Growing A Grassroots,

Green Jobs Movement in

South Los Angeles
February 2009
SCOPE

In 2006, over 500 people came together to call on policymakers to

bring good, green jobs to low-income communities like South Los Angeles.
Since then, thousands of Los Angeles residents have asked city leaders
for comprehensive policies that provide paths to quality green careers
and create healthier communities.
Primary Authors: Joanna Lee & Jennifer Ito

The contents of this report reflect the views of the authors who are responsible for the
facts and accuracy of the data presented herein.

We gratefully acknowledge the following foundations, whose support of our research and
organizing work made this report possible:

Catholic Campaign for Human Development

Annie E. Casey Foundation
French American Charitable Trust
Ford Foundation
James Irvine Foundation
Liberty Hill Foundation
Marguerite Casey Foundation
McKay Foundation
New World Foundation
Panta Rhea Foundation
United Way—Los Angeles Workforce Funders Collaborative
Unitarian Universalist Veatch Program at Shelter Rock

Special thanks to Jennifer Tran at the USC Program for Environmental & Regional Equity
for providing research support.

We would like to acknowledge the community members and organizers of AGENDA

and the Silver Lake Echo Park Metropolitan Alliance (SHEPMA). This paper highlights
their hard work and dedication to social and economic justice in Los Angeles.
— Marilyn Johnson, SCOPE Executive Director

ABOUT SCOPE (Strategic Concepts in Organizing and Policy Education)

Strategic Concepts in Organizing and Policy Education (SCOPE) is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that
seeks to reduce and eliminate structural barriers to social and economic opportunities for poor and eco-
nomically disadvantaged communities. SCOPE first evolved from Action for Grassroots Empowerment and
Neighborhood Development Alternatives (AGENDA), which was established after the 1992 civil unrest in
Los Angeles to address problems of poverty and underdevelopment in the inner-city communities of South
Los Angeles. After organizing South LA neighborhood residents around issues of police accountability, youth
education, and economic development, AGENDA initiated the Los Angeles Metropolitan Alliance, recognizing
that a regional strategy and structural change is critical to changing the conditions in South Los Angeles and
addressing the root causes of poverty. Working in alliance with other community organizations and labor
unions, SCOPE has created innovative initiatives that target regional industries, including entertainment, pub-
lic sector, health care and, most recently, green building. Our campaigns have resulted in thousands of qual-
ity career opportunities for poor and disadvantaged communities and offer models for effective economic
and workforce development strategies.

In 2006, SCOPE convened the Los Angeles Apollo Alliance, a partnership with grassroots community-based
groups, environmental organizations, labor unions and businesses aimed to ensure that low-income commu-
nities are strategically connected to the job creation and environmental returns of an emerging green econ-
omy. The Alliance seeks to create thousands of jobs in Los Angeles and create a replicable model of sus-
tainable environmental and economic development. For more information about SCOPE and the Los Ange-
les Apollo Alliance, please visit our website, www.scopela.org.
Iambitious
n the face of rising unemployment, Angelenos are looking for
alternatives to jumpstart the economy. The emerging
green economy can be a solution to ensuring a shared prosperity,
particularly for those who are struggling to make ends meet.

In 2006, over 500 people came together to call on
policymakers to bring good, green jobs to low-income
communities like South Los Angeles. Since then, thou-
sands of Los Angeles residents have asked city leaders
for comprehensive policies that provide paths to qual-
ity green careers and create healthier communities.
Will this new, green economic recovery be a high-road
strategy that ensures quality employment, environ-
mental sustainability, and long-lasting economic bene-
fits? Or will policymakers revert back to “work-first”
strategies that result in placing unemployed people in
temporary, dead-end jobs?

