By Stephen Witt
U.S. Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-Culver City, View Park-Windsor Hills, parts of South LA) told Los Angeles County Politics (LACP) on Friday that she is moving beyond Party politics and reaching out to colleagues across the aisle to get more federal wildfire disaster recovery funding for the County.
Kamlager-Dove’s comments came following a panel discussion and small business symposium at SoLA The Beehive in South LA, in which the lawmaker joined Google executives, the Los Angeles County Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO), and TMC Community Capital to announce $4.5 million in funding to help small businesses recover from the wildfires that devastated Greater Los Angeles earlier this year.
“As a Democrat not in the [House] majority of power, I have my voice and bully pulpit of my district to raise my concerns,” said Kamlager-Dove, when explicitly asked what she is doing to bring more federal disaster money home to the district. “What we also have here is Los Angeles will be hosting a World Cup, an all-star game, a Super Bowl and the Olympics. So I am using that leverage to work with my colleagues on the other side of the aisle in California to raise the alarm.”
Kamlager-Dove, however, remained highly critical of the Trump Administration for budget cuts to both the Small Business Administration (SBA) and the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA).
“I have been part of a [Congressional] coalition that sent a letter to the administration arguing against dismantling the SBA,” said Kamlager-Dove. “More than 90 percent of business operations, not just across Los Angeles County but across the country, are small businesses, and to cripple them by getting rid of a vital resource makes absolutely no sense. We need a fully resourced SBA just like we need a fully resourced FEMA to be able to come into the community after a disaster strikes to help folks rebuild.”
Regarding Google’s $4.5 million in funding, DEO Director Kelly LoBianco said the money is part of an overall $19 million public-private partnership that has helped thousands of small businesses affected by this year’s devastating wildfires get back on their feet with between $2,000 and $25,000 grants.
LoBianco said this funding stream has already dried up, and small businesses can no longer apply for money from it. She said the DEO is now working on the Malibu-Topanga Business Interruption Fund (BIF).
The BIF targets support for small businesses suffering financial losses as a direct result of customer losses caused by the closures of Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) and Topanga Canyon Boulevard.
This targeted grant program offers between $10,000 and $20,000 in funding to eligible businesses located in ZIP codes 90265 (Malibu) and 90290 (Topanga).
