Local Foundation Partners With Mayor’s Office to Establish Clear, Measurable Goals for the City of Los Angeles

Goals to Address Issues of Education, Public Safety, Transportation and More

Los Angeles — The California Community Foundation today announced an unprecedented initiative to assist the City of Los Angeles with its strategic planning efforts at no cost to taxpayers.

The community foundation is leading a new initiative to help set priorities and establish ambitious but achievable goals for the City of Los Angeles that address the issues all Angelenos care about: education, public safety, transportation, affordable housing, the environment, economic development and efficient, transparent governance.

“By establishing priorities based on what Angelenos believe are the most important issues facing our community, creating measurable goals to meet these challenges and then developing a clear plan to achieve those goals, we can improve the quality of life of everyone in our community,” said Antonia Hernández, president & CEO of the California Community Foundation. “That’s why we are a part of this project: Making a positive difference in the lives of all Angelenos, particularly those who are disadvantaged, is our most important role in the community.”

The foundation will anchor the 14-week project in partnership with the Los Angeles Mayor’s Office. The Mayor’s Office will identify issues and develop strategies for the core issues facing the City. The foundation will draw on its rich expertise on nonprofit and public sector organizations, its broad knowledge of the Los Angeles community, and its knowledge, gleaned from nine decades of grantmaking, about the relation of leadership and management to achieving results.

McKinsey & Company, a global management consulting firm, will work with the foundation, identifying best practices and conducting a fact-based assessment to aid the project. The effort will also produce methods to measure and chart improvement.

“Los Angeles stands at the forefront of some of the nation’s most vexing urban challenges, but also at the crossroads of some of the fastest growing economies of the world,” said Hernández. “Mayor Villaraigosa’s vision and determined leadership provide an unprecedented opportunity to move our City forward and improve results for its residents. We are proud to partner with the City in this significant effort.”

This initiative has been made possible by a grant from The James Irvine Foundation to the California Community Foundation.

The James Irvine Foundation is a private, nonprofit grantmaking foundation with assets of more than $1.5 billion. The foundation funds primarily in three areas: the arts, youth, and California Perspectives, which aims to improve public decision-making on significant state issues and promote more effective governing systems. For more information about The James Irvine Foundation, please visit its Web site at www.irvine.org.

Established in 1915, the California Community Foundation is one of the largest and most active philanthropic organizations in Southern California, with assets of more than $760 million. In partnership with its donors, the foundation supports nonprofit organizations and public institutions with funds for health and human services, affordable housing, early childhood education, community arts and culture and other areas of need.