Minority business contracting
Ridley-Thomas calls for report to determine whether the County is meeting its goals
Los Angeles, CA -- The Board of Supervisors Tuesday approved Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas’ request for a report to determine whether the county has achieved its goal that 25% of participants in contracting and purchasing programs are minority, women, disabled veterans, and disadvantaged-owned businesses.
The report, which the Supervisor said is essentially an audit of County contracting, will include a breakdown by each department, an evaluation of whether the contracting goal could be increased and consideration of whether achieving these goals should be included in annual managerial performance reviews.
The report also will include a recommendation on whether to establish a separate commission dedicated to promoting Community Based Enterprises (CBE), whether to create a director position to coordinate and develop these programs, and to assist County departments in meeting goals established by the Board.
“The intent of the motion is principally to call for an update of what it is that has been done and what then might be improved, consistent with maximizing the role that community based enterprises can play throughout the County of Los Angeles,” the Supervisor said.
The motion, he said, includes “a due diligence process that would be inclusive of existing entities … and measure their effectiveness as objectively as is deemed reasonable.”
The Supervisor directed the County’s Chief Executive Officer to work with the Directors of the County’s Internal Services Department, Office of Affirmative Action and Compliance and County Counsel to return in 60 days with a report on the matter.
The motion also calls for County officials to identify obstacles to CBE participation in county contracting, including credit issues, bonding and county bidding procedures, and include recommendations to resolve these obstacles. It comes at a time when the County is receiving millions in federal stimulus funding.
Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas will take the oath of office for a second supervisorial term at 10 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 30, while simultaneously making history as the first African American chairman of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.
Should the United States Congress fail to enact legislation that will trim the national budget by Friday, $85 billion in automatic spending cuts will go into effect.
Known as sequestration, these cuts are, according to the Congressional Research Service, largely across-the-board spending reductions that will impact most programs within the federal budget.
However, it is important to note that there is no current federal budget. Instead, the country’s fiscal house is running on a continuing resolution that funds programs at the previous budget’s rate.
County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas has requested the creation of a task force made up of law enforcement, public health, mental health officials and the countywide Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee to develop a comprehensive plan for curbing firearm-related violence in Los Angeles.
In response to a report by the Citizens’ Commission on Jail Violence issued a week ago, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Tuesday approved a motion by Mark Ridley-Thomas directing county c counsel and the chief executive officer (CEO) to assess the viability of establishing an office of inspector general for the sheriff’s department.
Additionally, the board voted to have the county legal department look into the legal ramifications of all the recommendations made by the commission.
We have come a long way in diversity management. This is really a fancy name for Affirmative Action, which was introduced by my mentor, Arthur A. Fletcher, under the Nixon Administration.
Jim Crow (legislated discrimination) seems so long ago. Actually, it has been only two generations since the very bad days. Let’s take a look at this successful venture.
