DEO Celebrates Second Chance Month with 1,000+ Fair Chance Employers and 2,500 Hires for Justice-Impacted Workers

LOS ANGELES– April marks Second Chance Month, a County-recognized observance of efforts that support justice-impacted individuals returning home and strengthening community safety through reentry programs, culturally specific services, restorative justice, and trauma-informed care. In honor of the month, the LA County Department of Economic Opportunity or DEO celebrates 2,594 justice-impacted individuals hired with 1,086 employers as part of its Fair Chance Hiring Campaign and dedicated hiring and training programs since DEO was created in July of 2022. 

DEO operates the county’s public workforce system with America’s Job Centers of California or AJCCs and programs and services that provide targeted outreach, training, paid work experiences, and access to quality jobs and career pathways, bolstering economic mobility for LA County workers and ensuring a qualified talent pipeline for hiring employers. As part of this work and DEO’s mission for a more equitable economy where all residents thrive, the department commits to expanding opportunity and advancing pathways to employment for justice-impacted individuals, simultaneously increasing economic mobility and reducing recidivism.  

In addition to promoting Fair Chance Hiring and enrolling programs, DEO will be at a variety of county-sponsored Second Chance Month events remaining this month, including:  

• April 23, 2026 – Re-entry Resource & Wellness Fair*
• April 27, 2026 – DOORS AV Second Chance Month Pop-Up
• April 29, 2026 – Long Beach Community Empowerment Resource Fair*

*DEO will provide resources at this event
For a full list of events, visit: jcod.lacounty.gov/event/jcod-second-chance-month-events. 

For more stories of community impact, visit DEO’s Fair Chance Hiring webpage at: opportunity.lacounty.gov/fairchance/ and YouTube channel for Fair Chance Hiring videos.