In South LA, eight member institutions of One LA assembled at St. Brigid Catholic Church to launch their ‘Breaking Barriers’ to employment strategy.  Proposition 47, which permits individuals to clear their records of non-serious offenses, has the potential to make individuals more marketable as employees if proper paperwork is submitted.  

To prepare for the strategy, 30 leaders learned how to guide applicants through the process, while another group of leaders created a resume workshop and panel discussions on restorative justice in the schools and interview best practices.

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One LA and member institution Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles (NLS-LA) helped turn on Medi-Cal benefits whose applicants were among the hundreds of thousands stuck in the state’s backlog.

Medi-Cal Applicants Entitled to Benefits Despite Delays, Los Angeles Times

The morning after an assembly in which hundreds of San Fernando Valley leaders of One LA leveraged commitments from District 3 candidates to ensure sufficient funding for the 'My Health LA' program, the LA County Board of Supervisors voted to invest $6 Million in additional dollars for the program.

According to Angelus:

“After thanking board of supervisors members for their commitment to support heath care for Los Angeles County’s poor, Jim Mangia, president and CEO of St. John’s Well Child and Family Center, asked the people who came with him to the May 20 public meeting 'to support health care for all' to stand up.

Hundreds upon hundreds of women and men from across the county rose — cheering, clapping, shouting and raising their hands high in the air. The grass-roots commotion went on for almost a minute.”

One LA estimates that the added funding will expand coverage by 35 to 40 thousand individuals.  This victory comes months after the organization identified millions of County dollars that could be used to cover more uninsured people, including undocumented County residents.

LA County Supervisor Rivals Sheila Kuehl Bobby Shriver Debate Tonight, LA Times

LA County’s Top Health Official Shows Compassionate Side, LA Daily News

One LA Urges Supervisors to Cover the Uninsured, Angelus – The Tidings Online

Additional background information, WXSWIAF

After identifying $11 million in otherwise sunsetting County funds,  One LA-IAF leaders testified to the Board of Supervisors about their year long enrollment effort and the the gaps that remain even after the implementation of the Affordable Care Act -- gaps that will have serious consequences for families throughout the county.

They demanded that the $11M be used to help cover the remaining uninsured in LA County.  After the press conference, Rabbi Dara Frimmer asserted that she was "proud to stand with OneLA leaders outside the county supervisors meeting because as of today, 1 million residents of LA remain uninsured...Time to ensure that the image of God, imprinted on the face of every human being, is lifted up."

Healthcare Advocates Push for Medical Services for Uninsured, Los Angeles Times

LA County Grapples with Healthcare for Uninsured, Los Angeles Times

Rabbis to LA County: Fund Healthcare to Undocumented, Jewish Journal

“Diane Vanette, a volunteer with OneLA who screens people at Obamacare enrollment events, recently informed a couple with deferred-action status that they were both eligible for Medi-Cal. “He was shocked, she was shocked,” Vanette said.

This issue illustrates the complexities in expanding coverage to the state’s large uninsured Latino population. About 82% of DACA-eligible Californians are Latino, according to the report….”

[Photo Credit: Anne Cusack, LA Times]

Report: 125,000 Immigrants Given Deferred Action Eligible for Medi-Cal, Los Angeles Times

Since February, One LA has enrolled over 3,000 eligible for Medicaid expansion through its mobile enrollment clinics held in local congregations. In the process, they discovered thousands of low wage taxpayers left out of Obamacare due to their immigration status.  Hundreds of One LA leaders assembled mid-October to call on veteran County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky to create and fund a County-based health coverage program for 1 million undocumented residents. The Supervisor agreed to meet with One LA within 30 days to begin discussion of the plan.

Leaders also testified to the challenges experienced when trying to enroll people on Covered California, the state based health exchange that opened October 1.  A board member and staff member of Covered California agreed to meet with One LA before the end of the year to discuss changes needed in the health exchanges outreach strategy.

Temple Judea Event Aims to Clarify Health Care Act, Jewish Journal

One LA Facebook Photo Album

One LA leaders fought for and won “Community Partner Status” with the LA County Department of Health Services, granting it direct access to the county enrollment system.  Now 50 leaders will train to become ‘Certified Application Assisters’, with the power to directly enroll people through the County computer system at 25 One LA mobile enrollment events at member institutions.  They will be supported 30 leaders at each institution trained as ‘healthcare experts,’ who will educate and recruit people to attend their institution’s events. The goal is to enroll thousands of eligible LA residents. 

[Excerpt from the LA Times below...]

"L.A. County is teaming with OneLA to hold enrollment events in places where those needing healthcare coverage naturally congregate, such as churches and schools....Volunteers are identifying people through the church parishes and doing pre-screening so the enrollment can occur on the spot. Some of the people are eligible for Medi-Cal, and others are being enrolled in Healthy Way LA, a temporary coverage program until the Medi-Cal expansion takes place in 2014.

The effort relies on trained volunteers, with help from Neighborhood Legal Services and the L.A. County Department of Health Services. The volunteers are also working to link people with clinics near their homes."

[Photo Credit: Ann Cusack, Los Angeles Times]

Outreach Effort Aims to Get Uninsured Enrolled in Healthcare, LA Times

“Renewed hope was the sentiment of most people attending a Sept. 6 health care assembly, after state officials committed to create a system where public and private insurance providers offer education, affordable insurance and quality care…”

State Officials Urged to Make Healthcare More Affordable, Angelus - Tidings

“Community Activists Hold Rally Against Chase Bank.” San Fernando Valley Sun

Boycotting Chase: Parish Members to Withdraw Savings, La Opinion [in Spanish]

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When a tsunami of foreclosures threatened families in the San Fernando Valley and South Central LA, Fr. John Lasseigne -- with One LA - organized homeowners into negotiations with banks and crafted a unique solution involving shared sacrifice on the part of homeowners, the banks and the public.

Two thousand leaders rallied to compel the City of LA to not just adopt the strategy, but invest at least $1 million into the innovative pilot project.  One LA and California IAF leaders then worked with the California Housing Finance Agency to expand this project into an $11 Million program that made “silent second” loans available to incentivize lenders to make loan modifications that included principal debt forgiveness.

Local leaders secured commitments from commercial banks to reduce principal on bank-held loans, saving 500 families from foreclosure.