$3M Approved On Projects Created By Residents In City REPAIR Zones

The Los Angeles City Council unanimously agreed Tuesday to fund $3 million in community projects in Boyle Heights, the Central San Fernando Valley and Southeast L.A.

The community projects are part of the Civil + Human Rights and Equity Department's L.A. REPAIR Program. The pilot program's aim is to give underserved neighborhoods a say in how they want to improve their communities.

David Price, the director of Racial Equity at the department, says the idea is to give real people real power over real money.

"To deepen our democracy, to improve trust in our government and to build stronger communities," he said.

What projects were approved?

• $775,000 will go to Proyecto Pastoral and the East L.A. Community Corporation to help prevent the displacement of up to 100 low-income tenants in Boyle Heights.
• Another $775,000 will go to the Cottonwood Urban Farm to build a community garden for Mission and North Hills and Panorama City residents. 
• $363,000 will go to the Watts Empowerment Center to expand afterschool programming for residents at the Imperial Courts housing development.
• $1 million will go to the Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science's street medicine program. They'll offer primary care, mental health and case management services for up to 10,000 folks in Southeast L.A.

How participatory budgeting works

Community members approve the projects through a democratic process. Price says projects start with ideas, community-based organizations introduce proposals and community members vote on which suggestions they like best.

"They have to be at least five-years-old to submit an idea and at least 16-years-old to vote on a proposal," he said.

Price says the Civil Rights Department was inspired by participatory budgeting in Porto Alegre, Brazil. He says it's been implemented in more than 7,000 locations worldwide.

"This is L.A.'s first time implementing the program," he said. "So anyone who lives, works, goes to church or worships in our repair zones are eligible to submit an idea and to vote."

New REPAIR zones coming

The Civil Rights Department will launch an ideas collection for the next six L.A. REPAIR zones on Aug. 10. The areas include:

• South L.A.
• The West Adams, Baldwin Hills and Leimert Park area 
• Skid Row
• The Arleta and Pacoima area
• Harbor Gateway, Wilmington and Harbor City
• Westlake

The L.A. REPAIR program will tentatively receive another $5.5 million to distribute throughout the different zones.

If you live, work or play in any of the mentioned zones, you can go to repair.lacity.gov and submit an idea.