PUTTING CARE FIRST
Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez believes that real safety and prosperity start with investing in people. She has invested millions of dollars to expand emergency housing relief, support small businesses and street vendors, restore vital neighborhood infrastructure, and deliver resources directly to those who need them most.
COUNCIL DISTRICT 1 EMERGENCY RENTAL ASSISTANCE
Councilmember Hernandez invested $390,000 in emergency rental assistance to help 69 households (206 people) resolve back rent and stay housed. Focused on high-need neighborhoods like Westlake and Pico-Union, the program supported working families, seniors, street vendors, and households impacted by federal immigration enforcement who spend more than 80% of their income on housing. This investment helps stop the eviction-to-homelessness pipeline by keeping people in their homes, which is far less traumatic and costly than addressing homelessness after it happens. She recently secured an additional $300,000 to extend relief through June 2027.
CHINATOWN MOBILE LAUNDRY
Councilmember Hernandez invested $250,000 to bring a free mobile laundry service to Chinatown in partnership with The Laundry Truck LA. Stationed weekly outside the Alpine Recreation Center, the truck provides drop-off washing, drying, and folding services for local seniors, low-income immigrant families, and working-class caretakers. This initiative fills a gap in a neighborhood without an operating laundromat, lifts physical burdens on elderly neighbors, and saves working families time and money.
EMERGENCY FOOD DISTRIBUTION
Councilmember Hernandez has invested $500,000 in food distributions in collaboration with Central City Neighborhood Partners. This investment connects community members to free, fresh groceries while helping address food insecurity among working-class households, seniors, and immigrant families across District 1.
STREET VENDOR SUPPORT
Councilmember Hernandez invested $20,000 of her office's discretionary funds to assist street vendors in Council District 1 with permit fees, education, and outreach. Managed in partnership with the Bureau of Street Services, the investment simplifies navigation of city processes and lowers barriers for sidewalk entrepreneurs. This program reflects her workforce development and community care priorities by reducing systemic hurdles and supporting independent micro-entrepreneurs who serve our culturally rich neighborhoods and strengthen the local economy.
STREETLIGHT SOLARIZATION
Councilmember Hernandez invested $500,000 in discretionary funds to convert 91 streetlights to solar power in Lincoln Heights and Cypress Park, combating widespread outages driven by copper wire theft and long repair delays. Executed in partnership with the Bureau of Street Lighting, the project deployed high-efficiency solar fixtures and all-in-one units along key pedestrian routes and near local parks. This investment delivers immediate public safety and visibility for pedestrians while lowering carbon emissions and reducing long-term city maintenance costs.
COUNCIL DISTRICT 1 SMALL BUSINESS GRANTS
Councilmember Hernandez launched a $400,000 Small Business Grant Program administered in partnership with the PACE Business Development Center and New Economics for Women to deliver relief to independently owned businesses across Council District 1. Designed to stabilize neighborhood commercial corridors in Highland Park, Westlake, and Pico Union, the grants help storefronts navigate rising operational rents, shifting foot traffic, wildfire disruptions, and federal immigration enforcement pressures. Advancing her workforce development priorities, this funding protects local jobs, prevents commercial displacement, and preserves the legacy businesses that serve as the economic and cultural anchors of our communities.
MOBILE SHOWERS
Councilmember Hernandez has championed ongoing funding and discretionary support for The Shower of Hope to deliver weekly mobile showers, restrooms, and hygiene services across Council District 1. Serving constituents on a structured schedule at the Cypress Park Day Labor Center, All Saints Church in Highland Park, Casa Milagrosa, Clinica Romero, and Glassell Park Safe Parking, the program provides essential sanitation for unhoused neighbors. This program helps improve public health while reducing reliance on city fire hydrants for bathing water.
MACARTHUR PARK ARTS & CULTURE PROGRAMMING
Councilmember Hernandez invested $150,000 in discretionary funding as part of a $250,000 public-private partnership with the California Community Foundation, the Department of Recreation and Parks, and Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino Americana (MACLA) to deliver year-round arts, cultural, and family programming at the historic MacArthur Park Bandshell. By activating the park with consistent, accessible programming, the partnership aims to create a more vibrant, welcoming public space where families can gather, neighbors can connect, and community can thrive.
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