Temporary Workers to Be Hired

The city of Los Angeles is in the process of hiring 1,150 temporary workers through a federal grant to help the city and its residents recover more quickly from the Jan. 17 quake.

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The $11.4-million grant from the federal Department of Labor was formally accepted Friday by the Los Angeles City Council. But by then, the city had already hired the first 500 or so of the workers for the program.

Kate Kim, a personnel analyst, said most of the workers will work directly for the city, paving streets damaged by the quake, erecting signs for street detours and repairing damaged park facilities, among other assignments.

But some of the workers will be assigned to nonprofit organizations such as the Red Cross to help with displaced quake victims, she said, while others might work for the Los Angeles Unified School District repairing school facilities.

Although most of the job classifications are simply for “special program assistants,” some of the classifications include painters, carpenters, plasterers, electricians and plumbers.

The jobs are only for six months and are being offered primarily to people who lost their homes or jobs to the quake. People who have been without work for at least 15 weeks will also be considered.

The state Employment Development Department is screening potential workers, Kim said.