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Jill Biden in 2019. | Photo courtesy of Gage Skidmore/Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)
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Jill Biden is scheduled to visit Homeboy Bakery and Homegirl Café in Chinatown and speak at a Democratic National Committee fundraiser Friday during her second visit to Los Angeles as first lady.
Homeboy Bakery and Homegirl Café are part of Homeboy Industries’ on-the-job training and wraparound services, empowering individuals to enter the workforce within its rehabilitation and reentry program.
Homeboy Industries bills itself as the world’s largest gang rehabilitation and reentry program, providing training and support to formerly gang-involved and previously incarcerated people, allowing them to redirect their lives and become contributing members of society.
Homeboy Bakery supplies products for Homeboy Farmers Markets, Homeboy Diner and Homegirl Catering. It also supplies fresh products to restaurants and cafes around Los Angeles through the Homeboy Bakery Wholesale business.
Homeboy Bakery is best known for its preservative-free breads. It also makes cakes, rolls, muffins, scones, pies, pretzels, cookies and other bakery products.
Homegirl Café serves breakfast and lunch from 7 a.m.-2 p.m. weekdays. It seeks to create a safe space for its clients, particularly females, many of whom have experienced domestic violence and the challenges of single parenthood, in addition to the usual obstacles created by gang involvement and incarceration, according to its website.
Biden’s visit comes eight days before the annual Homeboy 5K fundraising run.
The DNC fundraiser drew criticism from Hallie Balch, the Republican National Committee’s California and Nevada director of communication.
“First lady Jill Biden’s trip to Los Angeles to attend a lavish fundraiser while Californians are struggling amidst historic inflation and 13 consecutive days of rising gasoline prices is tone deaf, to say the least,” Balch told City News Service Thursday.
“Democrats love to flaunt their wealth while taxpayers are stuck paying the price for their out of touch policies.”
Biden also visited Los Angeles in June, accompanying President Joe Biden at events at the Summit of the Americas and delivering the keynote address at Los Angeles City College’s commencement.
