PRESS RELEASE: The Coalition for Equitable ARPA Implementation Urges LA County Board of Supervisors to Support the Board Motion #25 “Moving Forward on Equitable Implementation of the American Rescue Plan”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
Press Contacts: 
Ronald Simms Jr., Catalyst California, Communications Manager, 202-270-0936 

LOS ANGELES, CA — The Coalition for Equitable ARPA Implementation, an alliance of community organizations with deep roots in communities of color across Los Angeles County, urges the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors to support the board motion #25, “Moving Forward on Equitable Implementation of the American Rescue Plan.”

“We must ensure a just recovery that puts our highest-need communities on a path to healing and prosperity,” said Jacky Guerrero, Director of Equity in Community Investments at Advancement Project California. “The Board of Supervisors has the opportunity to exhibit leadership by centering equity as they spend American Rescue Plan Act Funding.”

The motion is critical to advancing the Board’s agenda to address the pandemic’s disparate impact on low-income communities and communities of color. The motion includes crucial guidance by the Chief Executive Officer for county departments and programs to use ARPA funds strategically by applying equity principles and a formula, incorporating qualitative and quantitative data via data indices, implementing a plan for reaching non-geographically concentrated communities to inform where resources should be directed, and requiring transparency throughout the process. This motion will also allow for better evaluation and assessment to inform future funding priorities.

Many economic and housing safeguards vulnerable communities have relied upon to sustain themselves are being pulled back as the COVID-19 Delta variant threatens to set back progress on reductions in daily case and death rates. This next year will be crucial for low-income and residents of color who struggle to recover from the pandemic’s health and economic impact unless direct supports are provided. ARPA funding guidance is a vital lifeline for the most impacted communities as it allows for departments to reach individuals in most need.

“This is the moment to act decisively. The LA County Board of Supervisors must deepen their commitments to equity by ensuring the funding priorities championed by their offices will reach the most vulnerable Angelenos,” said John Kim, Executive Director at Advancement Project California. “Let’s look back upon this period as a pivotal moment that catapulted sustained and long-lasting recovery efforts for communities who have historically been denied services and support.”

Catalyst California
California Native Vote Project
California YIMBY
Community Coalition
Community Coalition
Community Health Councils
Council on American-Islamic Relations
Empowering Pacific Islander Communities (EPIC)
Immigrants Are Los Angeles, Immigrant Integration Task Force
InnerCity Struggle
Khmer Girls in Action
LA Commons
LA Voice
Legacy LA
Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy
Pacoima Beautiful
Para Los Niños
Promesa Boyle Heights
SEIU Local 2015
Social Justice Learning Institute
Southside Coalition of Community Health Centers
The TransLatin@ Coalition
Urban Peace Institute