Regional Business Summit At L.A. Coliseum Draws More Than 500 Angelenos, Provides Connections To Small Business Resources And Supports

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LOS ANGELES - The Los Angeles Regional Business Summit co-hosted by the City of Los Angeles and the County of Los Angeles brought more than 500 Angelenos to the L.A. Coliseum today offering business owners and entrepreneurs free resources, information and programs to help small businesses recover, grow and thrive. In response to Mayor Bass' fourth executive directive, this is the second Annual Summit hosted by the Mayor's Office of Business and Economic Development and geared towards small businesses as part of the Mayor's commitment to continuing to open Los Angeles for business. Photos and videos will be available here.

"We are continuing to take action to reduce barriers for small businesses by bringing together resources and expertise through the second Annual Regional Business Summit," said Mayor Bass. "I encourage interested Angelenos to attend our upcoming Regional Business Summits at Mission College and Cal State LA as we work to make these convenings accessible throughout the city."

The Summit featured panel discussions focused on opportunities and timely resources for businesses, a resource expo that convened all major public and private providers of free business support and on-site free services - including business assessment, legal aid, certification and procurement clinics, credit counseling, compliance support and permitting assistance. Deputy Mayor of Business and Economic Development Rachel Freeman kickstarted the event by highlighting the Mayor's aggressive small business economic agenda, which focuses on building opportunities and support for businesses of all sizes.

Today's convening follows the inaugural Regional Summit held in May 2023 at L.A. Trade Tech College and the Business and Financial Empowerment Summit held on October 2023 at BMO Stadium that focused on contract procurement, finance, infrastructure and economic development assistance from regional business leaders and a resource expo with more than 60 providers and networking opportunities. The next regional summits will be on May 9 at Mission College and May 15 at Cal State Los Angeles.

"In Los Angeles, small businesses account for nearly 50% of the current employment base and 75% of net new jobs," said Deputy Mayor of Business and Economic DevelopmentRachel Freeman. "They also build stronger communities, drive investment into our economy, generate global business opportunities, and make Los Angeles the leader in innovation it is today. Small business support is a key pillar of Mayor Bass's economic agenda."

Mayor Karen Bass announcedcontinued progress to open Los Angeles for business earlier this month by expanding City departments' services for small businesses and improving the experience of doing business with the City. The announcement followed Mayor Bass' State of the City addressduring which she highlighted work to bring business back to Los Angeles, including the Banc of California relocatingto L.A, and her support to boost Downtown and our economy citywide by exploring the modernization of the Los Angeles Convention Center.

Mayor Bass is in Washington DCin her role as Chair of the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) Task Force on Homelessness today where she is leading a bipartisan group of more than 50 Mayors from across the country to meet with key members of the Biden-Harris Administration, U.S. Senate, and U.S. House of Representatives. The delegation will hold meetings with White House officials, Cabinet Secretaries, and congressional leaders this week.