In 2007, “Green Jobs” was pushed into the mainstream
discourse following the national interest in global cli-
mate change spurred by Al Gore’s 2007 documentary,
An Inconvenient Truth, and legislative efforts such as
Hilda Solis’ (D-CA) Green Jobs Act of 2007.1 A green
jobs strategy seeks to solve the multiple problems of
climate change, dependence on an oil-based economy,
unemployment, and poverty. The recent federal eco-
nomic stimulus plan invests $110 billion in clean energy
and green jobs.2 Increasingly green jobs is seen as a
real strategy for reinvigorating our ailing economy.
As the economy continues to decline, the economi-
cally vulnerable – those unemployed and in extreme
poverty – will feel the effects most severely3 and will
need accessible pathways into family-supporting jobs.
There is momentum in Los Angeles for a new green
economy. Los Angeles leaders are attempting to re-
make the second largest city in the nation into the
“Greenest Big City in America” by encouraging the
greening of the private sector construction industry,
building green K-12 schools and community colleges
and promoting initiatives to bring clean tech manufac-
turers to the region.4
Inner-city communities not only support the develop-
ment of an equitable green economy but are a key
voice and important stakeholder. The economic crisis
is an opportunity to lay the foundation for a high-road
economic and workforce development strategy.

1
 In South Los Angeles, like many urban communities across
the nation, a growing number of people are facing a future
of diminishing economic and social opportunities.
Even before the current crises in global capital, the
housing market, and government deficits, inner-city
residents were struggling to keep food on the table,
maintain a roof over their heads, and get quality medical
attention.
Following the 1990s economic boom, Los Angeles was
one of only two major U.S. metropolitan areas in which
concentrated poverty increased between 1990 and
2000.5 According to Los Angeles-based Economic
Roundtable, poverty rates in Los Angeles city and
county have been higher than the state and nation since
1979.6 In 2006, the South Los Angeles’ poverty rate was
double that of the county as a whole.7 Based on the
2007 American Community Survey, poverty is still con-
centrated in the inner city, primarily in South Los Ange-
les.8 (See map 1.)
In addition, low levels of education lock out many in-
ner-city residents from quality jobs. According to the
2007 American Community Survey, almost half of South
Los Angeles adults ages 25 and older lack a high school
diploma. Just over one-quarter hold a high school di-
ploma.9 In a recession, the job market becomes more
competitive – and as a result, finding employment with
a limited educational background becomes significantly
more challenging.
High poverty rates are due, in part, to the industries
and occupations in which people are employed. As Ta-
ble 1 shows, South Los Angeles residents tend to be
employed in low-wage, less-skilled, less-stable indus-
tries. Many of these industries are not unionized and
may not include benefits such as healthcare insurance,
Communities like South Los Angeles need to be at the front
of the line of the benefits reaped from a green economy –
instead of merely hoping the prosperity trickles down.
2
or pensions and other worker protections. South Los
Angeles residents are most likely to be working as
maids and housekeepers, construction laborers, garden-
ers, cooks, childcare workers and personal / home care
aides.10 These jobs will be negatively impacted by a re-
cession.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, December
2008, unemployment for the Los Angeles-Long Beach-
Glendale metropolitan area is now 9.9%, up from 5.4%
in 2007.11 Map 2, based on 2007 American Community
Survey data, shows the concentration of unemploy-
ment.
As more people are pushed into joblessness and are
turned away from needed but under-funded services,
policymakers must take heed that struggling communi-
ties will become breeding grounds for crime and vio-
lence. Developing strategies to eradicate poverty is
critical to growing a vibrant regional green economy.12
46% of South Los Angeles Adults Have a High
School Education or Less While Only 10% have a
Bachelors degree or higher
High School Grad
26%
Some College
14%
Some High School
Associates Degree
18%
4%
Bachelors Degree or
Higher
Less than High 10%
School
28%
Source: 2007 American Community Survey, For the population 25+
 Table 1: Top 10 Industries employing South LA Residents
Industry Number
South Los Angeles Construction 25427
residents tend to be Cut and sew apparel manufacturing
Elementary and secondary schools
15228
12486
employed in Restaurants and other food services 11533

low-wage, less-skilled, Services to buildings and dwellings

Private households
9014
8771
less-stable industries. Hospitals 7695
Investigation and security services 6219
Child day care services 6090
Landscaping services 5573
Source: 2007 American Community Survey, (n=271,945)

