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A National Movement for Economic & Social Justice
The Partnership for Working Families is creating a new model for urban growth and grassroots activism in major metropolitan regions across the United States, by supporting local organizations and bringing them together in a national network. More |
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Economic Development Research and Publications
Community Benefits Agreements: Making Development Projects Accountable (2005)
 How can communities ensure that development projects respond to the real needs of residents and working families? This report offers an in-depth guide to creating legally enforceable agreements that guarantee quality jobs, local hiring, affordable housing, and other neighborhood benefits. Read |
Taking Care of Business: An Evaluation of the Los Angeles
Business Team
 The Los Angeles Business Team (LABT), created in 1995 by Mayor Richard Riordan, has been widely touted for its role in promoting job growth and economic development in Los Angeles. This study analyzes the LABT, and finds it lacking in some crucial areas:
- Job quality has not been a criterion in selecting firms for assistance
- Retail assistance has not primarily targeted under-served communities.
- The LABT has not targeted high-growth industries
“Taking Care of Business” outlines numerous recommendations to improve the performance of the LABT. The study thus points toward a new kind of economic development policy, one based on the principles of promoting good jobs, supporting key regional industries and ensuring an open, accountable decision-making process.
 Executive Summary
Complete Report
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Who Benefits From Redevelopment in Los Angeles?: An Evaluation of Commercial Development Activities in the 1990s
 Los Angeles’ Community Redevelopment Agency wields enormous power, making critical decisions on everything from affordable housing to transportation to childcare. This study looks at the CRA’s activities in the area of commercial development, evaluating how public funds were spent and what taxpayers and communities received from that investment. Analyzing nine development projects, the report makes some important findings:
- The CRA overinvested in retail development, creating many part-time, low-wage jobs
- The CRA underinvested in industrial development, which tend to offer higher-paying jobs
- Large subsidies for retail projects did not yield comparable tax revenues.
“Who Benefits From Redevelopment” recommends some fundamental changes in CRA policy, including the adoption of a living wage for commercial redevelopment projects. The report has had a significant impact on the CRA, and serves as a blueprint for understanding and influencing one of city government’s most powerful institutions.
Executive Summary
Complete Report
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