By, Ruel Nolledo | Freelance Writer
February 26, 2026
First 5 LA’s Board of Commissioners convened in person on February 12 for its first meeting of 2026. Highlights include the annual election of officers, updates on Governor Newsom’s new budget plan, a presentation on sustainability opportunities for home visiting programs, and a discussion of the evolution and impact of First 5 LA’s Best Start initiative.
First 5 LA’s Board of Commissioners convened in person on February 12 to a packed audience, with community members and partners eager to participate in a discussion on First 5 LA’s Best Start initiative. Commissioner Summer McBride chaired the meeting, which began with the annual election of board officers. Commissioners elected L.A. County Supervisor Holly Mitchell as board chair and Commissioner Brandon Nichols as the new vice chair. McBride then announced committee assignments for the year, with McBride and Commissioner Carol Sigala serving as chair and vice chair, respectively, of the Program & Planning Committee. The Budget & Finance Committee will be chaired by Commissioner Maricela Ramirez, with Commissioner Abigail Marquez serving as vice chair. The full list of committee assignments for 2026 can be found here.
“Committed to the Community”
First 5 LA President & CEO Karla Pleitéz Howell began her remarks by noting that, even as Los Angeles continues to recover from the devastating wildfires, families now face alarming developments at the federal level. She outlined multiple threats to programs that support young children and families, including attempts to freeze billions in federal funding for child care and family assistance, as well as increased immigration enforcement actions that have left communities on edge, regardless of their immigration status. While California has successfully fought back against some of these actions in court, the climate of uncertainty continues to affect the families and communities that First 5 LA works with.
As these events unfold, First 5 LA continues to redesign its structure to operate as a $60 million organization rather than the $140 million organization it once was. As a result, Pleitéz Howell explained, some programs and initiatives will evolve, while others will end. But First 5 LA will remain focused on serving young children in L.A. County’s highest-need communities, said Pleitéz Howell, adding that First 5 LA is developing investment strategies aimed at creating the greatest impact while maintaining the ability to respond to evolving needs.
“We can — and should — focus on the urgent,” she said. “But we also need to think about what it’s going to take to build back after all this is done.”
Pleitéz Howell added that, throughout the year, conversations at Board meetings would touch on three essential areas: equity, future investments, and ways to align First 5 LA’s largest investments, home visiting and Best Start.
“We are committed to the community,” Pleitéz Howell emphasized. “It is going to be a different investment.”
Policy Update
The Commission next heard from Vice President of Community Engagement & Policy Aurea Montes-Rodriguez and Director of Policy Ofelia Medina, who provided an update on state and federal actions. In addition to an overview of Governor Newsom’s proposed budget for 2026-27, the presentation highlighted ongoing policy changes at the federal level that would pose serious threats to families’ access to critical support services.
Medina explained that the California Department of Finance projected a balanced budget of $348.9 billion, with state revenues up 42.3% across fiscal years 2024–25 through 2026–27, driven largely by personal income tax growth. Among the budget elements most relevant to First 5 LA’s policy agenda were a full restoration of home visiting program funds, honoring a 2024 agreement with the state legislature, and a one-time $11.5 million increase for child care infrastructure in communities affected by last year’s wildfires.
At the same time, Montes-Rodriguez and Medina noted the uncertainty due to ongoing federal actions. The Trump administration’s implementation of H.R. 1 is already having devastating effects, with an estimated 3.1 million California families expected to lose at least some food assistance through SNAP. New Medicaid work requirements, more frequent eligibility checks, and the removal of coverage for certain immigrant groups are creating additional barriers to healthcare access.
The implementation of H.R. 1 provisions — including new eligibility requirements and funding reductions for key programs — would likely shape budget negotiations in the months ahead, with any surplus revenues expected to flow into the state’s rainy day fund rather than support program expansion.
“We are operating in a moment of real fiscal uncertainty at both the state and federal levels,” said Montes-Rodriguez. “It’s also one where the state and federal policy choices matter very deeply, for the children, families, and the communities that we serve in LA County.”
Looking ahead, Montes-Rodriguez and Medina emphasized the critical importance of lifting up the real stories of how these policy changes are affecting families. The First 5 LA Summit, scheduled for April 24th, will bring together community members, providers and systems leaders to share lived experiences and shape advocacy efforts at both the state and federal levels. For more information, please read the presentation here.
A Long-Term Vision for Home Visiting
Director of Family Supports Diana Careaga next joined the meeting to lead the first in a series of presentations on First 5 LA’s home visitation program. Planned throughout the year, these presentations are intended help inform and shape the agency’s home visiting long-term vision — a process that will align the investment to First 5 LA’s Long-Term Financial Plan and facilitate Board endorsement at the October 2026 Commission meeting.
Careaga provided an overview of First 5 LA’s investment in home visiting, which includes the agency’s own Welcome Baby initiative and Select Home Visitation models such as Healthy Families America and Parents As Teachers. Beyond these investments, First 5 LA also funds critical infrastructure — the Family Strengthening Oversight Entity and the Stronger Families Database — that support countywide home visiting efforts. 
