The Brief

The Los Angeles County homelessness budget approved last week included tens of millions in cuts to established services, including a 78% reduction in funding for the region’s main homeless workforce development program.

LA:RISE provides services for people experiencing homelessness, county authorities said, but they do not specifically align with the county’s priorities for the next fiscal year, according to Cheri Todoroff, director of the Homeless Initiative, which manages the county’s spending.

More than 90% of the county homelessness funding will go to programs that focus on providing shelter and permanent housing, Todoroff said.

LA:RISE partners with 40 organizations, including Homeboy Industries, Goodwill and Downtown Women’s Center, to provide thousands of unhoused Angelenos and those at risk for homelessness with temporary paid work, job training and other support.

Organizations that work with LA:RISE called the county’s move short-sighted, because jobs are crucial for helping people transition out of homelessness.

"Reducing the role of workforce development and employment in this budget eliminates the possibility of solving homelessness at its root and reduces the odds of long-term stability after housing,” said Greg Ericksen with REDF (formerly the Roberts Enterprise Development Fund), a philanthropy organization that manages the program.

Amy Turk, chief executive of the Downtown Women’s Center in Skid Row, said her organization has successfully worked with LA:RISE to help keep clients housed by connecting them with steady incomes and job skills.

“In the grand sense of the county's budget, it’s not that much, but the outcomes that we get are significant,” said Turk. “To hobble that is really disappointing.”

LA:RISE was among the programs that saw the largest drop in county funding in the fiscal year that starts in July. The Board of Supervisors also approved cuts to some legal services, a program providing case management to people exiting jail, a mobile showers program for the homeless and more.

Last year, LA:RISE received $8.4 million in county funding, and the program served 1,200 clients. The new budget will provide LA:RISE with less than $1.8 million in county funds.

Those cuts will shrink the program, but not end it. But it means 600 fewer people will get access to temporary paid work, job training and other support, according to the county.

Homeboy Industries in L.A. works with the LA:RISE program to provide job training to at-risk Angelenos, including those formerly involved with gangs

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Why cuts? 

The new spending plan was the first to allocate funding from voter-approved Measure A. The sales tax kicks in April 1 and is expected to generate $1 billion annually for homeless services and affordable housing efforts — essentially doubling the county’s homelessness dollars.

But a large portion of that money will go to a new affordable housing agency for L.A. County and to local governments within the county’s 88 cities for homelessness services.

Even with the influx of new sales tax revenue, the county’s general homeless services budget is facing a projected deficit, and more than $60 million had to be curtailed from existing programs.

Supervisors reversed planned budget cuts to some programs, including targeted homelessness prevention efforts and those serving unhoused young adults, but the workforce program wasn’t spared.

The Homeless Initiative is expected to propose at least $17 million in additional reductions to homeless services at the Board of Supervisors meeting this week.

“As budget amendments move forward, we urge against further cuts to the Homeless Initiative so providers can continue meeting people where they are with the care, support and proven solutions needed to create real impact,” Turk said.

How workforce development works

The LA:RISE initiative exists to help people locked out of the labor market because of homelessness, incarceration or disability become self-sufficient and less dependent on public assistance, program administrators said.

It began in 2014 with grant funding from the U.S. Department of Labor, but has since been funded by L.A. County and the city of L.A.’s workforce development departments, which partner with local service organizations.

“This program is like the bridge from coming out of homelessness, getting ready to go to work, but they're not quite ready right yet,” said Alexandria Piñeda, a former LA:RISE participant who now works full time for Downtown Women’s Center.

Piñeda said she moved from Texas to L.A. about five years ago to find work as a bartender. Then COVID-19 hit, and bars closed.

“I wasn't able to generate any more money because the whole city was shut down. So I ended up homeless, like really fast — within months,” Piñeda said.

She got into a hotel room through the Project RoomKey program and connected with the women’s center, where she learned about the job training program.

“ I didn't know how to do anything else, so that's why I got in LA: RISE to learn a new trade," said Piñeda. “They put me with candle making, and it's very similar to bartending, like I'm mixing and pouring and creating scents, being creative with it.”

