Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy

Founded in 1993, Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy (LAANE) is recognized as a national leader in the effort to address the challenges of working poverty, inadequate health care, and polluted communities.

Combining a vision of social justice with a practical approach to social change, LAANE has helped set in motion a broad movement to transform conditions in Los Angeles and beyond.

For over 15 years, LAANE has been in the forefront of the nation’s progressive movement. It spearheaded the defeat of Wal-Mart’s ballot initiative in Inglewood, led Los Angeles’ groundbreaking living wage campaign, and pioneered a new approach to economic development that has become a national model for community empowerment.

In 2008, LAANE played a pivotal role in the passage of one of the country’s most sweeping anti-pollution and anti-poverty measures, a Clean Trucks Program for the region’s ports that will dramatically improve air quality and raise the standard of living for as many as 16,000 truck drivers. LAANE also helped enact the nation’s first Construction Careers and Green Jobs Policy, which will ensure middle-class jobs for thousands of construction workers and open a path to good careers for at risk populations.

LAANE’S efforts to transform conditions in the region’s key industries have led to significant improvements for tens of thousands of working men and women. LAANE has also published a series of influential reports, including studies on working poverty and the impact of Wal-Mart on urban America.

In addition, LAANE is co-founder of the Partnership for Working Families, a rapidly growing national alliance that is fighting for good jobs and healthy communities in nearly 20 major metropolitan areas.

The organization provides a range of opportunities for involvement, including support of internships that have financial compensation. Because LAANE believes in fair wages for all workers, including students, it created The Beth & Julia Meltzer Internship Program.

As part of this program, young people can receive training in any of the following fields while earning a decent wage and continuing their education: Communications, Community Organizing, Fundraising, Legal analysis, and Research. LAANE invites others to join the Meltzers in sponsoring an intern through their financial support.