Local Advocacy Committee
While our Federal and State committees are focused on what’s happening in DC and Sacramento, the local committee works on political issues happening right here in our own backyard. We focus on building relationships with our city council members, county supervisors and neighborhood councils, advocating for progressive local policies and volunteering in our communities.
Sadly, the biggest problems facing our community right now are homelessness and a lack of affordable housing. Our committee is addressing these problems from multiple angles.
First, we’ve been advocating directly to our representatives, holding meetings with our city council members and their staff, which led to our very successful backyard chats with Councilmember Nithya Raman, a program we’re also working on establishing with Councilmember Krekorian. We use these relationships to continue to advocate for compassionate, service-based and trauma-informed care for our unhoused neighbors and to urge the city to build more affordable housing so that we can help keep people in their homes and find homes for those without them.
Second, we’ve been volunteering with NoHo Home Alliance at their drop-in and outreach programs. This gives us the unique perspective of meeting our unhoused neighbors face to face as we help them get food, clothes and navigate the bureaucratic process to get into the city’s housing system. We’ve also been working with Councilmember Raman and NoHoHome Alliance to expand outreach and support to the unhoused in Sherman Oaks where there has been a real lack of services. This direct contact helps us become stronger advocates and directly address the problem while we push the government in the right direction.
Finally, we continue to build relationships with other advocacy groups such as Abundant Housing LA and the NoHo Home Alliance advocacy table so that we can build a strong coalition pushing our city government representatives towards more progressive policies.
In 2022, we’re looking to meet with the Mayoral candidates and build a relationship with the new Mayor’s office, while continuing our work with City Council and our allies in the fight for a more just and equitable Los Angeles.