Governor Gavin Newsome | Twitter Website
Earlier this week, the latest round of grants for the LA Region Small Business and Worker Relief Funds was announced by the Los Angeles County Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) and the City of Los Angeles. These grants aim to provide direct financial assistance to workers, small businesses, and non-profits impacted by fires in the LA area.
The initiative is supported by a $10 million investment from the State of California, Maersk, APM Terminals, and LA Rises. Led by Dodgers Chairman Mark Walter, business leader Earvin “Magic” Johnson, and Casey Wasserman, LA Rises is a unified recovery effort launched by Governor Gavin Newsom in January. This effort has resulted in $19.1 million being awarded to 1,372 businesses and 2,309 workers.
"Just as California came together to fight the fires, we’ll work together to rebuild these communities that have been most impacted. This latest round of relief grants will continue to support the businesses and workers that are the driving forces behind Los Angeles' vibrant and diverse economy," Governor Gavin Newsom stated.
The funds have allocated $14.52 million to small businesses and nonprofits, with awards ranging between $2,000 and $25,000, while workers have received a total of $4.62 million, each obtaining $2,000. The relief is focused on those in fire and emergency zones, including 821 brick-and-mortar and home-based businesses and nonprofits destroyed by fires—around 50% of businesses in those areas with fewer than 100 employees. Additionally, approximately 50% of these entities faced home loss, half served the community as legacy businesses for over a decade, and a significant portion is underinsured. Diverse business ownership is represented by 65% of these funds. As for workers, about half experienced permanent loss of income or employment due to the disaster, 44% report low-income and reliance on public benefits, and 28% are ineligible for public unemployment assistance. The initiative also supports 283 impacted creative workers.
Currently, fundraising could close an estimated $6,742,000 funding gap to assist an additional 1,194 businesses/nonprofits and 1,169 workers. Interested organizations and partners can contribute to these funds at lacounty.gov/relief.
Governor Newsom continues to support recovery efforts through the California Jobs First Economic Blueprint with $125 million in funding for new projects and $15 million for economic development for California Native American tribes. Additionally, $3 million was announced to aid the Los Angeles Jobs First Collaborative’s regional recovery efforts.
A wildfire cleanup effort, including a fire debris removal program, is ongoing in partnership with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). FEMA recently approved an expansion of this effort, extending the deadline for Right of Entry form submissions to April 15 to accommodate the newly eligible groups.
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