Mayor Bass’s Groundbreaking Directive Will Revolutionize Small Business Growth in Los Angeles – You Won’t Believe the Impact!

THE ANGELS – Mayor Bass today signed her fourth Executive Directive to urgently identify burdensome processes and fees that impede the creation, development and growth of small businesses in Los Angeles.

The Mayor was joined by Council President Paul Krekorian, regional business leaders and local business owners as she announced the establishment of the Los Angeles Business Steering Committee, which will bring together city department leaders to identify existing barriers to opening and operate small businesses in the City of Los Angeles. The Steering Committee will be led by Vice Mayor Rachel Freeman and the Mayor’s Office of Business and Economic Development.

“People want to start and grow their businesses in Los Angeles, but over the years, the City has made those dreams harder to achieve by mandating fees on fees and complicated and time-consuming approval processes,” he said. low mayor. “It is time to make it easier for small businesses and minorities to do business in Los Angeles, so Executive Directive 4 is an important first step in a series of initiatives that put the City on a path to be a partner in attracting and retain small business instead of a barrier”.

“In the City Council, we have been finding ways to make Los Angeles an easier place to do business,” he said. Chairman of the Krekorian Council. “We have reformed the City’s procurement process to create more opportunities for small business owners, and our Restaurant Beverage Program offers restaurateurs a shorter and less expensive route to obtaining an on-site liquor license if they accept a set of common sense ‘Good Neighbor’ rules. This Executive Directive shows that Mayor Bass is ready to take action now, and the new Business Steering Committee will go a long way in reducing unnecessary obstacles to starting a business or staying in business here in Los Angeles.”

The Executive Directive requires:

• A review of existing business taxes and fees and reasonable opportunities to reduce those costs with particular attention to how the fees affect small and micro-businesses;

• An assessment of the existing processes and timelines associated with starting and operating a business in the City; and

• A comparative analysis with the commercial regulations of other jurisdictions and approaches to promote growth and commercial attraction.

The Steering Committee will report on its initial findings within 90 days.

“Opening a business in Los Angeles was a priority for us, so when my business partner and I found a space in Toluca Lake, we were ecstatic. I want to see other businesses like ours thrive, despite the rules and regulations that often make it difficult for our small businesses to flourish. I cannot thank Mayor Bass enough for her dedication to this issue and for helping lift up our business community, both large and small. I know that with this new Executive Directive, we will be able to make it easier and more affordable for businesses to open and stay in Los Angeles,” he said. brian veskoskico-owner of Red Maple in Toluca Lake.

According to data from city departments, small businesses account for 99% of businesses opened in the city since 2022 and are responsible for 63% of net new jobs.

Read the full Executive Directive below:

EXECUTIVE DIRECTIVE NO. 4

Air date: June 22, 2023

Subject: Identification of barriers to the creation, development and Growth

The city of Los Angeles is a major international center of business and entrepreneurial activity. Our City is home to more than 460,000 businesses, the majority of which are small businesses that have been hit particularly hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the challenges that recent years have brought, small businesses account for 99% of the businesses that have opened in the City since 2022 and are responsible for 63% of net new jobs nationwide. To help these businesses continue to recover, thrive, and strengthen our local economy as a whole, the City is committed to lowering barriers to small business growth.

To that end, I am creating the Los Angeles Business Steering Committee (LABSC) comprised of representatives from city departments and led by the Mayor’s Office of Business and Economic Development. The Committee will be in charge of evaluating the current state of commerce in the City and providing recommendations to promote the creation, investment, and growth of our local businesses. This marks the first of many steps we will take to strengthen the infrastructure that underpins our local economy.

I hereby direct the Los Angeles Business Steering Committee (LABSC) to lead this effort and perform the following tasks:

1. Review and evaluate their respective department’s fees and taxes that apply to businesses and identify reasonable reductions that can be made to promote business creation and growth. Assess the cost of doing business within the City and discern how small businesses are experiencing these costs.

2. Evaluate existing processes and timelines associated with starting a new business, expanding an existing one, and contracting directly or indirectly with the City. Develop a streamlined and streamlined roadmap for navigating City processes to simplify business engagement with the City.

3. Ensure that Los Angeles remains competitive with other jurisdictions by conducting a comparative analysis of our City’s fees, taxes, deadlines and procedures with those of other Cities that have successfully attracted business in recent years. Evaluate how other municipalities are approaching business growth and attraction to determine best practices.

The scope of this directive is broad and will require an interdepartmental approach. The following departments are directed to be active members of this Committee:

• Mayor’s Office of Business and Economic Development

• Finance Office

• Office of the City Administrative Officer

• City Controller’s Office

• City Planning Department

• Department of Construction and Safety

• Department of Water and Power

• Department of Economic and Labor Development

• Cannabis Regulation Department

• Department of Public Works (Office of Contract Administration, Office of Public Lighting, Office of Engineering, Office of Sanitation and Office of Road Services)

• Fire brigade

Other departments may be included, at the discretion of the Los Angeles Business Steering Committee (LABSC), at various stages of the process.

Finally, I direct the Los Angeles Business Steering Committee (LABSC) to make its initial findings and report to the Mayor’s Office within 90 days of the issuance of this directive.