Solis stands with County department representatives and East Los Angeles small business owners (Photo – Diandra Jay)
Hilda L. Solis, chair of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and First District supervisor, announced that 872 small businesses have received more than $3.6 million in the second round of grants from the county’s Small Business Resiliency Fund.
By News Desk
The latest round builds on an initial $1.53 million awarded to 367 businesses. With the new funding, the program has now distributed more than $5.1 million to 1,239 small businesses across the county.
A total of 1,593 applicants were deemed eligible for assistance. Solis also announced an additional $590,000 commitment aimed at closing the gap for 146 small businesses in the First District that have not yet received funding.
The Small Business Resiliency Fund is supported through the county’s Care First Community Investment initiative and other county resources. The grants are designed to help businesses that experienced workforce loss, property damage, or major declines in customers or revenue tied to federal immigration enforcement actions. Businesses located within a curfew zone as well as those impacted countywide are eligible.
Eligible recipients include brick-and-mortar storefronts, independent contractors, sidewalk vendors and certain consumer-facing home-based businesses such as licensed childcare providers.
The program’s rollout follows the release of the Economic Impacts of Federal Immigration Enforcement in Los Angeles County report, produced by the Board of Supervisors, the Los Angeles County Department of Economic Opportunity and the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation. The report highlighted the economic contributions of immigrant and undocumented workers, estimating they generate $253.9 billion in economic output—about 17% of the county’s gross domestic product—supporting more than 1.06 million jobs and $80.4 billion in labor income.
The study also analyzed the economic consequences of enforcement actions, including a downtown Los Angeles curfew imposed from June 10 to June 16, 2025, following protests related to intensified immigration enforcement. The curfew is estimated to have caused roughly $840 million in total economic output losses, 3,920 job-years of lost employment and $312 million in lost labor income under a short-term disruption scenario.
“The Small Business Resiliency Fund highlights the lasting impacts of the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement policies and makes clear that the need for support in our communities remains urgent,” Solis said. “Through this effort, we are taking meaningful steps to provide resources that help stabilize our local businesses, protect jobs and support the communities that power our economy.”
Kelly LoBianco, director of the Department of Economic Opportunity, said immigrant entrepreneurs are a key part of the county’s economic engine and that sudden disruptions to small businesses can affect entire neighborhoods and industries.
“Programs like the Small Business Resiliency Fund provide timely support so businesses can stabilize, protect jobs and continue contributing to the region’s economy,” LoBianco said.
Stephen Cheung, president and CEO of the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation, emphasized the role immigrant workers play in sustaining the region’s economy and said programs like the fund help businesses continue creating jobs and opportunity.
Among the businesses receiving support in the second round is Taqueria Ameca. Representatives of the restaurant accepted a mock check from Solis during an event announcing the grants.
“We are very grateful to Los Angeles County, the Department of Economic Opportunity and Supervisor Solis for recognizing the challenges small businesses face and for investing in programs that support businesses and the communities that depend on them,” the business said in a statement.
The Small Business Resiliency Fund was launched on Sept. 29, 2025, following a motion introduced by Solis and Janice Hahn on June 17, 2025, calling for the creation of a business interruption fund and other economic and humanitarian measures for businesses affected by immigration enforcement activities.
Individual grants range from $2,000 to $5,000 and can be used for essential expenses such as rent, payroll, inventory, marketing and debt repayment. Award notifications are being distributed by third-party administrator AidKit in coordination with the Department of Economic Opportunity and fiscal sponsor SoCal Grantmakers.
Businesses that were not selected due to ineligibility will be referred to alternative resources, while eligible applicants who did not receive funding will remain on a waitlist pending additional funding availability. All applicants will be offered technical assistance and ongoing support through the Department of Economic Opportunity’s Office of Small Business.
During both funding rounds, the department partnered with multilingual community-based organizations—including ICON CDC, LEEAF and CRCD—to conduct outreach and provide application assistance in 13 languages.
County officials say they continue to seek philanthropic and private sector partners to expand the reach of the Small Business Resiliency Fund.
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