L.A. County launches Office of Food Equity [Video]

A new county office focused on addressing the root causes of food-system issues in the greater Los Angeles area will be led by a former senior advisor to ex-L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, officials announced Friday.

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The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors recently approved an initiative to form the Office of Food Equity, which will be a public-private partnership between the county, Annenberg Foundation, California Community Foundation and the Weingart Foundation.

Paula Daniels, who also founded the L.A. Food Policy Council, will serve as the executive director.

“The county has a responsibility to act as a safety net for our most vulnerable communities, who disproportionately suffer from food insecurity,” Supervisor Janice Hahn, who helped create the Food Equity Roundtable, said in a statement. “This new Office of Food Equity marks an important first step in bringing the …