After failed attempt, South L.A. wins Promise Zone designation, which could bring in money

After several unsuccessful attempts, a swath of South Los Angeles won a hard-fought battle to receive “Promise Zone” designation, a move that pushes the neediest neighborhoods to the top of the list when applying for competitive federal grants to tackle issues related to poverty. Federal and local leaders made the announcement Monday at a news conference, flanked by college and high school students from Los Angeles Trade-Technical College. They hugged and cheered over an accomplishment that had become something of a mission. “We have been able to clear the mission to improve the lives of brothers and sisters in need,” said Councilman Curren Price, who represents parts of the area. “We will soon have another powerful tool under our belt to rewrite the South L.A. story.” Mayor Eric Garcetti said in a statement that “this will bring new resources, energy, and urgency into our movement to expand opportunity in all of L.A.’s neighborhoods.”In 2014, when President Obama created Promise Zones to help struggling communities recover from the Great Recession, South L.A. did not meet the requirements, according to officials.

READ MORE:   LATimes.com