Increased Opportunities for Small BusinessAs the local economy recovers post-COVID, local small businesses will have dramatically improved opportunities to benefit from public infrastructure projects and large sporting events thanks to improvements in the Citys procurement platform, the LA Business Assistance Virtual Network (LABAVN).In partnership with the Los Angeles Business Council, Councilmember Krekorian created the Compete4LA initiative to reform LABAVN and make it more accessible to small businesses, while also ensuring that the 2028 Olympics and other major events will contract with local businesses and enhance participation by women and minority owned businesses.
Saving Restaurants With Expanded Al Fresco DiningHard-hit Los Angeles restaurants and the diners who love them are benefitting from the success of the Al Fresco dining program. As Budget Chair, Councilmember Krekorian ensured an additional $1.92 million in grant opportunities to build on that program and help restaurants recover by creating permanent parklets for outdoor dining. In 2021 the LA Department of Transportation (LADOT) issued 770 new permits for outdoor dining, in addition to the more than 3,000 issued in the previous year.
Meals For Seniors Create JobsThe budget also expanded a program that supports restaurants by providing home-delivered meals to low-income seniors in disadvantaged communities, as well as Congregate Meals for Seniors, a critical social lifeline for many elderly Angelenos.
Changing Lives Through Targeted Local HireFive years ago, Councilmember Krekorian, together with his colleagues Marqueece Harris-Dawson and Herb Wesson, created the Targeted Local Hire (TLH) program in partnership with Mayor Garcetti and the citys union leadership. This innovative and highly successful program helps those who face the most formidable barriers to employment by giving them an opportunity to enter city service. Through TLH, unemployed Angelenos who have experienced homelessness or incarceration, foster youth, people living in severely disadvantaged neighborhoods and others can find alternative pathways to careers of dignity and purpose. Building on that success, this years budget significantly increased support for TLH with funding for 750 new positions so that people who are now sleeping on a sidewalk might soon be employed to repair sidewalks.
Jobs for the Unhoused Through LA:RISESix years ago, Councilmember Krekorian began an innovative program in his district, partnering with the Los Angeles Regional Initiative for Social Enterprise (LA:RISE) to create subsidized private sector employment for individuals with a history of homelessness, along with coordinated supportive case management and training to prepare participants for successful permanent employment.
In 2021, Councilmember Krekorian and LA:RISE expanded the program to bring these services directly to the facilities the Councilmember has built for the unhoused in the district, including three tiny homes communities, two congregate shelters, and the San Fernando Valley Homeless Services Navigation Center, all of which were built by the city and are operated by our nonprofit partner Hope of the Valley. The participation of LA:RISE will augment the extraordinary service offered by Hope of the Valley and help those experiencing homelessness to find meaningful, well-paying jobs.