A “Made in Los Angeles County” pilot program that would create a master list of preferred county companies manufacturing goods locally that would be favored for county purchases was advanced by the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, May 5.
A related action calls for the county’s Department of Consumer and Business Affairs to step up investigations of wage theft occurring mostly with immigrant workers at restaurants, car washes, construction sites and within companies that are part of the large garment industry in the county.
The two motions, authored by Second District Supervisor Holly Mitchell and co-authored by First District Supervisor Hilda Solis, combine to take action against businesses that don’t always pay workers for the hours they’ve worked, deny overtime, or fail to provide safe working conditions, while prioritizing responsible manufacturing companies and other businesses, according to the motions.
“Los Angeles County will hold bad actors accountable and reward businesses and workers right here at home,” Mitchell said. “One involves how we enforce the laws against predatory employers. The other involves using the county’s buying power to reward employers doing the right thing by their workers.”
From the list, the county would direct purchasing out of a $6 billion to $8 billion procurement budget from vetted companies for goods, such as uniforms for the Department of Health Services employees, and other types of garments, supplies and services needed by various county departments.
Eventually, the program would develop and promote a “locally owned” label for those products manufactured in L.A. County and be included in the “Shop Local LA County” campaign. That label may say “Made in Los Angeles County,” but that will be determined at a later date and included in a report due in about four months.
County departments that bought goods from outside of the county, such as from other states, other counties or foreign countries, would “shift procurement of those goods to qualified local manufacturers,” according to the motion by Mitchell and Solis. They were approved by the two, plus Fourth District Supervisor Janice Hahn, resulting in 3-0 votes. Supervisors Lindsey Horvath and Kathryn Barger were absent.
Hahn said while a member of Congress, she recalled the “Made in America” movement growing in popularity. “So it makes sense that we push to have things made in Los Angeles County get a preference,” she said.
She said businesses in her district that could benefit include manufacturing, logistics, supply-chain firms, automotive part suppliers, meat processing plants and apparel makers. While LA already includes a plan to favor small businesses, this will add LA County based manufacturers and businesses, she said. “This gives us a whole new category, namely Los Angeles County. Both are important.”
John Bwarie, executive director of the Made in LA Coalition, said the pilot program would add to the prioritization of local businesses. “This says Los Angeles County is supporting small manufacturers” he said, from those that create furnishings, fragrances and home care.
Many workers told the board about being cheated out of pay they’ve earned. Some said they would work 12-15 hour days but not get paid for their full work, and were denied overtime. A supporter of construction workers said he received a complaint in which a security guard at a construction site worked nearly 18 hours but didn’t get his full pay. When he complained, the company threatened to call the Immigration, Customs and Enforcement (ICE) agency and report him.
“Workers today are facing immigration raids, plus the rising costs from tariffs. It’s an economy that leaves them behind. Here at LA County we can do all we can to ensure every worker is paid what they are owed,” said Mitchell.
Juan Carlos Gonzalez has worked in the local garment industry for 26 years. At times, he has worked for up to 15 hour-days, without full wages. “We have suffered a lot of wage theft. You can listen to my story but living it is different,” he said. “I represent thousands of garment workers in Los Angeles.”
The two motions were supported by the Garment Worker Center, a worker rights organization that organizes and supports low-wage garment workers in their fight for economic justice. Over 45,000 workers are in the garment industry, cutting, sewing and finishing garments. The Center also reports that the workforce is comprised primarily of Latino/a and Asian immigrants.
“This motion is a smart investment because every dollar recovered goes back into the pockets of workers,” said Daisy Gonzalez, with the Garment Worker Center. “Also, we are in support of using county purchasing powers to support local, responsible businesses.”
Some business groups opposed the motions, saying it would hurt small businesses. Others told the board they were concerned that posting information about closed cases on a website would expose individuals to ICE raids or other actions.
Rafael Carbajal, director of the DCBA, said the department will only make public information that is already available to the public, not new information.