Institute for Research on Labor and Employment

The Los Angeles region—and the City of LA, in particular—face unacceptable levels of poverty, a situation that has severe impacts on the neighborhoods that the LA Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) is aiming to help. 

Charged with revitalizing poor and blighted communities in the City of LA, the CRA is the largest redevelopment agency in the country. In recent years, the agency has put in place policies—such as a living wage requirement—to ensure that its developments benefit those the agency is intended to serve. In pursuit of this goal, the agency is currently considering a policy that would ensure that LA City residents—including those with barriers to employment—have access to construction jobs on agency projects.