LA Residents Can Begin Deciding How City Should Spend Over $3 Million

Los Angeles residents can submit ideas beginning Thursday for how the city should spend more than $3 million in city funds through the city’s Civil + Human Rights and Equity Department’s LA REPAIR Participatory Budgeting Program.

Through October, residents in the neighborhoods of Boyle Heights, Mission Hills, Panorama City, North Hills and Southeast L.A. can submit program or service-based ideas at repair.lacity.org as part of the first round of the program.

The LA REPAIR program, established by Mayor Eric Garcetti in 2021, seeks to address institutional racism and historic inequities by allowing residents of communities that have been historically excluded to make decisions over public funding.

“LA REPAIR puts investing power directly into the hands of the people who have been most disenfranchised and oppressed,” Garcetti said. “I am proud of this program and all it will accomplish through empowering the people who should have the largest say in creating the change they want to see in their communities.”

There will be six more REPAIR Zones that start their budgetary process next year. Winning proposals will be chosen via a community vote, after all ideas are collected and community-based organizations respond to the ideas with proposed programs and service-based projects. 

Residents in the nine REPAIR zones in the city represent more than half of all Angelenos living in poverty, and all nine zones are composed of at least 87% people of color, according to the city. 

“LA REPAIR Participatory Budgeting offers an historic opportunity to make people-powered change in Los Angeles,” said Capri Maddox, executive director of the Civil + Human Rights and Equity Department. “For the first time, folks in underserved communities will be able to directly decide how city dollars are spent. If you have an idea to improve your community, we want to

hear from you.”