Work, Wages and Income Research and Publications

Century Corridor-Turning the Gateway to Los Angeles into a Gateway to Prosperity

A new white paper calls on the city of Los Angeles and industry leaders to invest in the Century Corridor near LAX and its workforce. LAANE is working closely with community and labor leaders, workers and residents seeking to revitalize the area. A proposed “Plan for a New Century” would improve conditions for thousands of hotel workers, adjacent communities struggling with poverty, the LAX tourism industry, hotels and the entire city of Los Angeles. Read

City at a Crossroads: Poverty, Jobs and the Future of Los Angeles

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

Undertrained, Underpaid and Unprepared: How L.A.'s Commercial Office Building Owners Are Failing Security Officers and Compromising Public Safety

This new report released by LAANE and the Stand for Security Coalition finds that high turnover and inadequate training among security officers pose a serious threat to public safety at office buildings throughout Los Angeles. The report finds that turnover rates among security officers ranges from 60 to 243 percent annually at high-rise office buildings. Read

Examining The Evidence: The Impact of the Los Angeles Living Wage Ordinance on Workers and Businesses

This study of the Los Angeles living wage ordinance represents the most definitive analysis to date of a living wage law's impact on workers and employers. Written by University of California economists and LAANE researchers, it provides important new insights on the effects of living wage policies, which have been adopted by more than 120 local governments around the country. The study's findings are based on three original random-sample surveys of workers and firms. More

The Other Los Angeles: The Working Poor in the City of the 21st Century

Los Angeles, known as the glittering entertainment center of the world, is also the nation’s capital of the working poor. That’s the conclusion of this groundbreaking study, which documents the epidemic of working poverty in Los Angeles. Among its findings:

During the 1990s, poor families rose from 36 to 43 percent of the county's population
4.1 million people in L.A. County are poor enough to qualify for government anti-poverty assistance
The number of working poor increased by 34% while overall employment increased by less than 5% in the 1990s
Latinos account for more than 70 percent of the working poor
Nearly 60 percent of L.A.’s working poor do not have health care coverage

At the same time, the study offers reason for hope in L.A.’s reinvigorated labor movement, as well as the growing involvement of community and religious leaders in campaigns to improve wages and benefits for the working poor. Combining meticulous research with pragmatic policy recommendations, “The Other Los Angeles” is a wake-up call to policymakers, business leaders and all those who care about the future of L.A.

Executive Summary
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