Join us for the second gathering of LA Forward’s salon series exploring why local government is broken and how we can fix it. We will dig into the deep structural problems that keep Los Angeles from working like it should.

On March 8, we’ll focus on the homelessness crisis – why it’s happening, what policy solutions look like, and the impact of recent federal cuts and local agency restructurings. Confirmed attendees include Ryan J. Smith, CEO of St. Joseph’s Center, Kris Freed, a long-time service and government leader, and Shawn Pleasants, a Yale grad and former banker who lived unhoused in downtown Los Angeles with his husband for 10 years before securing housing in 2020 and who is now an advocate.

This is a place for learning and having conversations about issues where we might not all agree with each other. Future salons will focus on critical topics like policing and alternative ways to promote public safety, the city budget, and other major challenges facing our city.

This event will be hosted at our house in West Hollywood. Please RSVP below.

Host committee:

Allison Thomas, Celia Bernstein, Nicole Anand, Karin Brummell, Marco Santana, Alex Visotzky, and Loraine Lundquist.