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

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, 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.

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.

Through our active participation in coalitions, we organize in solidarity with working class communities and communities of color. We build bridges between our predominantly multiracial middle-class membership base — and the organizers in communities on the frontlines of injustice.

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 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

Housing affordable for all and neighborhoods where diverse people form communities together.
A comprehensive transportation system that ensures quality, affordable, accessible multi-modal mobility options; prioritizes the needs of core transit riders; and stops criminalization of communities of color.
Environmental justice and a fight against the climate emergency 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, people-powered democracy and accessible, responsive government.