Poverty and Unemployment rates are higher in South Los Angeles

than other communities in Los Angeles County
Map 1: Percentage of individuals in poverty, by PUMA LA CRESCENTA
MONTROSE
Map 2: Percentage of Unemployed, by PUMA LA CRESCENTA
MONTROSE
LA CANADA FLINTRIDGE ALTADENA
(Public Use Microdata Area) LA CANADA FLINTRIDGE ALTADENA
Public Use Microdata Area)
BURBANK BURBANK

GLENDALE GLENDALE

PASADENA PASADENA

UNIVERSAL UNIVERSAL

SAN MARINO SAN MARINO

SOUTH PASADENA FRANKLIN SOUTH PASADENA
FRANKLIN
DOHENY DOHENY
WEST HOLLYWOOD WEST HOLLYWOOD
ALHAMBRA ALHAMBRA
BEVERLY HILLS BEVERLY HILLS GILMORE
GILMORE

VETERANS ADMIN CENTER LOS ANGELES VETERANS ADMIN CENTER LOS ANGELES
MONTEREY PARK MONTEREY PARK
DOWNTOWN BELVEDERE DOWNTOWN BELVEDERE

SANTA MONICA EAST LOS ANGELES SANTA MONICA EAST LOS ANGELES

SOUTH LOS ANGELES SOUTH LOS ANGELES BANDINI

CULVER CITY BANDINI CULVER CITY
VERNON COMMERCE VERNON COMMERCE
LADERA HEIGHTSVIEW PARK LADERA HEIGHTSVIEW PARK
MAYWOOD MAYWOOD
CENTINELA CENTINELA
HUNTINGTON PARK HUNTINGTON PARK
MARINA DEL REY BELL PICO RIVERA MARINA DEL REY BELL PICO RIVERA
FLORENCE BELL GARDENS FLORENCE BELL GARDENS
WALNUT PARK CUDAHY WALNUT PARK CUDAHY
INGLEWOOD INGLEWOOD

SOUTH GATE SOUTH GATE

LENNOX DOWNEY LENNOX DOWNEY
WEST ATHENS WILLOWBROOK WEST ATHENS WILLOWBROOK
WILLOWBROOK LYNWOOD EAST COMPTON WILLOWBROOK LYNWOOD EAST COMPTON
HAWTHORNE HAWTHORNE
EL SEGUNDO EL SEGUNDO
DEL AIREALONDRA PARK DEL AIREALONDRA PARK
ATHENS ATHENS
EAST COMPTONPARAMOUNT EAST COMPTON PARAMOUNT
GARDENA WEST COMPTON COMPTON GARDENA WEST COMPTON COMPTON
MANHATTAN BEACH LAWNDALEEL CAMINO VILLAGE BELLFLOWER MANHATTAN BEACHLAWNDALEEL CAMINO VILLAGE BELLFLOWER
EAST COMPTON EAST COMPTON

HERMOSA BEACH HERMOSA BEACH

REDONDO BEACH DOMINGUEZ REDONDO BEACH DOMINGUEZ
LAKEWOOD LAKEWOOD

CARSON TORRANCE CARSON

TORRANCE
WEST CARSON BONNER WEST CARSON BONNER

SIGNAL HILL SIGNAL HILL

Cities Cities LOMITA
LOMITA
City of LA PALOS VERDES ESTATESROLLING HILLS ESTATES PALOS VERDES ESTATESROLLING HILLS ESTATES
City of LA
OCEAN VIEW OCEAN VIEW
Freeways Freeways
ROLLING HILLS ROLLING HILLS
Los Angeles County RANCHO PALOS VERDES
LONG BEACH Los Angeles County
RANCHO PALOS VERDES
LONG BEACH

