Brief

Councilmember Bob Blumenfield, seconded by Marqueece Harris-Dawson, moved to establish educational and career development pathways for crisis workers employed in the city's unarmed crisis response teams that serve people experiencing homelessness. The motion passed the Ad Hoc Committee on Unarmed Crisis Prevention on April 11, 2025, and was unanimously adopted by Council 15-0 on May 7, 2025. A June 2026 referral to the same committee indicates ongoing implementation work by the Civil and Human Rights and Equity Department.

Full summary

This motion directs the Civil and Human Rights and Equity Department and the Youth Development Department to report on strategies and steps needed to co-sponsor workshops informing individuals about educational and career pathways to becoming crisis workers. The focus is on building a pipeline of unarmed crisis workers — including social workers, emergency health care personnel, and licensed clinicians — to staff the city's outreach programs serving people experiencing homelessness and its unarmed crisis response teams. The motion is rooted in the city's expanding investment in alternative crisis response, specifically programs like the Crisis and Incident Response through Community-Led Engagement (CIRCLE) program and the Unarmed Model of Crisis Response (UMCR) program. Blumenfield's motion argues that scaling these nonviolent emergency programs requires not just funding and deployment infrastructure, but a stronger regional behavioral health workforce. The city is also working to align these efforts with the County of Los Angeles' Alternative Crisis Response system. The motion identifies multiple training and education routes available to prospective crisis workers, including certificate programs, undergraduate and post-graduate degrees, and crisis prevention instruction, and calls on the city to actively promote and support these opportunities. Introduced by Councilmember Bob Blumenfield and seconded by Marqueece Harris-Dawson on April 4, 2025, the motion was immediately referred to the Ad Hoc Committee on Unarmed Crisis Prevention, Intervention, and Community Services. The committee approved it as amended on April 11, 2025, and the full Council adopted it unanimously 15-0 on May 7, 2025, with final action recorded May 9. The NoHo Neighborhood Council submitted a community impact statement shortly after adoption, reflecting local stakeholder interest. As of June 10, 2026, the Civil and Human Rights and Equity Department submitted a report that was referred back to the Ad Hoc Committee, indicating the departments are actively working on the reporting and implementation directed by the motion. The file remains open with no expiration until 2028.

Activity (9)

• 2026-06-10 Civil + Human Rights and Equity Department document(s) referred to Ad Hoc Committee on Unarmed Crisis Prevention, Intervention, and Community Services.
• 2026-06-10 Document submitted by Civil + Human Rights and Equity Department, dated June 10, 2026.
• 2025-05-26 Community Impact Statement submitted by NoHo Neighborhood Council.
• 2025-05-09 Council action final.
• 2025-05-07 Council adopted item, subject to reconsideration, pursuant to Council Rule 51.
• 2025-05-02 City Clerk scheduled item for Council on May 7, 2025.
• 2025-04-11 Ad Hoc Committee on Unarmed Crisis Prevention, Intervention, and Community Services approved as amended .
• 2025-04-10 Ad Hoc Committee on Unarmed Crisis Prevention, Intervention, and Community Services scheduled item for committee meeting on April 11, 2025.
• 2025-04-04 Motion referred to Ad Hoc Committee on Unarmed Crisis Prevention, Intervention, and Community Services.

Documents (6)

• 2026-06-10 Report from Civil + Human Rights and Equity Department · report
• 2025-05-26 Community Impact Statement submitted by NoHo Neighborhood Council · cis
• 2025-05-09 Council Action · council_action
• 2025-04-18 Report from Ad Hoc Committee on Unarmed Crisis Prevention, Intervention, and Community Services · report
• 2025-04-11 Speaker Card(s) · speaker_card
• 2025-04-04 Motion · motion

Council votes (1)

• 2025-05-07 Vote — 15-0-0 · Regular