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Keeping working class neighbors rooted in Northeast LA

PARTNER SPOTLIGHT

INCLUSIVE ACTION FOR THE CITY

Inclusive Action for the City shares critical information on how to protect our community members at Somos NELA Fiesta. Photo Credit: Lola Salgado

We’re proud to be in community with Inclusive Action for the City, an organization that has long been at the forefront of supporting street vendors and small entrepreneurs across Los Angeles. Their work alongside vendors has helped expand access to capital, policy change, and resources so vendors can operate safely and sustainably.

Later this month, Inclusive Action will join us at our next Community Economies meeting to share their expertise on what it takes for vendors to obtain permits and operate sustainably — a topic that vendors expressed interest in learning more about. We will have space for neighbors to ask questions, share knowledge, and better navigate systems that often make it difficult for working-class entrepreneurs to thrive.

Together, this work helps make it easier for neighbors to earn income, grow their businesses, and strengthen the local economies that sustain our communities. Our vendors asked for technical support on permits and

Learn with us at our meeting on Tues, March 24th from 6-8PM.

CLOCKSHOP

Clockshop, LA Más and Arvia resident, Andres, celebrate the completion of Arvia’s ADU and the premier of Clockshop’s short film, ‘Saving Arvia’. Photo Credit: Gina Clyne

Our partners at Clockshop bring cultural programming into the Somos NELA ecosystem on the third Friday of each month, creating a sense of belonging and opportunities for deeper connection amongst all our neighbors.

Programming has included hands-on workshops like journal binding, bead and bracelet making, and so much more! These gatherings bring artists, neighbors, and vendors together in the same space where our local economy is growing — creating moments of creativity, connection, and care in the neighborhood.

Clockshop is also partnering with us in deeper conversations about how culture, land, and housing shape the future of Northeast LA. In last month’s newsletter, Arvia resident Andrés Cortes reflected on the trust that makes this work possible — trust in neighbors, in community, and in the future of Cypress Park.

DANZA DIVINA + PLAZA DE LA RAZA

Danza Divina poses after a performance at Somos NELA Fiesta. Photo Credit: Lola Salgado

We’re grateful to be in community with Danza Divina, an inter-generational multimedia Aztec dance troop that previously performed at Somos NELA, and Plaza de la Raza, a long-standing cultural institution uplifting arts and culture in Los Angeles.

Recently, they partnered to produce an evening of danza celebrating Mexica New Year an Indigenous cultural tradition and invited LA Más to bring Somos NELA vendors into the celebration. Vendors popped up alongside the event, sharing food, crafts, and art with a wider community.

Moments like this show what’s possible when cultural institutions, local groups, and neighborhood economies grow together — keeping traditions vibrant while expanding opportunity for local entrepreneurs.

LA Más supporters and partners enjoy the night at the 2025 Rooted annual fundraiser. Photo Credit: Javier de Leon

COMMUNITY OWNERSHIP: LEARNING TOGETHER

We’re excited to participate in growing the Community Ownership movement, where organizations across Los Angeles and the nation share strategies for advancing community-rooted ownership of land, housing, and neighborhood spaces.

This year, we’re participating in a national learning cohort on community ownership innovation hosted by the University of Miami’s Community Ownership Learning & Action Lab. Through peer exchange with four organizations across the country, we are surfacing lessons, strengthening relationships, and contributing to a field-wide report on emerging models in community-owned real estate. Our cohort includes Wukchumni Tribe (CA), Tierra Colectiva (Denver), Justice for the People (CO), and New Economy Project (NY).

Locally, we’re part of Inclusive Action’s inaugural Community Ownership Community of Practice, where we will be learning alongside our friends at Fedeicomiso Comunitaria Tierra Libre, Chinatown CLT, and United Cambodian Community.

These gatherings allow practitioners and community leaders to exchange lessons, build relationships, and strengthen a broader ecosystem working toward long-term neighborhood stability.

LA Más staff pose at their NELA Comparte event, which evolved into their biweekly Somos NELA night market. Photo Credit: Lola Salgado

WE’RE HIRING

We’re hiring a Community Housing Manager to help steward our growing housing portfolio and the technical work behind it — from asset management and capital improvements to compliance, reporting, and property management oversight.

If you’re passionate about housing justice and community-led development, we’d love to hear from you.

Click on the links below to add our events to your google calendar or view our full calendar here.

🧮 Tues, March 24th from 6-8pm | Community Economies Meeting

Join vendors and neighbors working to strengthen Northeast LA’s community economy. This month, Inclusive Action will lead a conversation on vendor permits and navigating the systems that shape how small businesses and street vendors operate.

🥳 Friday, April 3rd from 6–9PM | Somos NELA

Come support local vendors, build community, and celebrate shared abundance.

🥳 Friday, April 17th from 5–9PM | Somos NELA Block Party

Close the street down with us for an extended, bigger and better Somos NELA!

🏘️ Friday, April 28th from 6–8PM | Community Housing Meeting

Find out how we’re doing closing escrow on a 31 unit property in Drew Street and what’s next for the community housing movement.

LA Más is a community organization building collective power in Northeast Los Angeles to promote neighborhood stability and economic resilience for working class communities of color.