MOTION -- COVID-19 has limited consumer's ability to enter businesses and purchase goods or services face to face. This has forced a number of brick and mortar businesses to move their operations online with little to no guidance on how to optimize the technological shift. Businesses that are able to conduct sales partly or wholly online have an advantage in this environment. Businesses that have not yet been able to transition online due to a lack of technological infrastructure or technological literacy present an opportunity for economic growth.
In order to help businesses that could grow' their customer base if they had an online presence, the City should consider establishing a technical assistance program that focuses specifically on helping small and medium-sized businesses through technology literacy assistance and other online support.
I THEREFORE MOVE that the City Council instruct die Economic Workforce Development Department, the Chief Legislative Analyst and the Information Technology Agency to develop a multi-tiered and multilingual technical assistance business assistance program, which should include the following elements:
- An initial business assessment that determines the level of technical assistance intervention needed and where and how this program would be best utilized;
- Possible opportunities to partner with technology companies that have solutions for online business to offer services to qualifying businesses that could receive a subsidized rate for training and utilization of these services;
- Creation of a business to business mentorship program that matches well-established online businesses with developing online businesses for greater information sharing, collaboration and online workshops
- Services and benefits most beneficial to struggling small, local businesses within the City of Los Angeles with a focus on restaurants and boutique shops
l FURTHER MOVE that the City Council Instruct the Economic Workforce Development Department, the Chief Legislative Analyst and Chief Administrative Officer to estimate the cost of such a program based on the various levels of need as determined by Economic Workforce Development Department's findings.