LA Forward Action is a community of people who fight for policies that will make Los Angeles a fair, flourishing place for everyone.

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OUR VISION

We envision our region as a vibrant, multiracial social democracy, where Angelenos have the knowledge to participate enthusiastically in local democracy, the skills to build civic relationships within and across neighborhoods, and the power to ensure our political system prioritizes our common needs above special interests. 

We envision a fair, flourishing region where public policies ensure that all people can live in dignity, have access to good housing, transportation, jobs, schools, and green space, and reach their fullest potential as human beings.

  

WHAT WE DO

 

1. WE INFORM

We make local issues accessible by hosting civic engagement workshops and publishing detailed guides tailored to the moment, in partnership with our sister organization, LA Forward Institute

Our LA 101 Guide to Local Government and Civic Engagement was an LA2050 award winner in 2020. We’ve also published guides on Climate Action, Criminal Justice, Mutual Aid, COVID-19 Crisis Response, and a series of voter guides for local elections that have reached hundreds of thousands of Angelenos since 2016.

We don't talk down to you and we don't talk over your head. 

We communicate with as little jargon as possible. 

We bring together community voices and the latest scholarly research.

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 2. WE ORGANIZE

Protests matter, social media matters, but to overturn systems of oppression and inequality, it's crucial to organize and stay engaged for the long haul. 

  • We launched the Neighborhood Organizing Project to build a movement of volunteer leaders and powerful local communities for justice (click here to watch the June 2020 virtual launch).

  • Through our active participation in coalitions like Healthy LA and ACT-LA, we organize in solidarity with and follow the lead of communities of color. We build bridges between our predominantly middle-class membership base — and the organizers in communities on the frontlines of injustice.

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3. WE ACT

We run weekly rapid response campaigns and calls to action, and distribute call, email, and public comment scripts to support each campaign. 

  • In March 2020, as shutdowns loomed, LA Forward Action and our partners sprung into action and organized the Healthy LA coalition, a network of 325+ organizations that has achieved policy victories at the city and county levels to stop evictions, give workers safety and economic protections, and offer aid to small businesses and undocumented micro-entrepreneurs. 

  • As a 501(c)4 nonprofit we can engage in direct advocacy and political campaigns that advance bold, progressive policies. We work closely with our sister 501(c)3 nonprofit, LA Forward Institute, to support education, training, and research that strengthen democracy and the movement for racial and economic justice.

 

WHAT WE’RE FIGHTING FOR

  • Affordable housing for all and neighborhoods where diverse people form communities together.

  • Climate justice, and a fight against global warming that lifts up the interests of frontline communities

  • A transformed justice system that stops criminalizing people of color and prioritizes care, not incarceration.

  • A fair economy that guarantees worker rights and dignity, and provides everyone with access to the necessities they need to survive and thrive.

  • A robust democracy driven by people power, real deliberation, and publicly-funded elections.

 

COALITIONS WE WORK WITH

 

WHY NOW

Since 2016, our country has experienced a revival of activism and civic participation we haven’t seen in decades. But despite what feels like shifting tides, Los Angeles’ local government is not nearly as progressive as its people, and the most vulnerable members of our communities are being left behind. We know we can do better. It’s time to harness the power of this fresh, awakened energy to build a system that supports everyone.

Los Angeles is home to dozens of amazing progressive organizations, including powerful and grassroots civil rights, human rights, social justice groups. We’re happy to play our unique role and to connect our members to the broader ecosystem of community organizing and social justice movements in LA and California, being a progressive home for Los Angeles, introducing people to the grassroots base and Progressive Los Angeles Network, and fighting for a LA Progressive Majority.