A Strategic Actions for a Just Economy (SAJE) publication on organizing in the Figueroa Corridor.

As part of an effort to promote Los Angeles redevelopment that integrates social and economic justice, the UCLA Labor Center collaborated with the Partnership for Working Families to hold the first Community Benefits Agreement Institute at the offices of the Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy (LAANE). The event, made possible by the support of the Liberty Hill Foundation, drew seventy-two leaders, staff, and activists from labor, community, environmental, affordable housing, and faith-based groups in Southern California.

Community Benefits Agreements (CBAs)—deals between community coalitions and developers addressing a broad range of community needs—ensure that communities share in the benefits of major development. CBAs allow community groups to take an active role in shaping a project, first pressing for benefits that are tailored to their needs, and later enforcing commitments made by developers.

The institute’s morning session covered the elements of community benefits campaigns—strategic research, coalition building, legal strategy, and community organizing. The afternoon session was devoted to small working groups grappling with issues such as building unity among coalition partners, finding and using leverage, and sustaining participation in the implementation phase of CBAs.

Organizations cosponsoring the event included District Council 36 IUPAT, LAANE, the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, Los Angeles/Orange County Organizing Committee, SAJE, Southern California Association of Non-Profit Housing (SCANPH), SEIU Local 1877, UNITE HERE Local 11, Collective Space, East Los Angeles Community Corporation, and the Environmental Defense Fund.