Panel Rejects Inclusion of Pacoima in Job Training Bid

In a setback for Pacoima, a Los Angeles City Council panel Monday rejected a request to include the community in a federal job training grant for young people--keeping the program focused on Watts and East Los Angeles.

Instead of amending the application before it is submitted by Wednesday’s deadline, the council’s Community and Economic Development Committee agreed to ask for a report in 30 days on other potential sources of funding to provide job training to Pacoima youths.

“Obviously, I’m disappointed, but the bottom line for me is how can we provide the same kinds of resources and programs for the youth of Pacoima, and I have the committee’s commitment to pursue that,” said Councilman Alex Padilla, who pushed for the inclusion.

The panel decided against including Pacoima in the application for the $12-million Youth Opportunities Grant from the U. S. Department of Labor for fear it would jeopardize its competitiveness with other cities vying for one of the 25 available grants.

“It’s important to serve all of the young people in our city but not at the same time risk our competitive proposal to the Feds,” Eastside Councilman Nick Pacheco said.

The poverty rate for young people in Watts is 57%, while it is 47% in East Los Angeles and 37% in Pacoima, which meant that adding the east San Fernando Valley community could reduce the strength of the overall application, officials said.

Padilla said the system for judging the application--which emphasized large areas of impoverished youth--puts the Valley’s low-income residents at a disadvantage, so systemic change to the application process is also needed.

Councilman Mike Hernandez, committee chairman, said there likely will be separate federal community development block grant funds that can be applied to the issue of youth unemployment in Pacoima.

At the same time, Hernandez said the Pacoima area has benefited from government funds that have not gone to other parts of the city.

“A lot of funding has been going to Hansen Dam and that hasn’t gone elsewhere,” Hernandez said.

Councilman Nate Holden suggested that the city send a letter to the federal government asking for flexibility in spending the $12-million grant in Pacoima, but Community Development Department administrator Parker Anderson said that too might hurt the city’s application.