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L.A. REPAIR Participatory Budgeting

The Los Angeles Reforms for Equity and Public Acknowledgment of Institutional Racism (L.A. REPAIR) is L.A.'s first participatory budget pilot program. L.A. REPAIR will distribute roughly $8.5 million directly to nine L.A. City neighborhoods, called REPAIR Zones.

Vote March 15 - April 7

Proposals on the ballot were created by local nonprofits in response to ideas submitted by the community last year. Proposals with the most votes will be presented to the Mayor and City Council to fund, and then implemented in the community next year. 

Anyone 15+ years old that lives, works, studies, or is the parent/guardian of a student in the REPAIR Zone, is eligible to vote - no documentation required.

Vote is closed - Check back soon for results!

What is Participatory Budgeting?

Participatory budgeting (PB) is a democratic process in which community members decide how to spend part of a public budget. 

PB started in Porto Alegre, Brazil in 1989 as an anti-poverty measure that helped reduce child mortality by nearly 20%. Since then, PB has spread to over 7,000 cities around the world, and has been used to decide budgets from states, counties, cities, housing authorities, schools, and other institutions. Click here to learn more about how Participatory Budgeting works.

The L.A. REPAIR Participatory Budgeting pilot program dedicates $8.5 million of City funding to nine underserved communities to decide how it should be spent on programs that serve the community. 

Overview of the 6 steps in the participatory budgeting process.
Map of REPAIR Zones

The REPAIR Zones

The L.A. REPAIR pilot program is in the following nine communities:

  1. Arleta - Pacoima
  2. Boyle Heights
  3. Harbor Gateway - Wilmington - Harbor City
  4. Mission Hills - Panorama City - North Hills
  5. West Adams - Baldwin Village - Leimert Park
  6. Westlake
  7. Skid Row
  8. South Los Angeles
  9. Southeast Los Angeles

The six REPAIR Zones highlighted in green are currently doing the participatory process, and the remaining three REPAIR Zones completed the participatory process in Spring 2023.

Participatory Budgeting is Designed To:

Deepen Democracy

Increase the volume, quality, and longevity of residents’ engagement in city governance.

Expand Transparency

Improve trust in government and accountability in budgeting decisions.

Emphasize Public Ownership of Government Resources

Direct available resources in a manner which residents feel is most urgently needed; trust grassroots groups to manage projects.

 

Build Stronger Communities

Connect funding to community based organizations and local context by incorporating on-the-ground community knowledge ー improving chances of successful and sustained outcomes that matter most to people.