LOS ANGELES – Mayor Bass met with small business owners in Boyle Heights this morning to present her Business Steering Committee’s 90-Day Progress Report. At the meeting, the Mayor discussed the findings of her report, which identifies solutions to implement prior to the end of the year including enacting departmental action plans to address process delays and providing virtual and in-person counter services for businesses. Mayor Bass also heard from small business owners about the challenges that they face opening and operating their businesses in the city during this meeting.
“For too long, we have heard that Los Angeles is hostile to business and that City Hall is an impediment, not a partner. That’s over with – Los Angeles is open for business,” said Mayor Karen Bass. “That’s why I signed Executive Directive 4 and directed the 90-Day Progress Report to perform an honest look at our government processes and immediate opportunities to improve the way City Hall supports the nearly 500,000 businesses that are owned and operated in Los Angeles. We have already begun implementing these solutions for our business community, and we will continue that momentum.”
In June, Mayor Bass signed her fourth executive directive which directed this thorough review of burdensome processes and fees that create barriers for small businesses in the city. Read the progress report here and read a summary here.
The initial findings identify solutions to implement prior to December 31, 2023, including:
Enacting departmental action plans to address process delays
Providing virtual and in-person counter services for businesses looking to open or expand
Adopt strategies to immediately help expedite contract payments
Establishing a Small Business Cabinet and an ED4 Community Business Taskforce to ensure small businesses can inform the Steering Committee and provide solutions
The Mayor’s Office will continue to review and assess processes, timelines, taxes, and fees that create barriers for entrepreneurs and small businesses; evaluating how Departments can improve businesses’ engagement with the City and gathering feedback from the business community to advance their top priorities. The Steering Committee will submit regular reports to the Mayor’s Office to track progress and identify additional areas of improvement. Future progress reports will be shared as they become available.