Liberty Hill in the Community
At Liberty Hill our work is focused on Los Angeles County, because we understand that what happens in L.A. often influences the nation.
Measures H and ULA Pass!
Liberty Hill celebrated the passing of Pasadena Measure H and Measure United to House L.A. this year! These key progressive wins were big steps forward in providing critical funding—approximately $875 million over 10 years for Measure ULA—and directly supporting those at risk of homelessness, including low-income seniors and people with disabilities. Our partners spent many days doing direct voter outreach, knocking on doors, and building the power that led to these historic wins. The support of individuals, along with a broad coalition of Los Angeles and Pasadena community organizations, labor unions, community members, and grantee partners, made these amazing victories possible.
Liberty Hill Visits the White House for EJ Executive Order Signing
Liberty Hill’s Senior Director of Environmental & Climate Justice Angelo Logan, member of the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council, joined a special event at The White House to witness President Biden’s signing of an Environmental Justice Executive Order. The Executive Order expands the administration’s climate and environmental justice efforts nationwide, and is an important step for the Liberty Hill community in securing additional federal funding and support for our local fight for environmental justice.
Financial Wellness Series Builds Strategic Muscle
As part of our ongoing capacity-building strategy to equip our grantee partners with the tools they need to engage in long-term power building and movement building, Liberty Hill launched a new Financial Wellness series in 2023. The five-part series—co-designed and facilitated by Tres Lunas Consulting—provided group coaching, peer support, and training to 19 participants from across 14 organizations, and examined various topics related to organizational financial wellness, including budgeting and financial management. Through collaboration and capacity-building opportunities like this one, Liberty Hill hopes that our grantees and community partners will have access to the tools and resources they need to advance their local movements.
Spaces, collectives, and relationships that foundations like Liberty Hill have been able to create with others have really allowed us to redefine what power is.
SoCal Convening: Building Bridges to a Brighter Future
Liberty Hill partnered with the California Funders for Boys and Men of Color (CFBMoC) Southern California Regional Action Committee to host the “Building Bridges to Transformation” convening on the future of youth development in L.A. County. Policy, government, and community leaders—including L.A. County Supervisor Holly Mitchell, L.A. City Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez, and CA State Assemblymember Isaac Bryan—spoke on the work to end youth incarceration as we know it, and invest in restorative, community-based solutions that promote safety and well-being for boys and men of color, as well as girls and gender-expansive youth. Guests also heard from representatives from the California Office of Youth & Community Restoration, Los Angeles County Department of Youth Development, and Liberty Hill community partners from Children’s Defense Fund and Youth Justice Coalition on solutions to transform the youth justice system.
We brought together elected officials, foundation representatives, individual donors, researchers, community organizers, advocates and youth with the main purpose of fostering connections, building relationships, and uncovering shared areas of commonality.
Programs Housing Justice in Action
Liberty Hill’s partners in the Right to Counsel, Keep LA Housed, and Stay Housed LA coalitions scored significant victories for low-income renters and tenants in 2023. They won permanent rent stabilization in four jurisdictions, along with securing a Right to Counsel motion that would provide free legal assistance to eligible tenants facing eviction court if approved.
Liberty Hill also championed the implementation of the new L.A. County Affordable Housing Solutions Agency (LACAHSA), the County’s first agency dedicated to preserving and building affordable housing, helping people stay housed, and increasing housing options for people experiencing homelessness across L.A. County. As part of Liberty Hill’s work with Stay Housed LA, foundation staff hold an “expert” seat on the agency’s interim Board of Directors, which includes Board of Supervisors members and LA Mayor Karen Bass.
As the work continues, stay organized, stay active, stay engaged.
