Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Economic Development Structure topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
CLA to study citywide economic development structure after committee backing
Summary
The committee asked the Chief Legislative Analyst to study Los Angeles's fragmented economic development arrangements—covering proprietary departments, independent agencies and city property use—and to engage cities, chambers and community stakeholders to propose coordination options.
The Economic Development Committee on March 3 directed the Office of the Chief Legislative Analyst to prepare a study of the city’s economic development structure and functions, seeking options to coordinate fragmented activities across departments and independent agencies.
John Wickham of the CLA told the committee the office will review an extensive library of materials, interview staff and stakeholders, and examine other cities’ organizational models. "We've already done some initial work with the staff... we'll certainly reach out to other cities to see what type of work they're doing and how they're organized and structured," Wickham said.
Wickham summarized the current state as diffuse: proprietary departments (harbor, airport, DWP), an independent tourism board, FilmLA for film permitting, and prior iterations such as the Community Redevelopment Agency that focused on discrete neighborhoods. The CLA will also examine how the city manages and uses its property—whether to bundle parcels, retain or dispose of land, and explore highest‑and‑best uses.
Councilmembers pressed for attention to multiple scales in the analysis, from street‑level small business and street vendors to major industries like entertainment and tourism. Councilmember Hugo Soto Martinez and others emphasized looking at ethnic and neighborhood chambers and ensuring the study considers incubators, bundled property strategies and equity for legacy small businesses.
Why it matters: The study could create a coordinated approach to economic development in Los Angeles, aligning workforce, property, tourism and industry retention strategies across city departments and partner agencies.
Next steps: The CLA team indicated a multi‑stakeholder process including advocates, universities and community groups; committee members expressed support and the motion was adopted as presented.
