WHAT WE DO

We are motivated by a mandate of cooperative sharing, which has us engaged in research, acting as community advocates, building communities, designing and offering training programs, and facilitating dialogues. The common thread that links all of our work is the desire to enhance understanding and respect among all of the people, who reside and work in this great City of ours.

Here is how all of this comes to pass:

Research

In 1998, the Commission began compiling a "human relations database." In it, neighborhood resources were catalogued, public and private schools were identified, service organizations and training centers were highlighted, the deployment of governmental and nongovernmental agencies was cited, community economic development strategies were described, and changes in racial-ethnic-class demographics within neighborhoods were discussed.

Today and on an on-going basis, the Commission's Field Team visits each City Council District and meets with stakeholders residing and/or working in these communities. They track constituents' perceptions of the City's ever-shifting demographic make-up and record how this change impacts the local economy, intergroup and police-community relations, and the school system found in each area.

This information is used to pinpoint areas of potential group conflict, and we then advise the Mayor and the City Council on measures that will vastly improve the status of human relations in those neighborhoods.

Evaluation

In 1999, our Commission held public hearings and published a report entitled "Los Angeles At The 21st Century - An Assessment of Race and Human Relations." It traced the history of intergroup conflict in Los Angeles and showed how prejudice, competition among groups over limited resources, and an unequal distribution of political power among groups led to the existence of huge societal chasms. Ways of closing these gaps were then recommended.

Subsequently, we hosted an all-day symposium on gang violence in 2003 and, in 2004, we facilitated a series of public gatherings, which focused on the necessity of ridding our community of hate crimes and hate language.

As a result of these and other community events that we host and/or co-sponsor, the Commission continually monitors developments in the following issue-areas, so we may make an impact by establishing and then implementing policies, programs and projects - all of which are designed to enhance intergroup relations throughout Los Angeles:

• Immigration and Housing Discrimination
• Criminal Justice and Public Safety
• Youth and Community
• Civic Engagement
• Violence in Schools
• Education
• Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Concerns
• Economic Development
• An Open and Accessible Government

Working with local, state and federal government personnel, as well as with community-based organizations, our staff serves on panels, Mayoral task forces and ad hoc committees that develop city policies in these issue-areas. Our responsibility is to help ensure that these processes, and their resulting policies, are unconditionally inclusive, so as to be certain that they reflect the needs and interests of all City residents.

Support/Interventions

With our database well established, and the visibility of the Commission raised to an all time high level, our Field Team now functions as the "eyes and ears" for the Mayor, City Council Members and many City Departments. Led by our Deputy Director of Field Services, Patricia Villaseñor, currently ten (10) Policy Advisors focus on the following issues, and they concentrate on these particular geographic areas:

Policymaking

The Commission urges each Angeleno to be involved in those community activites that benefit everyone who resides, works and/or visits Los Angeles. Our outreach efforts are many and varied.

For example, we are actively engaged in helping to establish and maintain Neighborhood Councils throughout the City, and work hand-in-hand with - and at the request of - the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment to help make each Council inclusive and effective.

Our primary role is to ensure that all interested individuals and groups are allowed to participate in the deliberations of their own certified Neighborhood Council. We assist every new such entity to develop its by-laws and elections procedures so that everyone is assured that they are inclusive. We provide leadership training for new board members, and facilitate meetings, which show participants ways that tensions may be reduced during highly charged constituent discussions. We also serve as the Final Decision-Maker when an election is challenged.

Training

Both short-term and long-tern training programs are central to our work with City departments, Neighborhood Councils, community groups, government agencies and public schools throughout the community. Our staff is trained to provide classes for individuals and groups in:

•  Conflict Management (classrooms, school campus, community and home) Human Relations Awareness Intra/Inter-group Dynamics
•  Cultural Consciousness in A Diverse Society

While these are the general topics, which we usually are called on to teach, that does not mean that the same material is used over and over again. Instead, we pride ourselves in taking an extra step by interviewing potential trainees, surveying residents, and reviewing economic and demographic data before assembling our classroom materials. By these means, we tailor each session's approach and contents, so we and our trainees may be certain that these sessions meet those real world conditions experienced by the men and women whom we've been asked to train.

Sponsorship

In our efforts to motivate increasingly large numbers of City residents to be engaged in an ethic of cooperative sharing, we sponsor programs conducted by community-based organizations, which are engaged in fostering intergroup dialogues, community work projects, leadership development, suggesting conflict resolution strategies, and/or offering cultural diversity training.

For additional information about the Human Relations Commission of the City of Los Angeles, and details about our programs, some funding opportunities, and possible program and project sponsorship, please call (213) 978-1660 or click the "contact us" link at the top-left of this web page.

As a covered entity under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the City of Los Angeles does not discriminate on the basis of disability and, upon request, we will provide reasonable accommodation to ensure equal access to our programs, services and activities.