HACLA Board Authorizes Historic Community Workforce Agreement to Boost Local Hiring and Economic Growth

Los Angeles, CA - Today, the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA) Board of Commissioners authorized a landmark Community Workforce Agreement (CWA), a historic partnership with the Los Angeles/Orange County Building & Construction Trades Council designed to turn housing construction into a powerful engine for local wealth.

"At a time when there is so much economic upheaval, this partnership represents a pathway to financial stability and retirement security," said Mayor Karen Bass. "I want to thank the LA/OC Building and Construction Trades Council and HACLA for stepping up to help public housing residents secure union careers that will change their lives."

Coming on the 10-year anniversary of HACLA's Section 3 Program -- which has already generated 3,000+ local jobs -- this new CWA formalizes years of negotiations into a binding commitment. The agreement between HACLA and the Building Trades Council establishes clear labor practices across HACLA's future redevelopment projects, ensuring high-quality construction jobs and prioritizing economic opportunities for public housing and low-income residents.

"This historic labor agreement does more than build housing; it builds futures," said Lourdes Castro Ramirez, President & CEO of HACLA. "By formalizing our partnership with the skilled trades, we are securing a guaranteed labor pipeline to accelerate HACLA's affordable housing production goals for Los Angeles. Most importantly, we're ensuring that our residents are first in line for the life changing, career-sustaining jobs that foster generational wealth for Angelenos."

"This landmark agreement represents a new chapter in HACLA's history of community investment. As a Board, we are committed to maximizing the public good in every project we approve," said HACLA Board President Cielo Castro. "By turning our construction sites into living classrooms, we're rebuilding neighborhoods while helping families achieve economic stability."

The CWA establishes a rigorous five-year framework to scale the impact of HACLA's Section 3 initiatives. It mandates a goal that at least 25% of all labor hours on covered projects are performed by Section 3-eligible workers, with a specific hyper-local focus on residents living in public housing or immediate surrounding communities.

"Learning a trade is much more than just getting a job. It's an investment in yourself and into your community," said Ernesto Medrano, Executive Secretary of the LA/OC Building & Construction Trades Council. "This historic agreement enables us to create more pathways to middle-class careers for our neighbors and ensures quality results on future redevelopment projects."

Key highlights of the Community Workforce Agreement include:

• Priority Hiring: Prioritizes the recruitment and entry of HACLA residents into construction trades via union referral lists, with highest priority for residents of the sites at which the work is taking place.

• Labor Stability: Includes strict "no-strike" and "no-lockout" provisions, removing the risk of work stoppages and ensuring critical housing projects remain on schedule and on budget.

• Economic Opportunity: Provides pathways for HACLA residents into construction industry careers in partnership with the Unions who will host job fairs at HACLA public housing sites, facilitating preferred entry into union-sponsored apprenticeship programs.

• Unified Industry Standards: Levels the playing field by standardizing wages, benefits, and working conditions for all contractors and subcontractors engaged in HACLA's redevelopment portfolio.

Today's approval of this Community Workforce Agreement also follows the approval of the development of Rancho San Pedro by the Los Angeles City Council this week. Rancho San Pedro, a roughly 20-acre midcentury public housing development near the Port of Los Angeles, will be transformed into One San Pedro -- a multi-phase redevelopment of a 478-unit site into approximately 1,390 housing units, along with expanded community and commercial space.

"This agreement means good-paying jobs, real workforce opportunities, and a pathway for local residents to be part of building the future of their neighborhoods and beyond," said Councilmember Tim McOsker. "It reflects what is possible when we bring labor, public agencies, and communities together around a shared vision."

Work covered by the CWA will include new construction of 40 or more units at HACLA's 12 public housing developments. Through this agreement, HACLA and the unions are not just leveraging capital projects to serve as engines of local economic investment but ensuring that residents who have previously been left behind by the job market benefit with access to economic mobility reinforcing HACLA's leadership in "Investing in People and Place."

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About HACLA

The Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA), established in 1938, provides affordable housing, rental assistance, and supportive services to more than 200,000 Angelenos. Its administrative portfolio includes 164 properties - 12 of which are public housing developments - totaling over 12,000 units, along with more than 60,000 Housing Vouchers and Certificates through the Section 8 program. For more information, visit www.hacla.org.

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