City Council formally established the Office of Racial Equity on Nov.1, as a part of the LA Civil Rights Department (also known as the Civil + Human Rights and Equity Department) by approving its framework and five-year action plan.
The Office of Racial Equity, which began work in 2021, aims to achieve equitable outcomes by proactively addressing systemic oppression through culture, policies, practices, and programs with an intersectional framework.
“There is no future for our city without equity and meaningful steps to recognize and repair the harms done to communities of color in Los Angeles. Thanks to the leadership of Mayor Eric Garcetti and the City Council, we are taking a bold step forward toward racial equity, community empowerment, and a Los Angeles for all,” said Capri Maddox, Executive Director of the LA Civil Rights Department. “Our Office of Racial Equity, led by Director David Price, has already launched programs that change lives and transform communities. We look forward to growing this work in partnership with the community.”
“Racial equity is not just a slogan here in Los Angeles, it is a standard to which we must be held,” said Mayor Eric Garcetti. “I applaud the City Council and LA Civil Rights for taking the right steps to fight bigotry, racism, and prejudice. We must drive hate and hurtful speech out of our city — ensuring future generations a more equitable and progressive environment for growth.”
“At a time when our democracy is at stake, we need to take bold and deliberate steps to ensure every voice is heard. The Office of Racial Equity’s five year action plan under the purview of the LA Civil Rights Department will provide a platform for marginalized communities to have a say in ending the systemic oppression that has brought so much harm to communities of color,” said Robert Sausedo, Community Build President and CEO. “We are at a critical precipice in this country and I’m proud to live in a city that is looking towards the future and embracing diversity, inclusion and racial equity.”
The Office of Racial Equity has already launched a number of programs focused on racial equity. The biggest of these is L.A. REPAIR, or Los Angeles Reforms for Equity and Public Acknowledgment of Institutional Racism, created by Mayor Garcetti in his 2021-’22 Justice Budget. Through L.A. REPAIR, LA Civil Rights’ Office of Racial Equity is rolling out an $8.5 million participatory budgeting program and a $2 million Peace & Healing Centers program in nine underserved and historically marginalized Los Angeles neighborhoods.
The Office of Racial Equity also operates the Racial Equity and Newly Empowered Workplaces (RENEW) program, which welcomed over 60 attendees to its quarterly kick-off last week, and will continue to publish reports focused on equity in city policy. The office is currently working on a report on missing and murdered Black women and girls, and last week hosted an event on healthcare inequities with the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine.
The framework and five-year action plan was created in partnership with the Office of Racial Equity core stakeholders, including Coalition for Human Immigrant Rights Los Angeles (CHIRLA), Pacoima Beautiful, South Bureau Ministerial Alliance, Catalyst California (also known as Advancement Project California), Community Coalition, the embRACE LA Coalition, Community Build, Homeless Outreach Program Integrated Care System (HOPICS), Homeboy Industries and InnerCity Struggle. The stakeholders will continue to advise the work of the Office, providing key input and partnership on equity programs and policies.
