In Pomona Unified School District (PUSD), the question wasn’t whether students were capable of succeeding in college, it was whether they ever had the opportunity to imagine themselves there. Addressing that gap required more than expanding access to individual programs. It required redesigning how high schools and universities worked together so students could begin their college journey before graduating.

Last month, LA DEAL joined the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC) and California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) Commissioner Darcie L. Houck for a broadband roundtable as part of a statewide series of California Advanced Services Fund (CSF) Listening Sessions.

In June, UNITE-LA's Edgar Castillo testified before the Senate Labor, Public Employment and Retirement Committee in support of AB 805, legislation that would establish the Career Apprenticeship Bridge (CAB) Program and advance a key recommendation from the California Youth Apprenticeship Committee’s final report.

UNITE-LA recently partnered with the Becky Morgan Steward Leadership Program to help emerging and mid-career leaders strengthen their ability to address complex challenges through systems change. Led by California Forward, the program brings together leaders from across the state to deepen their understanding of policy, collaboration and stewardship. As part of the program, Carrie Lemmon, UNITE-LA's Senior Vice President of Systems Change Strategy, led a session sharing insights from her work advancing systems-level solutions across education, workforce and economic development. Through this engagement, UNITE-LA is helping equip current and future leaders with tools to address root causes, build cross-sector partnerships and advance more equitable outcomes for California communities.

UNITE-LA recently launched its 2026 Health Sector Collaborative, bringing together 32 partners across education, workforce and industry to strengthen health care career pathways across Los Angeles County. As demand for health care talent continues to grow, the Collaborative serves as a forum for partners to align strategies, address workforce challenges and expand access to high-quality, career-connected opportunities. Through stronger coordination across systems, the initiative aims to help meet regional workforce needs while creating more equitable pathways into health care careers.

UNITE-LA continues to advance strategies that expand broadband access and strengthen digital equity across California by helping shape the policies, partnerships and investments that guide broadband deployment. This quarter, UNITE-LA engaged state leaders and broadband stakeholders through the California Public Utilities Commission’s California Advanced Services Fund (CASF) Annual Workshop to strengthen policies governing regional broadband consortia, improve coordination across funding and implementation efforts and help ensure underserved communities benefit from historic broadband investments. Through this work, UNITE-LA is helping position broadband as essential infrastructure that supports economic opportunity, educational access and community connectivity.

UNITE-LA convened more than 70 cross-sector partners in April for a Lunch & Learn focused on dual enrollment partnerships between K-12 districts and California State University campuses. While most dual enrollment opportunities across California are offered through community colleges, the session highlighted how CSU-based models can provide students with earlier access to university coursework, campus experiences and degree pathways. Bringing together K–12 districts, higher education institutions, workforce leaders and policymakers, the discussion explored how these partnerships can strengthen college access while creating clearer connections to postsecondary education and high-demand careers. Presenters from Cal Poly Pomona, CSU Long Beach and Pomona Unified School District shared promising approaches designed to expand opportunity and improve pathway alignment for students historically underrepresented in higher education.

One year after the adoption of LAUSD’s “Aligning Site-Based Professional Development (PD), Collaboration & Decision-Making in the Community School and Pilot Models” resolution, UNITE-LA and district partners are helping translate policy into practice. Through the Community Schools Steering Committee (CSSC) and its Professional Development Subcommittee, stakeholders are working to strengthen site-based decision-making, collaborative leadership and professional learning across LAUSD Community Schools. Early implementation findings are helping identify opportunities to improve clarity, alignment and support as schools operationalize this work.

As part of the Horizons 32K Strategic Plan for Opportunity Youth, UNITE-LA and regional partners are working to strengthen health care career pathways and expand access to paid work-based learning opportunities for young people across Los Angeles County. Through the Opportunity Youth Systems Change Demonstration Project, partners have spent the past year examining where health care pathways break down and identifying strategies to create more connected, equitable routes into training and employment. Findings from this work are helping inform both regional practice and state-level conversations about how to better support opportunity youth.

UNITE-LA continues to advance policies that strengthen California’s workforce system and expand economic mobility by building support among business leaders, workforce stakeholders and policymakers across the state. Through strategic engagement and advocacy, UNITE-LA is elevating solutions that strengthen education-to-career pathways, expand apprenticeship opportunities and improve workforce outcomes for Californians. Recent efforts have focused on increasing awareness and support for key legislative priorities, including AB 805, which would establish a Career Apprenticeship Bridge Program, and SB 1054, which advances policies designed to improve economic opportunity and workforce system effectiveness.