LA Conservation Corps

10/15/2026

In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, we’re sharing a resource to help you learn more about Hispanic culture and history.

Latino people are an important part of our team at every level, from our Corpsmembers to our senior leadership. In fact, the majority of our active Corpsmember and staff populations identify as Hispanic or Latino. The communities we serve have a rich Hispanic heritage, and it’s important to recognize the significant role Latino communities have played in shaping Los Angeles into what it is today.

We chose to highlight quotes from Justice Sonia Sotomayor and environmental activist Homero Gómez González because of their incredible leadership on issues closely aligned with the Corps’ mission. Justice Sotomayor is the first Latina to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court. Throughout her career, she has advocated for opportunities and championed the importance of second chances.

Homero Gómez González was a passionate advocate for monarch butterflies, a species the Corps is dedicated to helping protect. Today, one of our crews from South LA is working in the Ballona Wetlands to restore and protect habitat for monarch butterflies.

As an organization, we are deeply grateful for the contributions of these remarkable Latino leaders and the lasting impact they have made in their respective fields.

Join us in celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month! Scan the QR code to visit the National Museum of the American Latino’s website and learn more about Hispanic heritage and the history of Hispanic Heritage Month in the United States.

10/14/2026

Three of our Corpsmembers, Andros from the West Valley, Daniel from Northeast LA, and Reymundo from Compton, are participating in a 10-week internship with California State Parks.

Join us in celebrating these three Corpsmembers, who are working hard at Los Angeles State Historic Park alongside State Parks staff to help keep the park beautiful for the community! 🌿

This unique opportunity is designed to be a foot in the door for Corpsmembers interested in pursuing careers with California State Parks. Through the internship, they gain valuable skills and hands-on experience that can prepare them for full-time positions with the agency.

In fact, several of the staff working at LA State Historic Park today are former Corpsmembers!

We are incredibly grateful to California State Parks for opening this opportunity to our Corpsmembers, and we’re excited to see what’s next for Andros, Daniel, and Reymundo after they complete their internships!

A special thank you to our Corpsmember Development team for helping bring this opportunity to our Corpsmembers: Maria Cortez, Ethan Mendez, Christie Nolasco, Ruben Johnson, Jessica Ajanel, and our Corps Navigators. Thank you!

10/12/2026

Watch this video about our East LA Corpsmembers and staff who partnered with the City of Sierra Madre to restore and improve Bailey Canyon Wilderness Park (City of Sierra Madre - Government). 🌿

Located along the outer edge of the area impacted by the Eaton Fire, Bailey Canyon Wilderness Park borders a nearby residential community. For this reason, the project focuses on both post-fire rehabilitation and ecological restoration.

Our crews helped remove invasive vegetation, construct naturalized bioswales and drainage channels, implement erosion control measures, stabilize trails, and make improvements to enhance stormwater infiltration. These efforts will help reduce future erosion, create a fire break to protect the surrounding community, and preserve the park’s natural character.

In addition to benefiting the environment, this project provides our Corpsmembers with valuable hands-on experience operating construction equipment and developing skills that can prepare them for careers in conservation and land management.

A special thank you to the City of Sierra Madre for their leadership and partnership on this project, especially Eric Lozick, the Sierra Madre City Council, and the Public Works team. Their collaboration was instrumental from project development through implementation.

Finally, we’d like to recognize the outstanding work of our East LA team: Logan Montel, Raul Medina, Jennifer Sedano, and all of the Corpsmembers who did an exceptional job bringing this project to life.

10/07/2026

Recently, we came together at our east LA site to celebrate John Franco’s retirement.

John worked at the LA Conservation Corps for more than 10 years, beginning as a Technical Construction Supervisor, then advancing to Technical Construction Supervisor II, and ultimately serving as Technical Construction Coordinator. During his farewell celebration, John told us that this was actually his second retirement. His first was from the Marine Corps, where he served for more than 30 years.

John joined the LA Conservation Corps to continue his service to his country in a different way, by training young people across Los Angeles in construction skills and leading important construction projects that improve our communities.

We have been incredibly fortunate to have John on our team for more than a decade. During his time with the Corps, he impacted the lives of hundreds of young people and was a pioneer in helping make our Youth Sidewalk Repair Program a reality. Our Youth Sidewalk Repair Program is an innovative initiative that helps repair broken and uneven sidewalks across Los Angeles County, making them safer and more accessible for everyone.

While we are all sad to hear that John would be leaving the Corps, we’re happy for him and excited that he’ll have more time to spend with his family, especially his grandkids, who are sure to be seeing a lot more of him!

Staff members like John are the people behind the scenes who make the Corps such a special place. Although John is no longer officially part of our Corps team, we know his impact will be felt for years to come. There’s no doubt that John has left a lasting mark on Los Angeles, our communities and on the young people who have been part of our programs.

Join us in celebrating John Franco and congratulating him on a well-deserved retirement!

10/05/2026

♻️ A behind-the-scenes look at recycling in action!

Recently, LA Conservation Corps staff had the opportunity to tour Athens Services’ Irwindale Materials Recovery Facility and see firsthand how materials are sorted, recovered, and recycled.

A big thank you to Tim Yeh and Amanda Mejia and the Athens Services team for welcoming us and sharing more about their work. From recycling and composting to litter abatement and environmental stewardship, Athens and the Corps have a lot in common including a commitment to creating a cleaner, more sustainable Los Angeles.

