Building the

1

• Building the
• Future of Los Angeles

Joy Chen, Deputy Mayor, City of Los
Angeles 213-978-1965 jchen_at_mayor.lacity.org March
2004
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Human capital is the most important driver of a
regional economy

• Keep your tax incentives
• and highway interchanges. We will go where the
  highly skilled people are.

--HP CEO Carly Fiorina, National Governors
Association
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USA increasingly white-collar
Employment by Occupation - Percent of Total
Non-Farm Labor Force 1940 - 2001
Source Employment Policy Foundation
tabulations of Census data and Current Population
Survey data, March Annual Demographic and Income
Supplement.
4
Most new jobs require college
Employment Increase by Education Level Age 25 ,
1996-2001
Million
Source Employment Policy Foundation
Tabulations of Bureau of Labor Statistics/Census
Current Population Survey Data.
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Education ticket from poverty
Adults Age 20 Working Full-Time, California,
2000 Source Census 2000 Public Use Microdata
for California.

• Best predictor of a persons income his/her
  education rate
• 70 of adults who are poor have low literacy
• Of adults with strong literacy skills, under 5
  live in poverty

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How Los Angeles measures up
Adults Age 20, County of Los Angeles, December
2001
Source Employment Policy Foundation
Tabulations of Bureau of Labor Statistics/Census
Current Population Survey Data.

• L.A. has the highest proportion of
  undereducated adults of any major metro in the
  U.S.
• LA has the largest poverty population of any
  metro in the U.S.

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Wide achievement gaps exist
Adults Age 20-64, County of Los Angeles, March
2001
Source US Current Population Survey, March
2001, U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Department of
Commerce.
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L.A.s situation is worsening
Latinos Age 20-64, County of Los Angeles, March
2001
Source US Current Population Survey, March
2001, U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Department of
Commerce.

• Best predictor of a persons academic
  achievement parents education rate
• To break intergenerational cycle of poverty,
  low literacy and low economic productivity, we
  must focus on adult education

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The Impacts of Low Literacy

• Low-literacy is a public safety issue
• People without skills to succeed in mainstream
  society have a higher propensity to turn to crime
• Over 70 of adult inmates have limited literacy
  skills
• Low-literacy is a public health issue
• Childrens health status is heavily tied to
  parents education rate
• Family head gtHS 2 of kids in poor health, 62
  in excellent health
• Family head ltHS 16 of kids in poor health, 37
  in excellent health
• Low-literate families incur medical expenses up
  to four times greater than others, adding up to
  massive new costs to society for unnecessary
  doctor visits and hospital stays.
• 54 of L.A. households dont speak English at
  home
• Nationally, two-thirds of people in such
  households cannot read the directions on a
  medicine bottle.
• Existing literacy programs reach only 10 of
  those in need
• Nationally, 50 of participants drop out within
  three weeks

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The Solution Literacy _at_ Work
Workforce Literacy is the combination of basic
skills needed to secure, maintain, and advance in
careers in a changing economy. Workforce
literacy skills include basic English, math,
problem solving and computer skills.

• Core Partners L.A. Workforce Literacy Project
• City of Los Angeles
• Literacy Network of Greater Los Angeles
• United Way of Greater Los Angeles
• Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce
• Los Angeles City Workforce Investment Board
• Los Angeles Unified School District
• Los Angeles Community Colleges District
• University of Southern California
• AFL-CIO Member Unions

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Goal Strengthen Expand
Strengthen and expand existing services and
create an effective, coordinated regional system

• First Annual Report on the State of Adult
  Literacy in L.A.
• First-ever baseline analysis of literacy needs by
  neighborhood
• Action Plan for workforce literacy with
  measurable targets
• Federal, state, private funding stream analysis
  and plan for leveraging funds
• Outreach campaign for low-literacy populations,
  with new coordinated system of referrals,
  monitoring and tracking
• Implementation of action plan by public private
  sector partners, resulting in increased wages and
  productivity
• Process evaluation conducted by USC Rossier
  School of Education

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Seen and heard about Literacy_at_Work
Thankfully, the city is launching a long-term
effort to change illiteracy issues. The
Workforce Literacy Project is not some shot in
the dark, but rather a program that builds on the
success of the regions network of community
collegesThe truth is, the advantage of Southern
Californias workforce is its potential. The
region has large numbers of willing employees,
who now toil long hours for little money, but
whose productivity and incomes can grow
dramatically if they can expand their
education. Los Angeles Times, James
Flanigan Wednesday, August 13, 2003
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Seen and heard about Literacy_at_Work
This goes to the heart of the city and economic
development. We can pass all the tax incentives
we want, but the high-tech and the high-wage jobs
will not come to Los Angeles unless we have an
educated work force. Councilman Antonio
Villaraigosa as quoted in Los Angeles Daily News,
Thursday, August 7, 2003
Finally, the L.A. Workforce Literacy Project
will develop a plan to increase the participation
in literacy services, from 10 to 100, and the
education increases will be quantified in wage
improvements. La Opinión, Jose
Fuentes-Salinas Thursday, August 7, 2003
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Seen and heard about Literacy_at_Work
Partners include 140 business, education and
literacy organizations, to mobilize and assist
employees with low English proficiency to improve
their English skills. Sing Tao Daily, Charles
Ding August 23, 2003
Mayor of Los Angeles James Hahn is announcing a
plan to improve the abilities to read and write
among adults in the cityand is launching a
campaign to reinforce the state and federal
literacy programs and convince companies and
workers that they will benefit financially if
they take advantage of this opportunity. Telemun
do, KVEA August 7, 2003
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No choice but to succeed

• LA has enormous assets
• Courageous, energetic, workforce from all over
  the world to make a better life
• The potential in our workforce and our children
  can be unleashed by expanding access to education
  and skills
• L.A.s future requires community building
• Requires a New Partnership of leaders from
  business, labor, education, non-profits, and
  government
• A highly literate workforce is essential to LAs
  sustainable economic growth
• higher literacy ? higher income productivity ?
  stronger economy ? dynamic, sustainable
  communities