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Chamber and community groups urge Los Angeles City to expand small-business contracting and aid ICE-affected firms
Summary
At a Los Angeles City public meeting, business and community representatives urged officials to create a precertification contracting process and expand support for small businesses and street vendors, and they raised challenges accessing federal funds for firms affected by immigration enforcement.
At a Los Angeles City public meeting, representatives from the Chamber of Commerce and a local community association urged city leaders to adopt a precertification contracting process and to tailor economic-development strategies by neighborhood, speakers said.
James Finnican, who identified himself as representing the Chamber of Commerce, told the meeting the Chamber supports agenda actions aimed at developing a precertification contracting procedure and a regulatory review to help local businesses compete for public contracting. "Yo estoy aquí por parte de la Cámara de Comercio para hablar..." he said, noting the Chamber ims to help businesses qualify for city procurement.
Annie Bóriana, with the AsociaciF3n Central City, said she supported agenda item No. 2 and public engagement on that matter. "soy Annie Bf3riana, con la Asociacif3n Central City," she said, and asked the council to consider community perspectives when advancing the item.
A committee member who spoke at length described how neighborhood economies differ across the city and urged policy that reflects that variation. The committee member said large parking lots could be repurposed to add housing, that street vendors are an economic engine for some neighborhoods, and that small family businesses need help amid rapid gentrification. "Son lotes de estacionamiento muy grandes para construir viviendas... Tenemos vendedores en la calle, para med ellos son parte del botf3n econf3mico..." the committee member said.
The same speaker also thanked Councilmember Soto Martednez for introducing a motion related to the agenda; the transcript does not record the motion text or its formal status. Meeting remarks moved on to items 3 and 6 after that acknowledgment.
On support for businesses affected by immigration enforcement, the committee member described city efforts to provide workshops on workers' rights, referrals to a resource center and virtual sessions as needed. They said the funds available for this work are federal and that staff are encountering documentation challenges among affected employees and owners, and that "en este momento no tenemos un programa especifico para eso." The speaker said staff will continue outreach and try to locate funding sources but gave no timetable or specific program details.
No formal vote or motion text appeared in the recorded segment. The meeting discussion was primarily a series of public comments and committee-level remarks; the transcript records interest in developing a precertification contracting pathway and in expanding outreach to vendors and businesses affected by ICE, but it does not record next steps, specific program approvals, or funding commitments.
The committee proceeded to other agenda items after the comments; the transcript segment provided does not indicate when or whether the council scheduled further action on the items discussed.
