LA mayor signs order to improve language access for immigrants

“This new directive will help to ensure that all Angelenos have equal access to what our City has to offer,” said Mayor Eric Garcetti (center, foreground) who signed an executive order for greater language access for immigrant residents. CONTRIBUTED

LOS ANGELES – Mayor Eric Garcetti signed Executive Directive 32 to improve access to City information and services for English language learners in this metropolis.

“Executive Directive 32: Strengthening Language Access in the City of Los Angeles” requires every city department to execute a plan for handling language access for requests for services in different languages and the dissemination of information to non-English speaking communities.

“Los Angeles is a place of belonging where everyone can, and should, feel comfortable engaging in our civic process,” said Garcetti.

“This new directive will help to ensure that all Angelenos have equal access to what our City has to offer — for example, providing non-English speaking immigrant business owners and parents with the ability to apply for grants from the City and enroll their children in one of our many youth programs.”

The Mayor’s Fund for Los Angeles is providing critical support for the language access effort.

“The Mayor’s Fund partners with government, philanthropy, community-based non-profits, and individual Angelenos to support initiatives that deliver true impact,” said fund President & CEO Deidre Lind.

All departments must assign a liaison who will participate in a Citywide Language Access Working Group led by a Language Access Coordinator. The Working Group will focus on improving access to city information, programs and services for Angelenos who do not speak English or have a limited understanding of the language.

Los Angeles is home to 538,800 immigrant residents designated as English Language learners, who represent over 37% of the immigrant Angeleno population.

Most recently, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Garcetti launched multilingual rapid response efforts to ensure that all Angelenos had access to life-saving information and resources.