Councilmember Marqueece Harris-Dawson hosted his inaugural Community Economic Development Breakfast at Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza on April 15th to discuss his plans to spur more job and business development opportunities in South Los Angeles. The forum was attended by over 100 business leaders from small to mid-sized businesses in the retail, manufacturing, real estate and entertainment industries.
Sam Hughes, Assistant General Manager of the Economic and Workforce Development Department and Mike Hernandez, former Councilmember of the First District, participated in a round table discussion to inform participants on the trends in the economic and regulatory environment as well as the City’s plans to help businesses be more profitable and expand opportunities for residents to find quality work, shopping and recreation.
As Vice-Chair of the Planning and Land Use Management Committee, Councilmember Harris-Dawson oversees planning and zoning issues for the City and is keen on positive land uses along the Metro’s LAX/Crenshaw Line, vacant lots and other underdeveloped areas of the city. He is currently conducting a review of underutilized tracts that offer development opportunities in order to actively support new commercial activity within the Eighth District.
Councilmember Harris-Dawson spoke about the impact of the Crenshaw line and its potential to build a new economic base. “Our community is going to drastically change over the next decade,” said Councilmember Harris-Dawson. “I’m committed to identifying our shared values and vision and taking on the tasks that contribute to a thriving business sector.”
Councilmember Harris-Dawson plans to host future roundtables to engage the business community on key policy and development updates and to share future minority contract opportunities and targeted hiring initiatives with the City of Los Angeles.