% in poverty % unemployed
LA RAMBLA LA RAMBLA
4% - 7% 2% - 3%
8% - 11% 4%
12% - 17% 5%
18% - 25% 6%
26% - 36%

Source: 2007 American Community Survey N 7%

Source: 2007 American Community Survey N

Source: 2007 American Community Survey 3
 Ensuring that the promise of a green economy will benefit low-
income communities requires a powerful and credible voice in
public policy decisions from communities most impacted under
the “dirty economy.”
Los Angeles’ inner-city residents have been leading the
effort to build a grassroots, green jobs movement.
For the past three years, community organizations like
AGENDA and Silver Lake Hollywood Echo Park Met-
ropolitan Alliance (SHEPMA), the grassroots organiz-
ing projects of SCOPE,13 have been door-knocking,
surveying, holding meetings and educationals so that
thousands of inner-city residents can shape a vision for
a more inclusive economy.
The grassroots motivation for green jobs stems from
the everyday concerns of poor health and bad jobs
that disproportionately affect low-income communities
of color. In a 2006 door-to-door organizing effort, a
group of 45 African American and Latino residents
from South and Central Los Angeles talked to over
500 of their neighbors about their health conditions
and contributing environmental and economic factors.
Of the households that were surveyed, 38% were af-
fected by asthma, 33% by diabetes, and 24% by cancer.
When green job creation was discussed as a solution
to create healthier, sustainable communities, about half
(51%) of the people surveyed expressed interest in
getting involved in the green jobs movement.14
According to a survey compiled in Fall 2008,15 South
LA residents believe that investing in clean energy lo-
cally can improve their communities through job crea-
tion, cleaner air, and more parks and open space. Resi-
dents want the government to take an active role in
bringing green jobs into poor and working class com-
munities. They also want the government to be a
leader in funding programs that reduce air pollution to
make healthier communities and attract green manu-
facturing businesses. Almost 9,000 residents (98% of
those surveyed16) believe that government should be a
leader in funding jobs programs.
Although residents are interested in green jobs, they
are skeptical that benefits will reach them unless there
are policies and programs explicitly targeting low-
income communities. Overwhelmingly, 93% of resi-
dents felt that their community needs training pro-
grams with support services to ensure access to good
jobs and improve the education and skills needed for
good paying jobs. In the same survey, over 94% of resi-
dents said the city should bring solar panels and other
environmental technologies to inner-city communi-
ties.17
Through delegations and mobilizations to city council
meetings and other events, hundreds have shared this
vision with state and local legislators.
South Los Angeles Residents Believe Investing in
Clean Energy Can Improve Their Community
9%
3%
88%
Jobs
Clean Air
Resident survey completed by SCOPE
More parks/open space
Fall 2008, n=8,956

“We need green buildings and clean

technology in our community. It’s
time to invest in South LA to improve
our quality of life.”
— South LA resident

4
 “We’re surrounded by
freeways, our children have
asthma — invest in green
development to clean up our
community”
— South LA resident

South Los Angeles Surveyed: By the Numbers

Almost 2 in 5 South Los Angeles families are affected by asthma

Over 75% of residents are employed in low-wage, low-skilled jobs

5,000 signatures collected asking city leaders to create green jobs

Almost 9,000 South Los Angeles residents

think that their community needs the green
economy to provide jobs in their neighbor-
hood

