Councilors press for dedicated economic development funding, propose three-year plan to rebuild local business outreach

Council members urged Huntington Park to allocate funds to support small businesses and to identify or help rebuild an organization to coordinate outreach, marketing and advocacy for merchants.

A council member said the city currently has no funding dedicated to economic-development programming and asked staff to explore how the city could commit money to “be more intentional” about supporting a group that champions local business. The member suggested the city could fund an outside organization rather than run programs directly.

City staff noted many cities provide introductory funding to chambers of commerce or merchant associations to cover programming, outreach and events, and said that “business development is an eligible use for CDBG funds.” One councilor recommended a three-year capacity-building plan if an association cannot be re-established immediately: the first year would focus on networking and quarterly meetings, with later years moving toward formal funding once an organizational infrastructure exists.

Council members emphasized workforce and technical gaps for small business owners (for example, social media and online sales) and said they want the city to clear a pathway to county and state resources for minority- and women-owned businesses. Councilors also discussed leveraging community partners and sponsors for events to reduce city subsidy.

No formal funding allocation or program adoption occurred during the meeting; the council continued budget review and requested staff follow up during the continued session.