LA Alliance for a New Economy

LA Alliance for a New Economy
Name	LA Alliance for a New Economy
Formation	1990s
Type	Nonprofit advocacy organization
Headquarters	Los Angeles, California
Region served	Greater Los Angeles
Focus	Workers' rights, living wage, community organizing

LA Alliance for a New Economy is a Los Angeles–based advocacy organization that has led campaigns for labor standards, living wages, and community benefits in Southern California. Founded amid local activism tied to unions, coalitions, and municipal reform efforts, the organization has worked with labor unions, neighborhood groups, and faith organizations to influence municipal policy and contractor practices. Its work intersects with campaigns connected to transit expansions, airport contracts, and municipal contracting across Los Angeles County and California.

History

The organization emerged in the 1990s during a period marked by organizing around the Service Employees International Union, American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, and municipal debates influenced by figures such as Tom Bradley, Richard Riordan, and later Antonio Villaraigosa. Early campaigns connected to efforts around the Los Angeles International Airport expansion and zoning disputes linked to the Los Angeles City Council and the Port of Los Angeles. The group’s early allies included coalitions with SEIU Local 1877, United Food and Commercial Workers, and neighborhood networks similar to Inner City Law Center activism, drawing comparisons to national campaigns like Fight for $15 and historical movements such as the Civil Rights Movement and the Chicano Movement in Southern California.

Mission and Activities

The stated mission centers on securing labor standards, improving contractor accountability, and ensuring community benefits in development projects influenced by agencies such as the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority and the Los Angeles World Airports. Activities have included policy advocacy before bodies like the Los Angeles City Council, campaign research akin to work by Economic Policy Institute and analysis reminiscent of Urban Institute reports, and coalition building with organizations like ACLU of Southern California and Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles. The organization has also engaged in public education efforts similar to initiatives by Public Rights Project and participatory research reminiscent of RAND Corporation local studies.

Organizing and Campaigns

Campaigns have targeted living wage ordinances, airport concessions, and contractor accountability tied to projects such as the Expo Line (Los Angeles Metro) expansion, the Crenshaw/LAX Line, and redevelopment around the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). The group’s tactics mirrored approaches used by Service Employees International Union campaigns, community benefit agreements (CBAs) used in cases like the Staples Center negotiations, and coalition strategies seen in Missions Housing. Major campaigns engaged elected officials including members of the California State Assembly, Los Angeles Mayor's Office, and county supervisors, while coordinating with partners such as LAANE-adjacent groups, labor coalitions like Jobs With Justice, and advocacy organizations such as Centro Community Clinic analogs.

Structure and Leadership

The organization’s structure has combined professional staff with community organizers, field directors, and research analysts, echoing organizational models used by groups like SEIU, United Way of Greater Los Angeles, and Bet Tzedek Legal Services. Leadership over time has included executive directors and board members drawn from backgrounds in labor law, urban planning, and community organizing, with strategic relations to institutions such as University of California, Los Angeles and California State University, Los Angeles. Governance practices included board oversight, donor advisory committees, and coalition steering committees similar to structures used by The California Endowment grantee organizations.

Funding and Partnerships

Funding sources have included foundation grants, labor contributions, and project-specific donations comparable to funding patterns seen with Ford Foundation, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, and Haymarket People's Fund support for regional advocacy. Partnerships spanned nonprofit networks including Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles, Chicana/o Studies departments at UCLA, legal partners resembling Public Counsel, and research collaborations akin to UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs. Contract and procurement campaigns often involved negotiations with public agencies such as the Los Angeles World Airports and the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

Impact and Criticism

The group has been credited with influencing living wage policies, contractor hiring standards, and community-benefit provisions in projects related to the Los Angeles International Airport, the Port of Los Angeles developments, and transit-oriented projects along corridors like Wilshire Boulevard. Supporters cite parallels to successful campaigns led by Fight for $15 and SEIU victories, while critics—including some business associations and trade groups such as the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce—have argued about potential impacts on contracting costs and project timelines similar to debates surrounding Prevailing wage rules and Project Labor Agreements. Academia and policy analysts from institutions like RAND Corporation and Economic Policy Institute have examined outcomes, and municipal studies by offices of officials in the Los Angeles City Council and Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors have assessed the organization’s influence on local procurement and labor standards.

Category:Nonprofit organizations based in Los Angeles