Registration

Event Description

You are invited to attend this fall’s LA Partnership in-person meeting, taking place on October 30th from 10:00 am - 12:00 pm at the California Endowment in downtown Los Angeles. Join us to explore how to help LA County families not just survive economically but thrive. We will have a thought-provoking conversation about creating economic opportunities for families in LA County.

We are excited to have Natalie Foster, author of the new book The Guarantee: Inside the Fight for America’s Next Economy, joining us to explore how to help LA County families not just survive economically but thrive. As the Founder and Co-Chair of the Economic Security Project, Natalie is one of the nation’s leading experts on creative ways to empower and support low-income and working-class families.

Also joining us is David Radcliffe, State and Local Policy Director for the Institute on Race, Power and Political Economy. Previously, David served as policy director for the Office of CT State Treasurer, where he championed the implementation of the first-in-the-country “Baby Bonds” wealth-building initiative. 

And finally, rounding out the panel is Kristina Meza. As the Executive Director of the Poverty Alleviation Initiative at the County of Los Angeles Chief Executive Office, Kristina brings over 12 years of experience in health and human service programs. Previously, Kristina held leadership roles at LA County’s Department of Economic Opportunity and the California Department of Social Services, where she helped spearhead innovative initiatives like the Statewide Guaranteed Income Pilot Program and expanded workforce services for immigrant and refugee families.

Speakers

Profile photo of Natalie Foster

Natalie Foster

President, Economic Security Project

Natalie Foster is author of the forthcoming book The Guarantee and is the President and co-founder of the Economic Security Project, an ideas advocacy organization that builds economic power for all Americans. She’s a senior fellow at the Aspen Institute Future of Work Initiative, and former director at Obama’s Organizing for America, MoveOn.org and Sierra Club. She is based in Oakland.
Kristina

Kristina Meza SCG Member

Executive Director, County of Los Angeles Chief Executive Office, Poverty Alleviation Initiative

Prior to joining the County of Los Angeles Chief Executive Office as the Executive Director of the Poverty Alleviation Initiative, Kristina served as the Assistant Director at LA County’s Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) overseeing workforce development programming in 2023. With over 12 years of experience in health and human service programs, Kristina has worked in both local and statewide government as well as small and local nonprofit organizations as a direct service provider. In State service, Kristina served as the TANF Director from 2020-2022 at the California Department of Social Services where she oversaw the State’s CalWORKs program and supported the launch of the first in the nation Statewide Guaranteed Income Pilot Program. In this role, Kristina also led the transition of Child Care programming from the California Department of Education to Social Services through the creation of the Child Care and Development Division. Kristina also served as the Policy Chief for CalFresh (SNAP) and CalFresh Employment and Training from 2018-2020. Prior to state service, Kristina served the community through various nonprofits in LA and Orange Counties. As the Program Director over workforce services at the Orange County Asian and Pacific Islander Community Alliance (OCAPICA), Kristina launched an expansion effort of workforce programming in serving Immigrant and Refugee families through the English Language Learner pilot program funded by the State. The pilot integrated Vocational ESL with workforce training in over 26 languages and focused on building language and cultural diversity amongst staff leading workforce programming.
David

David Radcliff

State and Local Policy Director , Institute on Race, Power and Political Economy

David Radcliffe, the State and Local Policy Director for the Institute on Race, Power and Political Economy, grew up in a small factory town of the Appalachian foothills in western Pennsylvania. He has a strong passion for working with people
to build places and economies where everyone can live happy, fulfilling, prosperous, and productive lives.

Previously, David served as policy director for the Office of CT State Treasurer, where he championed implementation of the
first-in-the-country “Baby Bonds” wealth-building initiative. His tenure as Director of the Working Cities Challenge CT (WCC),
an initiative of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, and leadership with the Meriden Children First Initiative (CFI)
underscore his relentless pursuit of equitable solutions. Successful campaigns include creating a universal school
breakfast program and full-day kindergarten for all Meriden children. CFI's Meriden’s Family Zone (MFZ) project was one of 15 communities nationally awarded a U.S. Department of Education Promise Neighborhood planning grant.

David’s professional journey began as a community organizer with Hartford Areas Rally Together (HART), where he worked with neighborhood leaders to successfully tackle issues related to property taxes, public safety, housing, and park improvements. Beyond his professional pursuits, David is an accomplished writer, adventurer and family man, having penned two insightful local history books (People’s History: The Story of Hartford Areas Rally Together, and Charter Oak: The Life, Death and Rebirth of a Low Income Public Housing Project) and embarked on epic journeys like hiking the length of the Appalachian Trail and
cycling across the country – twice.

In his cherished role as a father to three young adults and partner to his amazing wife, David finds joy in life’s simple pleasures, even boasting a quirky Guinness World Record for simultaneous potato chip eating at a NY Mets game (along with 35,000 others) – a testament to his zest for life and community spirit.

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