Small‑business owners, SBDC and workforce board tell Assembly tariffs, rents and supply shocks are squeezing margins; call for more technical assistance and tax

Owners of microenterprises, representatives of the Los Angeles Regional Small Business Development Center network (LASBDC), and the Southeast Los Angeles County Workforce Development Board (Celico) told the Assembly Committee on Economic Development, Growth and Household Impact in Paramount that rising input and operating costs are squeezing margins and that state action should prioritize technical assistance, disaster readiness, and incentives to hire locally.

Panelists described a mix of long‑running and recent pressures: higher commercial rents, tariff‑driven increases in the cost of imported materials, rising insurance and utility costs, and supply chain disruptions. They said those layers of cost are especially harmful to microbusinesses, single‑person operations and small local suppliers who lack bulk‑buying power.

Pat Nye, leader of the Los Angeles Regional Small Business Development Center Network, told the committee “small businesses are being hit from all sides,” citing rent spikes, higher labor and input costs, and increased unpredictability from natural‑disaster exposure. Nye urged more state funding for small‑business technical…