05/06/2026
A “Made in Los Angeles County” pilot program that would create a master list of preferred county companies manufacturing goods locally that would be favored for county purchases was advanced by the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, May 5.
A related action calls for the county’s Department of Consumer and Business Affairs to step up investigations of wage theft occurring mostly with immigrant workers at restaurants, car washes, construction sites and within companies that are part of the large garment industry in the county.
The two motions, authored by Second District Supervisor Holly Mitchell and co-authored by First District Supervisor Hilda Solis, combine to take action against businesses that don’t always pay workers for the hours they’ve worked, deny overtime, or fail to provide safe working conditions, while prioritizing responsible manufacturing companies and other businesses, according to the motions.
“Los Angeles County will hold bad actors accountable and reward businesses and workers right here at home,” Mitchell said. “One involves how we enforce the laws against predatory employers. The other involves using the county’s buying power to reward employers doing the right thing by their workers.”
From the list, the county would direct purchasing out of a $6 billion to $8 billion procurement budget from vetted companies for goods, such as uniforms for the Department of Health Services employees, and other types of garments, supplies and services needed by various county departments.
“This motion is a smart investment because every dollar recovered goes back into the pockets of workers,” said Daisy Gonzalez, with the Garment Worker Center. “Also, we are in support of using county purchasing powers to support local, responsible businesses.”
Thank you to Holly J. Mitchell & Hilda Solis, & Supervisor Janice Hahn for unanimously voting to support these motions!
And thanks to Ethix Merch for your collaboration!
Read the full article: https://www.dailynews.com/2026/05/05/made-in-la-county-campaign-takes-step-forward-with-goal-to-uplift-local-manufacturing-immigrant-labor/
