Program would help at-risk L.A. residents get construction jobs

Under a policy approved this year by the redevelopment agency and the Los Angeles City Council and endorsed by Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, officials are ironing out the final details of a system under which low-income residents would be hired on some construction projects that use Community Redevelopment Agency funding.

The Construction Careers and Project Stabilization Policy has won the backing of elected officials, religious leaders, the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor and a nonprofit advocacy group called the Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy. It also has gained at least begrudging acceptance by some contractors that are struggling through a difficult economy and would rather not be burdened with additional costs or requirements.

"It's a particularly innovative program, and it's rare to get this many constituencies on the same page," said Harley Shaiken, a UC Berkeley professor specializing in labor issues.

Such widespread support "indicates a real desire to make this work and it reflects the potential benefits: quality work for the employers, high-wage jobs and, for the community, a more stable environment in those neighborhoods," Shaiken said.

"And for those who get the jobs, it's a second chance."

The policy would apply, with some exceptions, to contractors on Community Redevelopment Agency-subsidized projects that involve at least $500,000 in public improvement funds or $1 million in CRA investment.

It would potentially cover 15,000 construction jobs over the next five years, the agency said. Three out of every 10 of those jobs would go to local residents who live in areas targeted by CRA development, and 10% of those would go to residents considered to be "at risk." Private contractors would be the employers, and the people they hire would be new entrants to union apprenticeship programs.

In some ways, it could hardly be a more difficult time to build acceptance for such a program among businesses, judging by a study released last week.

UC Berkeley's Center for Labor Research and Education found that housing construction job losses "have begun to filter into the commercial construction sector," said Sylvia Allegretto, one of the report's authors.