Celebrating 5 years of Ocean & Mountain

It’s been an historic year for social justice in Los Angeles. Even a tropical-storm downpour couldn’t cool off our “hot labor summer,” as hotel workers, city employees, screenwriters, and actors are all taking stands to improve working conditions and pay. 

At Ocean & Mountain, we’ve helped Unite Here Local 11 share a fascinating story from the picket line about cross-racial solidarity and automated hiring and client Hennig Kramer Ruiz & Singh LLP shine a light on abusive workplace practices by the LA-based maker of Synergy Kombucha, GT’s Living Foods. 

After decades of work in housing and homelessness, we’re frustrated by the persistence of street homelessness, but encouraged by the new leadership of Dr. Va Lecia Adams Kellum at LAHSA. Her team has cut the time it takes to lease up supportive housing by 75%, from 120 to 30 days. 

Last month L.A. Mayor Karen Bass scored a victory that could be game-changing when the Biden Administration announced a policy change lifting bureaucratic requirements to speed up rehousing. While the notoriously decentralized governance of L.A. County persists as a root-cause challenge, these developments, plus the launch of LACAHSA, the new countywide agency created to accelerate affordable housing, are all promising signs.

We wish you cooler days this fall and a speedy and just resolution to LA’s worker actions.