L.A. County Food Equity Roundtable – Addressing Food Inequities Through Public-Private Partnerships

March 13, 2023

In February 2021, the L.A. County Chief Sustainability Office, Annenberg Foundation, CCF, and Weingart Foundation came together to support a motion to pilot the Los Angeles County Food Equity Roundtable (LACFER) – a committee of cross-sector leaders dedicated to achieving equity in food systems across L.A. County. As a two-year initiative, LACFER has been tasked with developing and implementing a comprehensive strategic plan for advancing food justice and addressing inequities in food systems for the most vulnerable in our region.

The first phase of the roundtable culminated in the release of the final LACFER strategic plan on December 6, 2022. The strategic plan was developed over the course of six months with the joint efforts of more than 200 expert partners committed to ending food insecurity. LA n Sync staff from CCF have taken on several leadership roles within LACFER such as active participation on the roundtable, steering committee, technical advisory committee, and the policy and advocacy sub-committee.

The arrival of 2023 marked the unofficial commencement of LACFER’s implementation phase. On February 7, 2023, the L.A. County Board of Supervisors approved a motion to develop a proposed structure, placement, and staffing plan for the first-ever L.A. County Office of Food Equity to address food access in L.A. and to use LACFER’s strategic plan as a roadmap. In addition to implementing the strategic plan, the motion encourages county offices to continue working with the Chief Sustainability Officer to advocate at state and federal levels in support of LACFER’s policy platform. At the same time, the release of the strategic plan has pushed philanthropy to consider a more coordinated, intersectional, and long-term approach to food equity. Several philanthropic institutions have already expressed interest in working with LACFER and using the strategic plan to inform their funding strategies.

LA n Sync is committed to maintaining its leadership role within LACFER to help implement the strategic plan. Staff have already begun to support LACFER in researching and identifying funding opportunities related to food equity and resiliency such as the USDA Regional Food Business Center Grant, which is currently pending approval. We’ve also been working with the Larta Institute on the development of a research report that will programmatically recommend an urban agriculture cluster in L.A. County.

LA n Sync will also continue to serve on the steering committee and help to secure and equitably distribute state and federal funding for local food equity efforts in L.A. County, as recommended in the LACFER strategic plan.

Read the LACFER strategic plan here.
View the LACFER strategic plan release and panel discussion here.
Read the LA Times Editorial in response to the LACFER strategic plan here.
To get involved in LACFER, please reach out to Lauren Uy at LUy@calfund.org.

About LA n Sync
LA n Sync connects visionary leaders from the academic, governmental, nonprofit, business, and philanthropic sectors to leverage the talent and resources of Los Angeles County to support L.A. organizations applying for funding, spur innovation and attract federal and state dollars to address the critical needs of the region.

#LAtogether

Subscribe to receive instant email notifications of our #LAtogether blog posts and CCF e-newsletters.

Contribute

Join us in making an impact on the issues that face L.A.

Contribute

Instagram

Something is wrong.

Instagram token error.