Small Business
Small business is the backbone of the West Valley economy, and for too long the City has treated it like an afterthought. Businesses are leaving Los Angeles because of poorly designed policies and leaders who shrug as they go. Not one of the 15 members of the City Council has ever run a business. I have built successful companies, created hundreds of jobs, and helped thousands of local businesses, so I know exactly what our City puts entrepreneurs through. Here is my plan to fix it.
Priorities in the Plan
The Path Forward
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A Small Business Concierge Desk
Opening a business in Los Angeles can mean navigating a half-dozen city departments with no one to guide you. It took me a full year just to get a permit for a sign on Ventura Boulevard. I will create a Small Business Concierge Desk in the Council office to help owners figure out who to call and in what order, break through the roadblocks when a department goes silent, and walk them from concept to open doors.
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Online Permits and a Shot Clock
Not every permit needs an inspector standing in the room. Simple, non-structural improvements should be issued online when the owner certifies under penalty of perjury that they followed the rules, with spot-check inspections to keep everyone honest. For everything else, the City must commit to a timeline: if it fails to review a permit or give a valid reason for denial within that window, the permit is approved automatically. Urgency and accountability, not delay.
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Get the Word Out on Real Help
The City already runs excellent programs like our BusinessSource and WorkSource Centers, offering grants, low-interest loans, coaching, and hiring help, but almost no one outside the business community knows they exist. I will change that. We will launch a CD3 Business Community website and newsletter run out of our Concierge Desk, and we will go door to door to make sure our small businesses actually know what help is available to them.
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An Incubator and Microgrants to Launch New Businesses
Getting started is the hardest part, especially without a track record or credit. I will establish the West Valley Small Business Incubator to connect new entrepreneurs with mentors, investors, space, and financing, with a focus on young people and underserved communities. Alongside it, I will create a CD3 Microgrant Program offering grants from $500 to $10,000, enough for a water tank for a detailing business or a cart for a licensed food vendor, to get real ideas off the ground.
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Level the Playing Field by Enforcing the Rules
It is not fair to make legitimate business owners pay for permits, insurance, and inspections while illegal operators skip all of it and undercut them. Unpermitted vendors, illegal cannabis shops, and unlicensed rehab facilities hurt honest businesses, put consumers at risk, and cost the City tax revenue it badly needs. I will crack down on illegal operators while creating legal, compliant pathways for street vendors to do things right, so the West Valley rewards the people playing by the rules.
