LOS ANGELES - Today, the Civil + Human Rights and Equity Department (LA Civil Rights), in partnership with business owners and city departments, relaunched the Racial Equity and Newly Empowered Workplaces Program (RENEW), which strives to increase the Black and Latinx representation in Los Angeles’ private sector firms as well as support for Black and Latinx businesses.
“The RENEW Program is how businesses in Los Angeles can play a leading role in equity and empowerment,” said LA Civil Rights Executive Director Capri Maddox. “Thanks to the leadership of Mayor Garcetti, the Annenberg Foundation and our partners, RENEW gives businesses the tools to increase hiring and upward mobility for LA’s underrepresented workers.”
Launched by Mayor Eric Garcetti through Executive Directive 27, RENEW is a broad coalition among the public and private sector committed to a clear goal: rooting out structural racism in our businesses and building a more just, fair, and equitable Los Angeles. It supports companies by providing free technical assistance to measure their commitments and outcomes, as well as connect them to City resources on procurement, contracting, and bidding.
Firms who join RENEW take a pledge to increase the hiring and upward promotion of Black and Latinx employees, close the pay gap between white employees and employees of color, increase vendor spending with minority-owned businesses in Los Angeles, as well as increase their marketing dollars and philanthropic dollars spent in communities of color. Click here to find the RENEW Interest Form.
With support from USC’s Annenberg, aggregated data from RENEW businesses will be used to measure the progress toward these goals.
RENEW initially launched in 2020 with a cohort of private sector partners. Following its first year, LA Civil Rights conducted a qualitative report to guide improvements for its future growth. Those improvements include more tools and training to support member firms, technical assistance to measure their commitments and outcomes, and access to city contracting.
The expansion of RENEW is made possible by partnerships with the city’s Economic Workforce Development Department, Bureau of Contract Administration, Los Angeles World Airports, Regional Alliance Marketplace for Procurement and Annenberg.
Click here to learn more about RENEW and how to get involved.