In honor of Second Chance Month, Los Angeles County officials Thursday touted helping 2,594 formerly incarcerated individuals through a hiring campaign.
The county created its Fair Chance Hiring Campaign in 2019, an initiative to help formerly incarcerated individuals find employment or enter training programs. It also serves to mark Second Chance Month in April, which is a county-recognized observance of efforts that support formerly incarcerated, or so-called “justice-impacted,” individuals returning home through reentry programs and trauma-informed care.
The Department of Economic Opportunity oversees the county’s public workforce system with America’s Job Centers of California, as well as programs that provide targeted outreach, training, paid work experiences and jobs.
Part of this work includes a commitment to a more equitable economy.
“Second Chance Month is a powerful reminder that every person deserves the opportunity to rebuild their life with dignity, purpose, and hope,” Solis said in a statement. “I have advanced the Fair Chance Ordinance because justice-impacted individuals should not be defined by their past, and unnecessary barriers to employment must be removed if we are serious about building a truly fair economy.”
In 2024, the county approved Fair Chance Ordinances, which were introduced by Supervisors Hilda Solis and Holly Mitchell. The ordinances are aimed at reducing barriers to jobs for formerly incarcerated individuals, filling skill and labor gaps across sectors, and directing financial penalties for employers who fail to comply with the new laws.
State officials first passed the California Fair Chance Act in 2018.
“Every person returning home deserves a real shot at economic stability, and that starts with a fair chance to work,” Mitchell said in a statement.
DEO is expected to host the following county-sponsored Second Chance Month events:
— Saturday, Flintridge Park Day at McDonald Park;
— April 20, DOORS AV Second Chance Month Pop-Up;
— April 23, Re-entry Resource and Wellness Fair;
— April 27, DOORS AV Second Chance Month Pop-Up; and
— April 29, Long Beach Community Empowerment Resource Fair.
More information on the events can be found at jcod.lacounty.gov/event/jcod-second-chance-month-events.