Our Moment to Invest in the Future

by Maria S. Salinas

With the passage of the American Rescue Plan (ARP), the Los Angeles region stands to benefit by way of billions of dollars infused into our economy. This legislation will provide direct support to our communities through the funds that local governments will receive along with relief funds to employers, large and small educational institutions and community-based organizations.

This is a moment to look at the hardship of last year and have that inform us as to where these investments need to be made most. Through collaboration, we can identify priorities and strengthen government services to fast track rebuilding efforts for small and large enterprises with equity. We can strengthen our systems, from cradle to career, so that our workforce of the future is well positioned to compete globally.

In his annual State of the City, Mayor Eric Garcetti spoke of a proposed budget which puts ARP dollars to work. He highlighted major investments in COVID recovery, city service restoration, equity and justice initiatives, as well as $955M to address homelessness through existing programs like Project Roomkey.

Additional investments into programs like LA Optimized, which helps LA’s small businesses digitize their operations in order to compete, show that the Mayor is willing to walk the walk when it comes to delivering economic relief to the smallest of enterprises. Los Angeles’ small business community, especially diverse and women owned businesses, faced incredible hardship over the last year, and programs like this can begin the recovery and rebuilding effort which is needed.