The visit also gave us a chance to explore how we can work more closely together, including career pathways, workforce development, facility tours, and other opportunities that can connect Corpsmembers to careers in the environmental sector.

Our team joined the tour, including CEO Tamara Muzac-Bravo and management team members Robert Skillman, Alex Lopez, Adrianne Calbreath, Maria Cortez, Ruben Johnson, Juan Alvarez, and Ryan Fleury.

We’re excited about what’s ahead and grateful to partners like Athens Services who share our commitment to both people and the planet. 🌱♻️

10/01/2026

🎥See what your support makes possible! Join Job Developer Ruben Johnson for a two-minute look at our first-quarter highlights.

Since our fiscal year began in July, your support has helped young people across Los Angeles County gain skills, earn income, and take meaningful steps toward a stronger future.

Will you make a gift to the LA Conservation Corps? Your donation will help more young people build skills, confidence, and a path forward to lasting careers and education? Whether it’s $25, $100, or $1,000, every gift helps expand opportunities for young people across Los Angeles County.

Scan the QR code at the end of the video or visit www.lacorps.org to make a donation today!

09/25/2026

Last weekend, the Corps helped launch Love San Pedro, a local initiative to inspire community action to protect and beautify the parks, streets, waterways, neighborhoods, and public spaces that make San Pedro special.

We teamed up with Councilmember Tim McOsker, Niagara Cares, Keep America Beautiful and Keep California Beautiful for a day of service in San Pedro!

Our Compton Corpsmembers and staff worked alongside over 80 local residents and volunteers to beautify parkway spaces with succulents and woodchips, spread mulch to give the old fire station lot a makeover, pick up litter, and remove bulky items throughout the neighborhood. It was hard work, but it is important work for the residents of San Pedro.

Before the service day began, we heard inspiring remarks from LA Conservation Corps CEO Tamara Muzac-Bravo, Councilmember McOsker, and Niagara’s Senior Director of Corporate Giving, Ann Marie Chock, followed by a safety demonstration from LA Conservation Corps’ very own Juan Alvarez, Sr. Program Manager.

The neighborhood beautification event is a powerful example of what’s possible when a community comes together to make a difference. We’re incredibly grateful to all of our partners and to every community member who volunteered alongside us and helped make this service day a reality.

09/23/2026

Check out this video about our Corpsmembers and staff from our Northeast LA site who recently finished a milling project in Altadena in partnership with Angel City Lumber Corpsmembers milled trees that were burned in the Eaton Fire to help support the rebuilding of the community. This project was made possible thanks to generous support from The Boeing Company!

This partnership with Angel City Lumber is important because it gives Corpsmembers the opportunity to help recover, repurpose, and preserve trees that were lost in the January 2025 wildfires, while gaining valuable hands-on experience in sustainability, environmental stewardship, and workforce development.

The Corpsmembers that participated in this project, received milling operations training from our friends at the Conservation Corps of Long Beach. After completing the program, each Corpsmember earned a certificate recognizing their training. Between training and hands-on work, the eight Corpsmembers dedicated more than 250 hours to this project. Corpsmembers produced more than 17,000 board feet of usable products, including floorboards, charcuterie boards, drying sticks, and more.

The Corps made a commitment to stand by Los Angeles in the aftermath of the devastating 2025 wildfires. This project is one example of that commitment, and we will continue doing our part to support our communities throughout the recovery and rebuilding process.

A huge thank you to Angel City Lumber for the incredible work you're doing to help rebuild Altadena and for mentoring our Corpsmembers by teaching them valuable new skills.

Thank you again to Boeing for supporting this important work!

09/23/2026

Exciting news from California Association of Local Conservation Corps!

We are excited to share Senate Bill 178 (Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review) was signed by Governor Newsom! SB 178 provides a one-time infusion of funding for the local conservation corps to continue leading in projects that protect California’s environment while providing training for local corpsmembers to pursue career opportunities within the recycling, waste management, and environmental services.

Thank you to Senator Durazo (María Elena Durazo) for being a staunch advocate for the local conservation corps and advocating for frontline communities and youth to be considered when enhancing the equity of California’s climate investments. Moreover, we’d like to thank Governor Newsom (Governor Gavin Newsom), Senator Laird (California State Senator John Laird), Senator Reyes (Senator Eloise Gómez Reyes), Assemblymember Gabriel (Asm. Jesse Gabriel), Assemblymember Bennett (Steve Bennett), Assembly Speaker Rivas (Speaker Robert Rivas), and Senate Pro Tem Limón (Senate President pro Tempore Monique Limón) for their leadership and support throughout the process.

The local conservation corps are eager to continue the work!

localleaders

09/21/2026

🎥Watch this highlight from Episode One of the LA Conservation Corps Podcast featuring our CEO, Tamara Muzac-Bravo!

In this episode, Tamara sits down with Destin Bigsby, our Marketing Manager, to reflect on her first six months since being named CEO of the LA Conservation Corps.

She shares her vision for the future of the organization, discusses her values and background, and talks about what motivates her and makes her so excited to be in her current role.

The episode also features East LA Corpsmember Brian Serrano, who joins Tamara to share his own experience and perspective as a Corpsmember. A special thank you to Brian for sharing his story!

Watch the full episode on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/l06FnWuxBMk?si=RxmacRk9p-E4v-0U

Listen to the full episode on Spotify here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4jes5e1IUxF6FtLnt75isF?si=iA_PFtABTVaHHBxYMe48_A