LA County Supervisors to Deliberate on Enhancing Discrimination-Prevention Measures

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors is one step closer to implementing recommendations from a countywide prevention services task force aimed at addressing discrimination. This task force was established in response to a UCLA Pritzker Center report that identified a lack of integration and support for prevention efforts across county departments. Supervisor Holly Mitchell proposed the creation of a permanent agency or task force to address these issues.

The task force, which met for 18 months, developed 14 recommendations in four key areas: governance structure and coordinated service delivery, funding streams analysis, community-based service delivery, and prevention metrics and data integration.

According to Mitchell’s motion, the recommendations focus on centering equity and addressing the harms caused by racist systems, particularly those impacting communities of color. The motion also highlights the need for the board to go beyond prevention and consider the concept of promotion, which involves improving life outcomes for individuals and communities.

Mitchell’s plan involves replacing the task force with a “Prevention and Promotion Systems Governing Committee,” responsible for overseeing coordination and collaboration of prevention and promotion services. The committee would consist of eight department directors or initiative executive directors, representing relevant county departments or board priorities. The initial funding for the committee would be $4 million.

The overall goal, as stated in the motion, is to create a prevention and promotion services delivery system that addresses historical disinvestment and uplifts county residents towards positive life outcomes. The motion emphasizes the urgency of taking action now to promote equity and serve the shared constituency of the county.