LA County Board

29.\nProtecting Small Businesses and Strengthening Economic Resiliency in\nLos Angeles County\nRecommendation as submitted by Supervisor Solis: Instruct the Director of\nEconomic Opportunity, in consultation with the Director of Consumer and\nBusiness Affairs, and all other applicable Departments, to:\nPropose a framework, implementation plan, and necessary resources as\nrequested in the Department of Economic Opportunity’s (DEO’s) Fiscal\nYear 2026-27 departmental budget request to the Chief Executive Office\nto establish and operate a permanent business interruption fund or grant\nprogram, to be operated under DEO’s Office of Resiliency, focused on\nproviding funds to small businesses impacted by economic disasters.\nIn the report back from the March 3, 2026 Board approved motion on the\nEconomic Development Trust Funds, include in the report a framework,\nimplementation plan, and necessary resources to establish, as part of the\nsingle-point-of-entry Economic Development Trust Fund, a flexible,\nlow-interest loan program for small businesses that will be heavily\npromoted to the most impacted communities such as but not limited to,\nthose identified in the final Economic Impact Report and geared towards\ndisaster recovery.\nEnsure both the grant and loan programs are paired with culturally\ncompetent, multilingual technical assistance designed to:\nOffer small business assistance with loan application packaging\nfor public and private loan programs\nIncrease financial literacy and small business readiness for\naccessing capital\nConduct an evaluation of eligibility requirements across\nCounty-supported disaster funding programs to identify opportunities to:\nEstablish baseline standardization where appropriate\nReduce unnecessary barriers to entry\nPromote accessibility for all businesses, including\nmicrobusinesses, immigrant-owned businesses, and those\noperating in the informal or cash-based economy.\nPropose a definition for economic disaster for both sub-directives above,\nwhich will be minimally defined as:\nFires, earthquakes, floods, windstorms, rain, and other natural\ndisasters\nImmigration enforcement activity, health emergencies, civil unrest,\nroad closures, strikes and other major economic disruptions.\nReview existing State-supported capital access programs including, but\nnot limited to, the California Infrastructure and Economic Development\nBank (IBank) loan guarantee programs, to:\nAssess alignment with disaster-impacted small business needs,\nEvaluate current eligibility criteria and utilization,\nIdentify gaps in serving businesses impacted by the proposed\nchanges to the Small Business Administration (SBA) eligibility\nrequirements, and\nFurther develop advocacy recommendations in partnership with\nrelevant stakeholders to expand IBank program capacity and\nimprove accessibility for disaster-impacted businesses.\nInstruct the Director of Economic Opportunity, in consultation with the Executive\nDirector of the Office of Immigrant Affairs, Acting Chief Executive Officer,\nthrough the Legislative Affairs and Intergovernmental Relations Branch, and all\nother applicable County Departments and partners, to:\nBuild on education and outreach activities, establish a standing\ncommunity convening that will meet virtually on a regular frequency to\nbuild relationships with small businesses and business serving\norganizations countywide to at minimum:\nDeliver regular communication about changing legislation that\nimpacts small businesses,\nFeature resources to help small businesses,\nProvide multi-lingual participation and real-time opportunities to\nsign up for individual assistance,\nEncourage enrollment in available programs, services, and\nresources, such as the “Shop Local” business registry,\nIdentify opportunities to partner and amplify with the Small\nBusiness Commission and County Workforce Development Board\nand community leadership, and\nRegularly evaluate the council to encourage growth and two-way\ncommunication with community, particularly in the development\nand delivery of small business-related programs.\nIdentify One-Stop or other facilities countywide where the Director of\nEconomic Opportunity already has a presence, such as the East Los\nAngeles Entrepreneur Center located at Maravilla Center, where a\nrotating calendar of community-based organizations offering a range of\nservices beneficial to small businesses can be implemented, and provide\na plan to implement in those sites.\nInstruct the Director of Economic Opportunity, in consultation with the Director\nof Arts and Culture, to explore the feasibility of a program partnering with local\nvisual artists, under which consumers who shop at participating small\nbusinesses in unincorporated areas may receive prints of existing artworks as\nan incentive.\nInstruct the Director of Economic Opportunity to report back to the Board in\nwriting within 90 days. (26-1594)\nMotion by Supervisor Solis\nMotion by Supervisor Solis (Updates Following Cluster)