The Downtown Women’s Center runs a company called Made By DWC that hires and trains unhoused women. It includes a cafe, clothing boutique and consumer goods line that sells candles, soaps and bath salts.

Piñeda completed 300 hours of paid job training. After she graduated, Made By DWC hired her full-time.

“ I did one job training program and I was on my feet and I’m stable now,” said Piñeda, who currently rents an apartment in Compton. “I'm saving to buy a home. I was able to get a car.”

Today, she trains and mentors other women at the women’s center.

“ It is hard when you're in the program and you're trying to navigate housing or trying to navigate what you're going to eat tonight,” said Piñeda. “I understand that pressure because I went through it.  So I'm always reassuring them, like, ‘You're doing fine. If you're not, we'll talk about it, but you know, like, keep up the good work.’”

Nearly half of the program’s participants have moved on into competitive, unsubsidized jobs, according to LA:RISE.

Stories like Piñeda’s show that programs like this can be extremely helpful to individuals, but it’s harder to quantify how effective they are as a solution to the homelessness crisis.

A 2019 study of the LA:RISE program found participants had higher rates of employment and higher earnings than their peers in the short-term, but no measurable advantage years later.

Other research on workforce programs showed they had little effect on participants’ long-term housing stability.

LA:RISE reacts

The organizations that work with LA:RISE say its success is evident.

Long before she became executive director at the Center For Living and Learning, Maria Alexander had been held in county jail and then lived on the side of a L.A. freeway. Then she started a paid job training experience through a workforce development program.

“The strongest evidence that this program works is that we hire directly and operate our entire organization with over 90% of our staff hired from the LA:RISE program, including management and our finance team,” Alexander said.

She said county leaders should not ignore the role job training and a steady job play in ending homelessness.

“To invest in drug treatment and shelters and then drop the ball upon transitioning into the workforce will cause irreparable harm,” Alexander said. “Having a work location with peers who have overcome the same obstacles and can provide motivation, inspiration and much needed hand holding is immeasurable.”

Downtown L.A. nonprofit Chrysalis, which works with LA:RISE, has been doing this kind of work for four decades, connecting unhoused Angelenos with job training and paid gigs answering phones, cleaning streets or serving food.

The nonprofit says the budget cuts will mean a 50% decrease in its participants, or 100 fewer people next year.

“Last year, 2 million voters told our elected officials that they wanted Measure A and the supportive services it would fund,” said President and CEO Mark Loranger. “LA:RISE is a part of that promise and should not be cut from the budget.”

Representatives from the Center for Employment Opportunities, which works with LA:RISE, said it will also have to drastically reduce enrollments.

“Taking away funding from people who are ready and able to work, those who are ready for full engagement and participation in the workforce and housing would put more Angelenos at risk of long-term homelessness,” said Tiffany Elder, a spokesperson for the organization.

Next steps 

The new county budget goes into effect July 1.

In addition to the remaining $1.8 million in funding from L.A. County, the program also receives about $3 million in annual funding from the city of L.A.’s Economic and Workforce Development Department.

That department recently requested an increase in LA:RISE funding from the city, but that appears unlikely given the city’s budget deficit.

Kelly LoBianco, director of the county’s Department of Economic Opportunity, said she hopes the cuts are only temporary.

“ We think it's an important program and an important model at a time like this,” she said. “We do feel like in addition to maintaining these levels, there’s also a need to scale them to meet the moment.”

This story first appeared on The LA Local.

Since 1977, Richard Santillan has been to every Opening Day game at Dodger Stadium. 

“The tradition goes from my father, to me, to my children and grandchildren. Some of my best memories are with my father and children here at Dodger Stadium,” Santillan told The LA Local, smiling under the shade of palm trees near the entrance to the ballpark Wednesday morning. He was there to protest the team less than 24 hours before Opening Day.

Santillan, like countless other loyal Dodgers fans, is grappling with his fan identity over the team’s decision to accept an invitation to the White House and owner Mark Walter’s ties to ICE detention facilities.

