Local Elected Officials Tour LA County Career Centers

The June 2010 unemployment data reported by the Employment Development Department (EDD) indicates that many private employers may still be wary of hiring, and that the economic recovery may not bring help fast enough for the 600,000 people unemployed in Los Angeles County, and the close to 2.28 million unemployed across California. This was a primary driver for California's Workforce Investment Boards to mobilize and host a series of open houses across the State for elected officials. The events focused on bringing elected officials face-to-face with their constituencies to discuss what strategies are on the horizon for getting the economy back on track and the job market stabilized. In Los Angeles County, elected officials, community and business leaders took part in six open houses hosted by California's publicly-funded "one-stop" career centers - - a critical employment and training resource to help both job seekers and businesses during this economic recovery. The California WorkSource Career Centers are southern California's "one-stops" and serve all of LA County.

Elected officials were eager to take part in these open houses, as their constituents are calling for immediate solutions to the economic woes. According to a recent Gallup poll, 57% of registered voters say the economy will be extremely important to their vote for Congress this year, making it the top issue in the 2010 elections.

"Our network of employment and training providers offer no-cost services and solutions for job seekers, laid off workers, youth and business in LA County," said LA County WIB Chair Dennis Neder. "The latest data reported by EDD is reflected in the increased traffic through our Centers and the stories we continue to hear on a daily basis about a tight job market."

The Open Houses gave elected officials an opportunity to see first hand the important services and programs for businesses and jobseekers in the region. LA County Workforce Investment Board (WIB) Executive Director, Richard Verches, said, "I think it was a real eye opener for members of Congress and their staff to see the sheer number of individuals lined up to enter our Centers when they opened, and how quickly our resource rooms fill to capacity with diverse job seekers of all ages and backgrounds."