Currently, home visitation makes up 38% of First 5 LA’s organizational budget and 56% of its programmatic budget in FY 25-26. However, given the agency’s fiscal reality, First 5 LA is unable to continue funding home visiting at the historic levels.
Guest presenter Stacey Lee of Children Now spoke to the Commission about the policy landscape and system elements that support strong home visiting. Drawing from a 2023 Children Now report, she identified five essential components for strengthening home visiting systems: planning, partnerships, shared data and measurement, workforce development and equitable compensation, and coordinated no-wrong-door enrollment. Lee also noted that L.A. County already demonstrates strengths in several areas.
Guest presenter Christina Altmayer of Health Management Associates also joined the presentation to discuss viable Medi-Cal sustainability opportunities for home visiting, including new funding possibilities through Community Health Worker benefits and Enhanced Care Management under CalAIM, as well as a Unified Home Visiting Billing System currently in development. She also shared how other First 5s are addressing the challenge of maintaining home visiting, starting with reframing home visiting not as a program but as a county system focused on improving maternal and child health outcomes.
“It requires a multi-pronged approach with different strategies,” Altmayer added. “It will also entail asking some foundational questions among each of the First 5s about its role in the system.”
Diana outlined to Commissioners the additional touchpoints on home visiting, including an extensive discussion during the April Program and Planning Committee and a full presentation of the proposed long-term vision later in the fall. For more information, please read the presentation on home visiting.
Best Start at 15: Lessons Learned and the Road Ahead
Aurea Montes-Rodriguez returned to the mic, along with guest speakers Juanita Gallion and Liz Squibb of the Center for the Study of Social Policy (CSSP), to present on an independent assessment of First 5 LA’s Best Start initiative.
Launched in 2010, the place-based investment strategy focused on 14 geographic areas throughout LA County that were home to 19% of the county’s young children. Montes-Rodriguez explained that the evaluation, which draws on more than 15 years of data, staff insights, and community interviews, would help shape the next phase of First 5 LA’s work with communities.
“Neighborhoods have changed, demographics have shifted, and the needs of families have intensified,” she said. “At the same time, First 5 LA must steward declining revenue resources responsibly. We can no longer sustain a broad investment footprint without compromising our impact. We need to reassess high-need areas to ensure that our limited resources make the greatest impact.”
Gallion and Squib shared that, over the last 15+ years, Best Start has delivered meaningful results: advancing equity through cross-sector partnerships, building community leadership and organizational capacity, meeting families’ basic needs, and responding nimbly to crises, including COVID-19, wildfires, and immigration enforcement. A shift from 14 individual community areas to five Regional Network Grantees (RNGs) helped broaden the initiative’s reach and sharpen its focus on systems change.
At the same time, the assessment noted ongoing challenges, particularly the strain of maintaining community-rooted leadership amid declining revenues, and the difficulty smaller organizations face in pivoting from direct service to policy advocacy.
Looking ahead, Montes-Rodriguez outlined how First 5 LA intends to apply its Building Brighter Futures Equity Index to direct future investments toward the highest-need areas — including communities that may fall outside existing Best Start boundaries. The emerging “Hubs” model, which staff plan to present in more detail at the March board meeting, envisions community-anchored spaces designed to connect families with direct services, safety-net programs, and systems change opportunities.
The session drew an exceptionally large public turnout, with more than 86 community members submitting comments. Many spoke about the difference Best Start has made in their respective communities, offering resources for capacity building, systems change and leadership development, as well as support on issues such as domestic violence, grief, food insecurity and more.
“Best Start has made a difference in my community,” said one speaker. “I encourage you to continue supporting the current Best Start infrastructure.”
“What we’re asking for is time and the space to be thoughtful about how we can be resourceful together,” said another. “I think that’s something that we all take away from the strength of this network.”
Additional Commission Items
As part of the consent agenda, the Commission also approved the following agreements:
- Social Policy Research Associates: For an evaluation of First 5 LA’s Dual Language Learner (DLL) Communications Campaign’s strategies and activities spanning FY 2022-2026. Aligns with the Strategic Plan’s Whole Child, Bright Futures Initiative.
- Blackbaud Inc.: For First 5 LA’s accounting and grant management platforms.
More information on both contracts can be found here.
- First 5 LA staff presented written recommendations regarding the receipt of funds from WestEd for the Building Equitable Early Learning and Care Systems (BEELS) Project. The item will return to the Commission next month for a vote.
- Staff also submitted a written presentation to Commissioners on mid-year adjustments to First 5 LA’s 2025-26 budget. Although the Commission does not need to approve the changes, First 5 LA staff is taking steps to ensure greater transparency in the budgeting process. For more information on the mid-year adjustments, please read the memo here.
The next Board of Commissioners meeting takes place on Thursday, March 12. Materials will be available 72 hours in advance at www.first5la.org/our-board/meeting-materials.
