On September 12, 2023, Supervisor Holly Mitchell motioned to launch a “Worker Ownership Initiative” to Build Wealth, Retain Quality Jobs, and Stabilize Businesses in Los Angeles County.
The Los Angeles Board of Supervisors will be voted on the motion for the program, which would be led by the County’s Dept. of Economic Opportunity (DEO) if passed.
The motion lists several different ways the County could support the incubation and conversion of worker cooperatives, including procurement, financing, and technical assistance opportunities.
In recent years, the County Board of Supervisors (Board) has made strategic investments to advance equitable and inclusive economic development and help close the racial wealth gap. Using the Equity Explorer Mapping Tool, County departments have equitably invested American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds into the highest need regions and allocated over $100M to workforce development and small business investments. Still, despite these commitments, the County has a considerable way to go to truly move the needle on the economic injustice in the region. To tackle these deep inequities, the County can strategically embrace an innovative economic development strategy: scaling broad-based worker ownership across the County. Read the full motion.
