The Ralph and Goldy Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies

This report was created to aid future business plans to build local Black-centered and -led cooperative businesses that will maintain sustainable growth, pay livable wages, and operate under eco-friendly standards. My client is Downtown Crenshaw Rising (DCR) and Worker Ownership Resources and Cooperative Services (WORCS). My overall research question is: What is the feasibility of establishing and maintaining a manufacturing worker-owned cooperative in the Crenshaw District and South Los Angeles area?My client had an interest in producing electric vehicle charging stations because of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (2021) The federal goal is to create a network of 500,000 EV chargers by 2030 across America’s highways and communities. Federal dollars are flowing to support its production, largely in California.My findings depicted that are three related primary barriers my client may face trying to open this cooperative. The first is the capital-intensive nature of the business. The second is the lack of experience in EVSE manufacturing within the Crenshaw community. The third is that this lack of experience reduces opportunities for alternative sources of capital. As of now, the feasibility of my client creating a manufacturing cooperative to produce electric vehicle charging stations is very low.With client interest, I gathered information to help understand the path to creating an electrician cooperative to install and fix stations. I researched a path acknowledging the skills needed, training options, and available funding in the industry. Opening an electrician cooperative is more feasible than manufacturing, especially when starting with licensed worker-owners.