By Dianne Anderson

Going from jail-based systems to community-level trades training is never an easy move for those providing programs for the formerly incarcerated, or those struggling to learn how to take their first steps into work life.

For years, youth at Dirtbags Academy have been in and out of the system, but now with freedom comes responsibility.

But Diana Rodriguez said their students aren’t afraid to dig deeper and do the work needed to grow.

“This is an example of everybody coming together and putting their heart forward and making sure our population thrives and making sure opportunities happen for them,” said Rodriguez, chief operating officer and program director at Dirtbags Foundation.

Many of their services offered are out of pocket, like many mom and pop programs, but she said things are falling into place.

“I believe God’s hand is in all of this, there are things that happen and we say how did that happen?” she said.

The program’s five different trade skills include motorcycle repair, fabrication and welding, detailing and coating, print and design, and parts manufacturing. Currently, the program is limited to funding for 20 students, but she couldn’t turn away one more.

“We’re at 21 students, primarily help with them workforce development, mentorship, life skills. A lot of individuals don’t even know how to do their own laundry, the little things that nobody thinks about. We have a whole curriculum,” she said.

Rodriguez commends Mikey Loco, executive director of the program, and that they both, as co-founders, wanted to use their professional networking connections to help students discover discipline. Other foundational services are guided by Loco, who has a strong social media presence and outreach. Training covers soft skills building, resume writing, and workshops.

“He’s really strict, he doesn’t play about the program. Ultimately it’s that system created in them that will help them obtain a long term career,” she said.

Most of their youth have been left hanging in the balance, some bordering on homelessness.

“Unfortunately there are a lot of stories like that, this population is so used to people giving up on them, they feel so hopeless,” she said. “When they come here we try to foster that environment, you come here and you have a family here.”

There, students learn teamwork in small groups, something they say they’ve never experienced before.

Occasionally, they also offer job fairs for their participants, along with key speakers and mentors. Recently, a union member came down, talked about their good paying job. One speaker talked about benefit packages, HMOs and PPOs.

“It’s little things that this population doesn’t know about, base salary and why it’s important to have benefits, going over all the importance of the basic life skills that we think are so easy. To them it’s completely otherworldly,” she said.

She is also reaching out to get more women into the class, which ends in May, and another starts in June.

In her early years, she was just as impacted as those that she now serves.

“I grew up in a Brown people home where what happens at home stays at home. Coming into this field, it shows communication barriers and strongholds in the family, and that’s what we’re here to do,” she said. “Even if we’re not in their life long term, just helping them in this little while we have with them.”

When they had their launch event recently, Rodriguez was busy hosting and catering, and asking everyone if she could get them something, but one guy broke down in the moment.

“He said I never had anyone do that. He never sat down to a family setting where somebody would bring him a meal, he never ate with anybody,” she said. “Little stories like that help me move forward and know the work we’re doing is good and working and it’s helping.”

Dirtbags funding comes by way of Los Angeles County’s Justice, Care and Opportunities Department.

JCOD spokesperson Brenda Duran said the department’s Skills and Experience for the Careers of Tomorrow (SECTOR) initiative partners with Dirtbags Academy in Long Beach for a 12‑week pre‑apprenticeship in motorcycle repair, welding, and fabrication, funded by Measure J. The pilot started with 21 people and aims to serve 60 this year, with the next cohorts scheduled for summer and fall.

Duran said the program helps participants over 18 obtain IDs and documentation no matter what their conviction history looks like and whether they’re on supervision.

So far, SECTOR has served 3,675 justice‑involved people since 2022, with 84% not getting locked up again within two years—way above the 25% state average and the 75% average for other California reentry programs. Graduates who land jobs average about $23 an hour and get up to a year of follow‑up support, including rental help, tools, rides to appointments, and connections to mental health and substance‑use services.

Right now, Los Angeles County’s Justice, Care and Opportunities Department (JCOD) is rolling out a $376 million Care First Community Investment portfolio, with over $9 million set aside this year just for job‑training and employment programs.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn, whose district includes Long Beach, emphasized that the program’s value extends beyond technical certifications.

“Dirtbags does incredible work. They’re reaching young people who are coming out of the criminal justice system at a critical moment, when what they need isn’t just a job, but a sense of purpose and belief in themselves,” Hahn said. “They need to know they can build a future beyond jail or probation. And that’s exactly what we are providing with this new partnership.”

Hahn noted that the hands-on nature of the work is a vehicle for deeper stability. “The young people in this program will learn more than how to fix a motorcycle or weld, they will gain real, marketable skills that can support a career. But just as importantly, they’ll be with a community that believes in them, stands behind them, and is rooting for their success,” she said.

Nonprofits seeking guidance on these funding streams can contact Joseph Wise‑Wiley at jwise‑wiley@jcod.lacounty.gov. As part of Second Chance Month, JCOD is also inviting public input on the next round of funding during virtual meetings on April 16 and 30.

More resources, see:

1. CFCI Portfolio ($376M): View the Year 3 spending plan jcod.lacounty.gov/cfci
2. SECTOR official program and available funding: jcod.lacounty.gov/program/sector
3. Virtual Community Meetings (April 16 & 30): Join the CFCI advisory sessions jcod.lacounty.gov/program/cfci‑advisory‑meetings
4. Dirtbagsfoundation.org call (562) 374-2277