Event photos are available for download here
LA Civil Rights Department and El Nido Family Centers Celebrate $315,772 of Community-Directed Investment in Arleta-Pacoima
Marking more than $4.4 million disbursed to date through the City’s $8.5 million L.A. REPAIR Participatory Budgeting Pilot Program, local leaders and residents gathered at the El Nido Farmers Market to celebrate grassroots investment in the Northeast Valley.
LOS ANGELES, CA — The City of Los Angeles Civil, Human Rights and Equity Department (LA Civil Rights Department) and El Nido Family Centers hosted a ceremonial check presentation on Saturday, July 25, 2026, celebrating a community-selected $315,772 grant for the Arleta-Pacoima neighborhood.
The funding is part of L.A. REPAIR (Los Angeles Reforms for Equity and Public Acknowledgment of Institutional Racism), the City’s landmark $8.5 million participatory budgeting pilot program. Administered by the LA Civil Rights Department, L.A. REPAIR shifts decision-making power out of City Hall and directly into nine historically underserved neighborhoods. To date, the program has disbursed more than $4.4 million directly to community-based organizations to address priorities identified and voted on by local residents.
El Nido and LA City Staff and community leaders pose for a photograph with L.A. REPAIR ceremonial check.
Held at the El Nido Farmers Market, which El Nido Family Centers launched in 2023, the event highlighted how direct investment stays in the North East Valley to build community resilience and expand essential health, wellness, and youth programs. Through its newly funded Nurturing Health in Arleta/Pacoima project, El Nido Family Centers will serve more than 1,500 residents of Arleta and Pacoima by expanding the El Nido Farmers Market, offering free gardening, yoga, and Zumba classes, increasing access to healthy food, and hosting a number of community events and health and wellness activities for families in Arleta.
“Government works best when it listens to the people. And today, Los Angeles, your voice is officially at work,” said Capri Maddox, Executive Director of the LA Civil Rights Department. “City leaders developed L.A. REPAIR to address pressing challenges facing LA’s most historically underserved communities impacted by COVID-19 mortality rates, rent burdens, the digital divide, food deserts and environmental hazards. Out of six fantastic proposals on the ballot in the Arleta-Pacoima REPAIR Zone, community voters selected El Nido Family Centers as their top choice.”
El Nido CEO Liz Herrera and LA Civil Rights Executive Director Capri Maddox at El Nido cafe barrista training center at El Nido Farmer's Market in Pacoima.staff and community leaders.
"The people of Arleta and Pacoima chose to invest in their community, and we're honored they selected El Nido Family Centers to turn that vision into action," said Liz Herrera, CEO of El Nido Family Centers. "We're grateful to the LA Civil Rights Department for partnering with residents to help make this investment a reality. The El Nido Farmers Market will continue to grow as a community-centered place where healthy food, wellness resources, and opportunities to connect create lasting impact for youth and families."
Additional speakers at the presentation included LA Civil Rights’ Human Rights Commissioner Pierre Ivan Arreola, Mayela Ochoa, and Noel Barajas, the Deputy Chief of Staff for Councilmember Imelda Padilla (representing Arleta). Speakers echoed core themes, including empowering community voices, along with the importance of affordable nutritious food, greater access to greenspace and recreation, and family-centered activities.
Human Rights Commission President and native Pacoima resident Pierre Ivan Arreola speaks to the value of listening to the community's needs.
Launched as a pilot program in 2022, L.A. REPAIR provides community-directed grants through a direct democratic process in nine historically disempowered neighborhoods, called REPAIR Zones. During the 2023 and 2024 Idea Collection phases, 1,400 community ideas were submitted, generating nearly 8,000 eligible votes across Los Angeles to select the winning proposals. To date, the City of Los Angeles has awarded contracts for 18 of its 20 planned service projects to local community nonprofits. For more information on the L.A. REPAIR, visit repair.lacity.gov.
El Nido CEO Liz Herrera and LA Civil Rights Executive Director Capri Maddox pose with staff and community leaders.###
About the LA Civil Rights Department
The City of Los Angeles Civil, Human Rights and Equity Department (LA Civil Rights Department) works to advance equity, protect Angelenos from discrimination, and promote upward mobility across the City of Los Angeles. The Department includes the Civil Rights Enforcement Unit and the Office of Race and Equity, which oversees the L.A. REPAIR Participatory Budgeting Pilot Program. The LA Civil Rights Department also supports five City commissions and works to ensure “Los Angeles is For Everyone.” Learn more at LAisForEveryone.com.
About El Nido Family Centers
Founded in 1925, El Nido Family Centers is a nonprofit with six sites across Los Angeles County dedicated to creating pathways to stability, opportunity, and well-being for youth and families. El Nido serves more than 12,000 Angelenos each year through 12+ no-cost trauma-informed programs focused on mental health, early childhood development, education, housing stability, food access, community building, and career & life readiness. Since launching in 2023, El Nido has operated the weekly El Nido Farmers Market in Pacoima. Today, it serves as a trusted gathering place for families, local vendors, and community partners. With deep roots in LA’s highest-need neighborhoods, El Nido meets families where they are—at home, in schools, churches, and community centers—to deliver comprehensive direct services across generations. Learn more at elnidofamilycenters.org.