94% of residents want solar panels and en-

vironmental technologies brought to inner-
city communities

5
 “...I have lived in South Los Angeles for 20 years. I have seen all the
good paying jobs leave my community. It’s time to invest in South Los
Angeles and create good-paying jobs in our green industry for our
youth and people like myself.” – South Los Angeles resident

cupations in several industries that is accessible for

The message is clear: low-income
communities want an investment
in green jobs. However, developing an equita-
ble green jobs policy, in light of the current economic
climate and faced with reductions in public programs
and services, requires creative solutions. Research
shows that green building retrofits provide an oppor-
tunity to leverage public investment to stimulate the
local economy. With over one million square feet of
buildings, the city can reinvest in its own infrastructure
while providing career ladder opportunities for resi-
dents.18
Based on experiences from community members, de-
veloping equitable economic and workforce develop-
ment policies and programs is critical in order to cre-
ate quality jobs. Criteria for quality jobs includes 1)
paying wages that lead to economic self-sufficiency, 2)
providing employee benefits, such as health insurance,
paid vacation, and sick days and 3) providing a safe and
healthy working environment that meets workers’
needs and rights.19
In addition, growing an equitable green economy in
Los Angeles means ensuring that all communities have
access to training and placement in quality, career-
ladder jobs. A true green jobs strategy must be tied to
workforce development and training so that all resi-
dents can benefit from regional economic growth.
Research also shows that there is a diverse set of oc-
workers at all levels.20 Economic development policies
must be tied to programs that address the diverse
needs of unemployed job seekers and underemployed
workers to ensure their access to green careers.
Job training and education have become vital to the
economic mobility of distressed workers and job seek-
ers. While the need for public sector investment in
training and education has increased, public policy has
not been effective in providing training and employment
programs that benefit low-income communities of
color. The emphasis of workforce development is too
often focused on rushing people into low-wage, entry-
level positions rather than allowing them to access
training and education, which lead to higher-paid,
higher-skilled positions.
Individuals struggling to make ends meet come from
diverse backgrounds, languages, culture, and experi-
ences and face a combination of socio-economic, geo-
graphic, and political barriers. Common barriers to em-
ployment include: lack of legal documentation to work,
substance abuse and dependency, Limited English Profi-
ciency, lack of a high school diploma or equivalent, geo-
graphic distance from quality jobs, lack of basic aca-
demic skills, and felony records. Less tangible barriers
include lack of a job-ready mind-set and attitude and
lack of connection points to formal or informal net-
works for job referrals.21 Equitable green workforce
development strategies must include solutions to ad-
dress barriers to employment.

6
 “Right now, elected officials
have an enormous opportunity
and responsibility to take ac-
tion on global warming.”
— South LA resident

Connecting Unemployed to the Green Construction Career Ladder

Initial industry and occupational research point to the potential of creating new or up-
grading existing jobs in construction, manufacturing, and maintenance sectors through
a green building initiative. According to the Economic Roundtable, construction jobs
account for six of the city’s top 20 green technology occupations.22 The construction
occupations that can become “green” range from entry-level union jobs as apprentices
in buildings and trades to high-skilled journeymen. Additionally, construction industry
career ladders allow workers, who earn entry-level wages of around $11 an hour, to
become advanced skilled workers such as plumbers, sheet-metal workers and electri-
cians who can earn up to $67,316 annually.23 However, for those interested in the
construction trades, there are the additional barriers of a lack of access to an insured
and reliable vehicle and the lack of physical fitness necessary for physically demanding
trades. A program which seeks to connect unemployed and under-skilled residents to
quality jobs must be prepared to take on any combination
of these barriers. An important support to ensure success
is income security and other direct material supports. Re-
search has shown substantial increases in earnings through
programs that provide financial incentives for training.
There are few people who can afford even eight weeks of
unpaid training that is required for a pre-apprenticeship
program. It is essential that case managers work with par-
ticipants to ensure continuation of and enrollment in all
benefit programs for which a participant is eligible. The
program also needs to budget for appropriate work
clothes and tools necessary to begin work or an appren-
ticeship program.
7
 Los Angeles’ inner-city residents are organized for change. In a year that
galvanized millions to become involved in a grassroots national movement for change, Los Angeles’
low-income communities came together to call on civic leaders to revive the inner city. Residents
wrote letters, signed petitions, testified at City Hall and met with civic leaders to share their vision for
an equitable green economy. Three years ago, the grassroots green jobs movement began in the
homes of families who were eager for real solutions to the problems of unemployment and poverty.
Today residents have brought forward a proposal to city leaders to create an innovative green building
retrofit initiative that would not only improve deteriorating public infrastructure but also help cultivate
a local green workforce through hiring unemployed disadvantaged workers.

