DHR REPORT 2017 2018

LOS ANGELES COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN RESOURCES 8 STRATEGIC GOAL 1 Increase employability of underserved populations FAIR CHANCE REVISIONS TO COUNTY POLICIES • Eliminated the need for applicants to disclose their conviction history at the start of the application process. • Requires businesses that contract with the County to certify compliance with Fair Chance Employment hiring standards. • Removed stigmatizing language, replacing the phrase “criminal history” with “conviction history.” • Will assist candidates by providing information to challenge the accuracy of the conviction history and/or provide evidence of mitigating circumstances. As the first goal in our Strategic Plan, increasing the employability of underserved populations is of critical importance to DHR. These populations – which include youth, homeless, veterans, disabled, under-employed, unemployed, and those seeking re-entry – offer valuable knowledge, skills, experience, perspectives, and talent that can enhance the County’s workforce. We are proud of the programs and strategies we have undertaken to support these individuals as they navigate the complex life circumstances that can be barriers or challenges to obtaining and retaining employment. FAIR CHANCE INITIATIVE The County of Los Angeles has a long history of advancing Equal Opportunity Employment in our organization to meet and exceed compliance with the law. In response to a July 2017 motion by the Board of Supervisors and the October 2017 enactment of California law AB 1008, DHR began an extensive review of the County’s policies, procedures, and guidelines to ensure that individuals with a felony or misdemeanor conviction had a fair opportunity for employment. As part of this exploration, DHR collaborated with several County departments, such as the Chief Executive Office; the Department of Consumer and Business Affairs; the Office of Diversion and Reentry; and Workforce Development, Aging, and Community Services Department to conduct a comprehensive review of best practices in government agencies nationwide that have adopted fair chance policies. As a result of this collaborative review the Workgroup is developing a proactive fair chance outreach campaign to increase awareness of fair chance policies within local LA County businesses and to inspire justice- involved individuals to successfully reintegrate by exposing them to re-entry resources in LA County. The review also resulted in DHR’s revision of the County’s HR policies and procedures to reflect fair chance best practices and the training of County HR managers and departments on Fair Chance policies. Underserved Populations