More than 30 people joined Santillan on Wednesday morning for a press conference held near 1000 Vin Scully Drive to convey a message directly to the team. 

“We are demanding the Dodgers stop participating in funding of inhumane treatment of families and do not go to the White House to celebrate with the criminal in chief,” Evelyn Escatiola told the crowd. “Together, we have the power to make a change.”

Escatiola, a former dean of East Los Angeles College and longtime community organizer, urged fans to flex their economic power by “letting the Dodgers know that we do not support repression.”

Jorge “Coqui” Rodriguez, a lifelong Dodgers fan, spoke to the crowd and called on Dodgers ownership to divest from immigration detention centers owned and operated by GEO Group and CoreCivic.

Jorge Coqui H Rodriguez speaks at a press conference outside Dodger Stadium on March 25, 2026, to demand the Dodgers not to visit the White House following their 2025 World Series win.

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J.W. Hendricks

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In a phone interview a day before the protest, Rodriguez told The LA Local he did not want the Dodgers using his “cheve” or beer money to fund detention centers. 

“They can’t take our parking money, our cacahuate money, our cheve money, our Dodger Dog money and invest those funds into corporations that are imprisoning people. It’s wrong,” Rodriguez said. 

Rodriguez considers the Dodgers one of the most racially diverse teams and said the players need to support fans at a time when heightened immigration enforcement has become more common across L.A.

The team’s 2025’s visit to the White House drew ire from the largely Latino fan base, citing the Trump administration’s ongoing attacks on immigrants. 

In June, the team came under further scrutiny when rumors swirled online that federal immigration agents were using the stadium’s parking, which immigration authorities later denied in statements posted on social media accounts.

The team again came under fire after not releasing a statement on the impacts of ICE raids on its mostly Latino fan base at the height of immigration enforcement last summer. The team later agreed to invest $1 million to support families affected by immigration enforcement.

When he learned the Dodgers were pledging only $1 million to families in need, Rodriguez called the amount a  “slap in the face.” 

“These guys just bought the Lakers for billions of dollars and they give a million dollars to fight for legal services? That’s a joke,” Rodriguez said. “They need to have a moral backbone and not be investing in those companies.”

According to reporting from the Los Angeles Times, former Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershawsaid last week that he is looking forward to the trip.

“I went when President [Joe] Biden was in office. I’m going to go when President [Donald] Trump is in office,” Kershaw said. “To me, it’s just about getting to go to the White House. You don’t get that opportunity every day, so I’m excited to go.”

The Dodgers have yet to announce when their planned visit will take place. 

Santillan sometimes laments his decision to give up his season tickets in protest of the team. His connection to the stadium and the memories he has made there with family and friends will last a lifetime, he said. On Thursday, he will uphold his tradition and be there for the first pitch of the season, but with a heavy heart.

“It’s a family tradition, but the Dodgers have a lot of work to do,” he said.

A local favorite mom-and-pop bookshop in Eagle Rock is facing displacement due to a steep rent hike. The owners say theirs is just one of several small businesses along Eagle Rock Boulevard struggling to keep up with lease increases.

Over the past 19 years, many in the neighborhood have come to love READ Books for its eclectic collection of used titles and shop dog Florence.

Co-owner Jeremy Kaplan said it’s been a delight to grow with the community over the years.

“Like seeing kids come back in, who were in grade school and now they’re in college,” Kaplan said.

But the building where Kaplan and wife Debbie rent was recently sold, and the rent increased by more than 130% to $2,805 a month, Kaplan said. He told LAist it was an increase his small business simply could not absorb.

Kaplan said he originally was given 30 days notice of the rent increase. After some research, assistance from Councilmember Ysabel Jurado’s office and some pro-bono legal help, Kaplan said he pushed back and got the 90-day notice he’s afforded by state law.

California Senate Bill 1103 requires landlords to give businesses with five or less employees 90 days’ notice for rent increases exceeding 10%, among other protections.

