By Ron Thaniel
February 15, 2010

Conference of Mayors Vice President Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, joined by U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (CA), and Congresswoman Maxine Waters (CA) at the South Los Angeles WorkSource Center, announced on January 13 a $7.5 million Recovery Act grant that will upgrade and expand 188 computer centers that provide the public with free broadband access to the Internet. The investment will help bridge the technological divide in Los Angeles and will work to improve access to job training and educational opportunities.

“With access to computers and broadband Internet that many of us take for granted, more Angelenos will have the opportunity to use the tools of the 21st century to get jobs of the 21st century,” Villaraigosa said. “With this ARRA funding, we will take another step towards bridging the digital divide in our communities and getting the hard working people of Los Angeles back to work.”

The grant was awarded to the Los Angeles’ Computer Access Network (L.A.- CAN). The L.A.-CAN project proposes to double the number of workstations available throughout the city at public computer centers in libraries, workforce centers, and youth and family centers in low-income and non-English speaking communities. The majority of the 188 proposed centers would be located within three miles of federal and state designated “Enterprise Zones.”

“This critical investment will expand computer and Internet service access to Los Angeles residents most in need, helping to make them full participants in today’s 21st century information economy,” Locke said. “Having access to the Internet’s economic, health and educational benefits should be as much of a fundamental American right as attending a quality school or feeling safe when you walk down the street.”

The project proposes to:

• Expand and upgrade free public computer centers at 73 public library locations, 43 WorkSource and OneSource job centers, and 72 recreation centers, senior centers and child care centers - connecting 35 youth and senior centers to broadband Internet service for the first time.

• Expand broadband Internet access to vulnerable populations: 128 of the proposed centers are located in or near areas where 50 percent of the households are non-English speaking.

• Expand broadband Internet access to low-income communities: 158 of the proposed centers are located in areas where 50 percent of the households are at low or moderate income levels.

• Provide city residents with access to job and computer training and online search engines, including the library’s recently developed Job Hunting Guide.

“I am so pleased to stand with Secretary Locke today as he announces this crucial funding for the L.A.-CAN Project, which will help community centers, libraries, workforce and youth centers across Los Angeles upgrade and expand their computer centers and high speed Internet access, and support computer literacy and educational training programs,” Boxer said.

“This grant represents the beginning of our commitment to use Recovery Act funds to broaden access to technology and close the digital divide,” Waters said. “Many residents have not been able to afford broadband and thus do not have access to it, but the South Los Angeles WorkSource Center - Community Centers Inc. and other public computing centers receiving funding will now make broadband available for free to our community.”

Los Angeles also recently received $4 million from the Department of Labor for the Pathways Out of Poverty Program. The program is aimed at providing employment and training services to at-risk, and hard-to'serve populations that are currently unemployed, or seek to upgrade their skills. This citywide project will include the city’s WorkSource Centers to outreach, recruit, and provide supportive services to residents enrolling into training programs that will lead into full-time, permanent employment.

Including the $4 million from Pathways out of Poverty and the $7,496,157 from Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP), Los Angeles has been awarded approximately $485 million in federal funds through the Recovery Act.