What are SPAs?

In 1993, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors adopted a set of eight geographic regions—service planning areas, or SPAs—that were designed by The Children’s Council (then the Children’s Planning Council) in conjunction with county departments, service providers, and community leaders. The SPAs are meant as a geographic framework to be used by major county departments, other public systems, and the private sector in their planning, coordination of services, and information- and data-gathering activities.

What are SPA Councils?

Each service planning area has a SPA Council, a regional-level public/private body that advises The Children’s Council on issues and policies affecting that area’s children, youth, and families. Councils are made up of residents, parents, young people, and service providers that represent the SPA’s mix of groups, along with regional representatives of county departments.

The eight SPA Councils serve as networks for the neighborhood action councils and other community-building groups that use the principles of relationship-based organizing in their work. Each council reflects the dynamics and needs of its particular geographic area, and together they represent a powerful voice for children as an organized network. The nine-council system—which includes the countywide American Indian Children’s Council—is known collectively as the SPA/AIC Councils.

What is the AICC?

The American Indian Children's Council (AICC) is a countywide body working across the eight service planning areas to ensure that American Indian children are not overlooked in county planning efforts. It is the only non-geographic council because of the unique nation-to-nation relationship that tribes share with the Federal government and, by extension, with local county government. Because American Indian tribes are viewed as sovereign nations, American Indians are considered to be a political entity, rather than an ethnic group.

Where is My SPA?

The button for the SPA Map will link you to the individual SPA Pages.