Helping Small Business Succeed: City of Los Angeles Helps Hundreds of Entrepreneurs & Business Owners Secure More Than $18 Million In Small Business Support

“Under Executive Directive 4, we are continuing to identify opportunities to turn City Hall into an advocate for our entrepreneurs and small businesses and we’re locking arms across our City to ensure these businesses thrive in Los Angeles,” said Mayor Karen Bass. “Our BusinessSource Centers are a one-stop shop in many ways to help business owners, providing them with essential support that helped secure more than $18 million in assistance. We will continue this urgent work to support business throughout Los Angeles.”

"We are incredibly grateful for the enthusiastic support from the mayor's office as we worked to bring Sloomoo Institute's immersive slime experience to Los Angeles. Their partnership and commitment to fostering creativity and family-friendly entertainment made it possible for us to establish this unique space in such an iconic city," said Sara Schiller, Co-Founder of Sloomoo Institute.

The City’s BusinessSource Centers are located throughout the city and are ready to provide assistance to small business owners and entrepreneurs free of charge and in multiple languages. In addition to securing millions in capital – a frequently cited barrier to small businesses’ success – more than 2,700 unique services were provided to small business owners, including permitting assistance, financial analysis, business planning and more. See BusinessSource Center locations here.

Under Executive Directive 4, the City’s departments are changing their approach to serving small business owners and entrepreneurs to deliver on the Mayor’s vision of City Hall as an advocate and not a barrier to business, including:

• Making the permitting process faster and more efficient:

  • The Department of Building and Safety created a new Zoning section to allow staff to develop Zoning expertise, improve the quality of work, reduce changes made later in the planning process, and improve efficiency and cost for businesses. 

  • The Department of Planning (DCP) streamlined clearances for business signage by eliminating redundant intradepartmental referrals in the clearance process.

  • As part of the Office of Finance’s Strategic Plan, it is undertaking a comprehensive review of the City's Tax Ordinances, and will make recommendations to the City Council for modernization in the coming months.

  • The Department of Building & Safety recently selected a contractor to help develop the new Los Angeles City Permitting System, a platform that will house all data relating to development and building projects, including clearances and code enforcement cases. This new system will provide clear visibility into the status of applications so business owners will understand where their permits are in the process. 

• Increasing capacity to support business owners and entrepreneurs:

  • The Department of Water and Power has hired 30 design engineers and 10 electrical service inspectors since June 2023 to work directly with customers on new or upgraded electric service requests.

• Providing more direct assistance for business owners and entrepreneurs:

  • In alignment with the objectives of ED4 and to support small businesses in the City, the LAFD has recently expanded its online Help Desk, Virtual Counter, and Preliminary Review services.

  • The Bureau of Streets Services opened a public counter in Van Nuys for walk-in assistance for Valley-based street vendors.

• Launching and evolving programs to help businesses thrive: 

• Announced an extension to the deadline for business owners to apply to continue offering outdoor dining through the popular Al Fresco program, a streamlined permitting process that allows dining on sidewalks, streets and other outdoor spaces. The City of Los Angeles will increase department services and resources to support restaurants, cafes and eateries seeking to transition to the streamlined permanent Al Fresco Outdoor Dining Program from the pandemic-era emergency program.

• In May, the Mayor announced two programs LA Optimized 2.0, a program to help small businesses build and strengthen their digital presence and LApreneur, a new online learning platform created to equip entrepreneurs with key skills and information to succeed. Hundreds of Angelenos have enrolled in the programs since their launch.

• In Spring, the Mayor’s Office of Business and Economic Development held three Small Business Summits in collaboration with LA County, to help bring resources, speakers, and networking opportunities to small businesses throughout Los Angeles. 

Mayor Bass signed Executive Directive 4 in June 2023 to encourage small business creation, development and growth across Los Angeles. The directive instructed the Mayor’s Office of Business and Economic Development to work in collaboration with select City Departments and Bureaus to form the Los Angeles Business Steering Committee to identify barriers to business development and growth.

SOURCE: https://mayor.lacity.gov/news/helping-small-business-succeed-city-los-angeles-helps-hundreds-entrepreneurs-business-owners