Regional Education and Healthcare Leaders Unite to Meet Growing Demand as the County Grows and Ages
March 27, 2025 – Los Angeles, CA – In response to California’s and Los Angeles’ growing nursing shortage, a coalition of education and healthcare leaders has launched the Los Angeles County Nursing 2035 initiative. This comprehensive effort aims to increase the number of nurses in the region to avoid a “care crisis” as the population ages and nurses retire.
According to the Community College League of California, California currently ranks 40th in the nation in registered nurses per capita, with an urgent need in Los Angeles County. And as detailed by Lightcast research, 6,454 job openings for Registered Nurses in Los Angeles County are projected to be available each year through 2035. The most recent completion data indicates that 5,363 related awards were issued in 2023. If this trend continues, Los Angeles County will continue to face a supply gap of nearly 1,100 unfilled Registered Nursing positions annually.
The initiative, initially spearheaded by Compton College and the California State University (CSU), quickly expanded to include the Los Angeles Regional Consortium (LARC), the consortium of all 19 Los Angeles County community colleges. It now includes the Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC), California Competes and the Department of Economic Opportunity with the County of Los Angeles and will take strategic measures of adding more nurses to impact Los Angeles County.
“Los Angeles County is facing two equally impactful events occurring simultaneously, a growing and aging population and healthcare professionals approaching retirement. As a result, we are staring down a critical nursing shortage that directly impacts the quality of healthcare available to our diverse communities,” said Dr. Keith Curry, President and CEO of Compton College. “By working collaboratively across education institutions and industry leaders, we must create a sustainable career pipeline for students to complete nursing training and secure meaningful employment within Los Angeles County.”
Two partners, the Los Angeles Center of Excellence for Labor Market Research (COE) and the Education Strategy Group (ESG), will manage the initial efforts of the initiative, laying the groundwork for collective action. A primary objective is the production of a data-driven report with recommendations aimed at expanding nursing education capacity and strengthening regional partnerships.
“California is the most populous and diverse state in the nation, and because of that, the CSU is a beacon of hope for hundreds of thousands of students from every ethnic and socioeconomic background imaginable,” added CSU Chancellor Mildred Garcia. ‘We are committed to strengthening partnerships with community colleges and industry leaders to ensure seamless transfer pathways for nursing students and to expand the capacity of the CSU’s BSN programs across the Golden State.”
Scheduled for completion this fall, the Los Angeles County Nursing 2035 Report will provide workforce projections, strategic goals, and key policy and budget recommendations at both state and local levels. The collaborative will continue working together to implement the report’s findings and drive meaningful change in the region’s nursing workforce through 2035.
“This effort is about breaking down barriers and forge stronger connections between community colleges and four-year institutions,” said Dr. Luis Dorado, President of Los Angeles Harbor College and Co-Chair of LARC. “Our goal is to increase BSN access while maintaining the high standards of nursing education that our students and communities deserve.”
Dr. Jose Fierro, Superintendent/President of Cerritos College and Co-Chair of LARC, emphasized the importance of aligning education with industry needs, “Addressing the nursing shortage requires a strategic approach that integrates education, workforce development, and employer engagement. This initiative will help align resources and policies to meet the growing demand for highly skilled nurses.”
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About LARC
The Los Angeles Regional Consortium consists of 19 community colleges in Los Angeles County. It serves to coordinate, collaborate, organize, and facilitate interaction in the region to ensure workforce training is provided to all in a way that is accessible, efficient, responsive, data-driven and improves outcomes. Supported by the State Chancellor’s Office, LARC’s primary objective is to bridge the gap between workforce preparedness and employer’s needs in the LA region. With a student count of over 523,000 in Los Angeles and an average of 83,827 awards granted over the past three years, LARC colleges are a critical resource in developing a workforce equipped to tackle the challenges of today’s labor market. For more information, visit https://losangelesrc.org.
About the California State University
The California State University is the nation’s largest four-year public university system, providing transformational opportunities for upward mobility to more than 460,000 students from all socioeconomic backgrounds. More than half of CSU students are from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds, and more than one-quarter of undergraduates are first-generation college students. Because the CSU’s 23 universities provide a high-quality education at an outstanding value, they are rated among the best in the nation for promoting social mobility in national college rankings from U.S. News & World Report, the Wall Street Journal and Washington Monthly. The CSU powers California and the nation, sending nearly 125,000 career-ready graduates into the workforce each year. In fact, one in every 20 Americans holding a college degree earned it at the CSU.
