Create Jobs for At-Risk Youths

When Los Angeles County voters were asked to approve Proposition A in 1992 and again in 1996, they were told that this bond measure to improve neighborhood parks was especially important because unemployed youths would be hired to work on the projects within their local communities. Sadly, this promise wasn’t kept.

To implement this proposition, the Los Angeles City Council imposed the requirement that 15% of Proposition A funds spent in the city be allocated to at-risk youth employment and the county Board of Supervisors required that all communities within its jurisdiction prepare a “Youth Employment Plan” setting a goal of using 10% of the bond funds on jobs for at-risk youth.

Despite this, less than 1/10th of 1% of the millions spent and earmarked thus far for public park improvements throughout the county has gone to the employment of at-risk teenagers and young adults. The city and county have blithely ignored their own requirements and recommendations, as well as the clearly stated will of voters who were led to believe that young people susceptible to the lure of gangs, drugs and other anti-social activities would be given work, and hopefully a push in the direction of responsible citizenship.

What is the reason for this glaring discrepancy between the public will and the actions of our elected and appointed officials? A common answer is that contractors hired to undertake the projects resist hiring at-risk youth. Another is that such requirements are difficult to enforce. But why aren’t our public agencies just doing whatever is necessary to implement the clearly stated desire of the voters?

The program I direct is committing significant time, money and other resources to recruit at-risk youth from the Venice and Mar Vista areas for comprehensive education and training in construction-related jobs. It is a shame that we have no assurance of placing some of these young men and women in Proposition A projects right here in the local community, such as the current renovation of Venice’s Ocean Front Walk.

Because the Southern California economy is booming, we have a great window of opportunity to get at-risk youth started on a path to productive lives, and those of us working to do this are greatly dismayed by the fact that the city and county have thus far chosen to squander the opportunity.