Systems Real Estate, the property management company, did not immediately respond to LAist’s request for comment.

What can small businesses do? 

Nadia Segura, directing attorney of the Small Business Program at pro bono legal aid non-profit Bet Tzedek said California law does not currently allow for rent control for commercial tenancies.

Outside of the protections under SB 1103, Segura said small businesses like READ Books don’t have much other recourse. And even then, commercial landlords are not required to inform their tenants of their protections under the law.

“There’s still a lot of people that don’t know about SB 1103. And then it’s very sad that they tell them they have these rent increases and within a month they have to leave,” Segura said.

She said her group is seeing steep rent hikes like this for commercial tenants across the city.

“We are seeing this even more with the World Cup coming up, the Olympics coming up. And I will say it was very sad to see that also after the wildfires,” Segura said.

Part of Bet Tzedek’s ongoing work is to advocate for small businesses, working with landlords who are increasing rents to see if they are willing to give business owners longer leases that lock in rents.

What’s next 

After READ Books posted about their situation on social media, commenters chimed in to express their outrage and love for the little shop.

While he looks for a new spot, Kaplan says he’s forming a coalition of local businesses and activist groups to see what can be done to help other small businesses facing similar displacement. He wants to address the displacement issue for businesses like his, which have made Eagle Rock the distinctive neighborhood that it is today.

Owl Talk, a longtime Eagle Rock staple selling clothing and accessories in a unit in the same building as READ Books, is facing a “more than double” rent increase, according to a post on their Instagram account.

Kaplan said he’s been in touch with the office of state Assemblywoman Jessica Caloza and wants to explore the possibility of introducing legislation to set up protections for small businesses like his, including rent-control measures or a vacancy tax for landlords. Kaplan said he also reached out to the office of state Sen. Maria Durazo.

By his count, Kaplan said there are about a dozen businesses within surrounding blocks that are at risk of closing their doors or have shuttered due to rent increases or other struggles.

When READ Books was founded during the Great Recession, Kaplan said he knew it was a longshot to open a bookstore at the same time so many were struggling to stay in business.

“It was kind of interesting to be doing something that neighborhoods needed. That was important to me growing up, that was important to my children, that was important to my wife growing up,” Kaplan said.

“And then somebody comes in and says, ‘We’re gonna over double your rent.”

Topline:

Frozen budget: Most of the city’s Bureau of Street Lighting budget comes from an assessment that people who own property illuminated by lights pay on their county property tax bill. The amount people pay depends on the kind of property they own and how much they benefit from lighting. A typical single-family home currently pays $53 annually, and in total, the assessments bring in about $45 million annually for the city to repair and maintain streetlights. Changing the amount the Bureau of Street Lighting gets from the assessment requires a vote among property owners who benefit from the lights.

Ballots: L.A. City Council’s vote gives city staff the green light to prepare and send out those ballots. Miguel Sangalang, who oversees the bureau, said at a committee meeting earlier this month that he expects to send out ballots by April 17. Notices about the ballots will be sent out prior to the ballots themselves.

Near unanimous vote: L.A. City Councilmember Monica Rodriguez was the only “No” vote Tuesday, saying she wanted to see a more current strategic plan for the bureau. Sangalang said the bureau developed a plan in 2022 that lays out how money will be spent. Councilmember Imelda Padilla was absent for the vote.

Vote count: Votes will be weighted according to the assessment amount. Basically, the more you’re asked to pay yearly to maintain streetlights, the more your vote will count. Ballots received before June 2 will be tabulated by the L.A. City Clerk.

How much more money: According to a report, the amount needed in assessments from property owners to meet the repair and maintenance needs of the city’s streetlighting in the next fiscal year is nearly $112 million.

Use of the money: Sangalang said at a March 11 committee meeting that the extra funds would be used to double the number of staff to handle repairs and procure solar streetlights, which don’t face the threat of copper wire theft. That would all potentially reduce the time it takes to repair simple fixes down to a week. Currently, city residents wait for months to see broken streetlights repaired. The assessment would come with a three-year auditing mechanism.