an Executive Task Force on Youth Development charged with formulating a City Youth Development Strategy, and also calls for a comprehensive assessment of all funding and programming towards youth.
“A comprehensive youth development strategy will help us evaluate current funding, maximize our limited resources, and ensure that we help the most number of kids in Los Angeles,” said Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez.
To read the Councilwoman’s motion, click here.
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Los Angeles City Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez serves as the City’s Chair of Public Safety and represents the 7th Council District in the Northeast San Fernando Valley which include the neighborhoods of Sylmar, Mission Hills, Pacoima, Lake View Terrace, Sunland, Tujunga, North Hills, Shadow Hills, and La Tuna Canyon.