Week of March 13, 2023

FREE LEGAL HELP FOR SMALL BUSINESSES

The LA Regional Small Business Legal Aid Program provides free legal assistance or representation to small businesses impacted by COVID-19.

The program is administered by the City of Los Angeles Economic and Workforce Development Department (EWDD) in partnership with the County of Los Angeles Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO), Bet Tzedek Legal Services, Public Counsel and the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles.

The program provides education and direct representation on a number of legal issues including: drafting and reviewing commercial leases; drafting and reviewing contracts, business structure, and entity formation; employment law advice covering issues such as hiring and termination, wage and hour rules, employee safety, paid leave, and benefits; application of COVID regulations to business operations; accessing COVID relief including loans and aid; and other transactional matters like intellectual property assistance.

For more information and to apply, visit https://lalegalhelp.org/

EWDD’s BusinessSource Centers are also available to assist with applications. To find your nearest BSC, visit bit.ly/LABusinessSource.

FORMER DOORMAN BREWS COFFEE BIZ

In 2017, Benjamin Westley was working as a doorman in Downtown Los Angeles when the building’s owner mentioned that he’d like to attract more upscale office users. Westley (pictured left) saw an opportunity to fill a void, thus Boketto Cold Brews was established. 

What started as one customer and an office lobby barista service has grown to include an artisan tea and coffee catering service for corporate clients such as Wolfgang Puck, CoStar Group, Activision, CBRE, and Calamigos Ranch. The owner has teamed up with some of North America’s best coffee roasters to ensure that all Boketto products come from only fresh, sustainably farmed sources.

Boketto Cold Brews is one of the Southeast BusinessSource Center’s first clients.  Loan Consultant Ronald Lowe identified and matched Westley with a Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) lender and Inclusive Action for the City, which specializes in lending to micro businesses and street vendors.  Lowe guided the entire loan process from start to finish, resulting in loan approval.  The funding allowed the company to purchase a Brew Bomb, one of the leading manufacturers of equipment for cold brew processing.  The increased capacity also allowed the company to add one employee. 

Boketto features several flavorful coffees and teas including Dark Single Ethiopian Cold Brew, and a Medium Roast with a blend of Guatemalan and Brazilian Cold Brew.  Their product line also includes cold brew wellness teas, including hibiscus with natural fruits & herbs, and the best-selling OMG!, a blended tea infused with orange, mango and ginger. 

Boketto also offers beverages in 12-ounce bottles, 1.5-liter recyclable pouches by subscription, and nitro kegs.  

As a black-owned business, Boketto supports women and minority artisans and entrepreneurs and features an assortment of their work art, clothing and merchandise at their alternating pop-up shops.  You can also catch their cold brew bike on the streets of downtown L.A. or at various events around greater Los Angeles.  

Interested in launching and scaling your own business? Contact your local BusinessSource Center at bit.ly/LABusinessSource 

Want a civil service career with the City of Los Angeles? Apply for the City's Targeted Local Hire Program!

The City’s Targeted Local Hire (TLH) Program offers Angelenos a pathway into City civil service via full-time, paid, on-the-job training for entry-level positions. Candidates can apply for two career tracks: Vocation Worker pathway, which offers jobs ranging from custodian to street services worker or Office Trainee pathway, which leads to Administrative Clerk or Delivery Driver jobs. The TLH program is an alternative pathway for underserved populations to gain entry into civil service careers, instead of taking civil service tests.

EWDD TARGETED LOCAL HIRE SUCCESS STORY!

Kristal Huizar joined EWDD as a Targeted Local Hire participant and recently passed her 1-year probation period. She is now a full-time civil service employee with the City! We’re lucky to have her on board! Here is her story:

Kristal was juggling two part-time jobs, one at a law firm and the other at the City’s Department of Recreation and Parks. Her supervisor informed her about the City’s Targeted Local Hire Program. Upon learning how the program can lead to full-time work with the city, Kristal immediately applied through the South Los Angeles WorkSource Center.

“I still had my other job full-time but my ultimate goal was to transition to the city full-time. So if my only options were testing or the [TLH] application, I figured, why not put my name in?”

At the WorkSource Center, staff provided Kristal with an orientation on how to fill out the application and how to create a resume, along with interview training. After two years of staying on top of her application, she was finally picked up in late 2021 by EWDD to begin her one-year Office Trainee probationary training. 

During her training period, Kristal expanded her already advanced clerical skills and she became an important asset to EWDD’s Contracts Unit. “Because of her solid work ethic and knowledge, our team is more efficient and organized in processing contracts,“ said Kristal’s supervisor Valerie Nettles. “Kristal has enhanced operational processes in numerous ways, but especially in organizing the actual execution process. She thinks on her feet and often comes up with brilliant ways to streamline the work. Her impact is invaluable, and I can truly say I need her in the Contracts Unit.”

Through her training experience, Kristal also gained financial security, something she didn’t have at her previous job where she had worked for 12 years.  

On March 14, 2023, Kristal officially completed her Office Trainee probationary training. She is now an Administrative Clerk at EWDD and a full-time civil service employee. However, she’s not done just yet. Kristal plans to continue promoting to higher positions, which is made possible because of the career pathway she enrolled into through the TLH Program. 

“I'm just very appreciative of where I'm at,” she said. “I'm very appreciative of all the support that I've had, from my supervisors, all my supervisors and I look forward to continuing my journey with the city.” 

Watch the full video to learn more about Kristal’s experience with the program, what she’s learned through her time as an Office Trainee, and tips she has for people interested in applying for the program!