Mayor Karen Bass, appearing Friday at a Regional California Black Chamber of Commerce lunch in Woodland Hills, said that “my top order of business is addressing the businesses that are still hurting from Covid and figuring out how we can be helpful to them.”
She told the crowd of more than 60 at the Warner Center Marriott hotel that her new deputy mayor of business and economic development will start work soon, and even before Bass was sworn into the mayor’s office, she met with the head of the Small Business Administration, who came to Los Angeles to start work on ways to help small businesses.
The mayor did not specify what plans or programs are envisioned, but said, “We’re going to put together technical assistance and other things.”
Beyond helping Covid-whacked companies, Bass added that she also wants to expand prospects generally for small businesses and “look for new opportunities for minority-owned businesses.” She cited the sporting events coming up, such as the World Cup and the Olympics, that can present opportunities for L.A.’s smaller businesses.
The mayor’s appearance came at a Black History Month lunch put on by the Black chamber. M.C. Townsend, the longtime president of the chamber, was the moderator.