Residents from communities like South Los Angeles are continuing to organize their neighbors to fight
for long-term economic and workforce investments that provide real solutions to unemployment, pov-
erty and blight. As federal economic stimulus dollars are allocated, a community-led green jobs move-
ment is even more critical to ensure that investments result in new, family-supporting careers and
cleaner neighborhoods throughout the city.

8
References
1. Passed on December 19, 2007 as part of HR 6, The Energy Independence and Security Act. http://www.govtrack.us/
congress/bill.xpd?bill=h110-6
2. American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan. http://www.recovery.org.
3. United Way of Greater Los Angeles. A Profile of L.A.’s Poor in Turbulent Times. January 2009. United Way of Greater Los
Angeles, http://www.unitedwayla.org/getinformed/rr/Documents/2009LAEconomyresearchbrief.pdf
4. See http://www.ciwmb.ca.gov/GreenBuilding/; http://www.laccdbuildsgreen.org/; http://www.cleantechlosangeles.org
5. Michael Matsunaga. Concentrated Poverty. February 2008. Economic Roundtable.
6. Ibid.
7. Ong, Paul, et al. The State of South LA. August 2008. UCLA School of Public Affairs.
8. American Community Survey 2007 U.S. Census, by Public Use Microdata Area.
9. Ibid.
10. Ibid.
11. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale Metropolitan Area, Bureau of Labor Statistics. Civilian labor force and unemployment
rate by state and selected area, seasonally-adjusted. Released January 27, 2009.
12. Pastor, Jr., Manuel, Peter Dreier, J. Eugene Grigsby III and Marta Lopez-Garza. 2000. Regions that Work: How Cities and
Suburbs Can Grow Together. Minnesota: University of Minnesota Press. In Regions that work, researchers found that
improvements in metro-level equity will spur regional growth, even accounting for the fact that growth will itself
diminish poverty & inequality.
13. For more information on AGENDA and SHEPMA, please visit www.scopela.org.
14. Based on a 6-week health education / organizing drive targeting 400 voters in South Los Angeles during February-March
2006 which included door-to-door outreach and house meetings. n=384.
15. Based on a 4-week survey between October and November, 2008, targeting 10,000 voters in South Los Angeles.
16. Total answers for this survey question: 9,097.
17. Based on a fall 2007 Green Jobs survey of over 530 residents.
18. Lee, Joanna, Angela Bowden and Jennifer Ito. May 2007. “Green Cities, Green Jobs.” SCOPE.
19. Ito, Jennifer & Yardenna Aaron. April 2005. “Under the Line.” SCOPE.
20. Communities for a Better Environment. “Building a Regional Voice for Environmental Justice.” September 2004.
21. Lee, Joanna and Jennifer Ito. February 2009. “A Greener Future for Los Angeles.” SCOPE.
22. Burns, Patrick and Dan Flaming. 2006. “Jobs in L.A.’s Green Technology Sector.” Economic Roundtable.
23. Based on annual salary for electricians according to the California Employment Development Deparment Occupational
Employment Statistics Survey, 2008. http://www.labormarketinfo.edd.ca.gov

9
SCOPE (STRATEGIC CONCEPTS IN ORGANIZING AND POLICY EDUCATION)
1715 W FLORENCE AVE, LOS ANGELES, CA 90047
323-789-7920 PHONE • 323-789-7939 FAX • WWW.SCOPELA.ORG