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EWDD's Champion Women - Rosa Penaloza & Yovana Perez
In honor of Women's History Month, EWDD highlights and celebrates the achievements of Rosa Penaloza and Yovana Perez, two women who are part of EWDD’s Economic Development Division and have made an impact in the Los Angeles business community.
Rosa:
Rosa Penaloza, Assistant Grants Administrator, started her career with EWDD in March 2020, at the beginning of the pandemic. Due to the economic impact that the pandemic caused local businesses, Penaloza quickly stepped into the role and duties of assisting small businesses with resources, loans, grants, and any potential relief during this unprecedented time.
Rosa’s passion is fueled by the team she works with on a daily basis and constantly feels inspired by them. As a leader, she believes that leaders work for others and therefore finds it rewarding when all parties work together to accomplish similar goals.
In her 20 years of leadership experience, she encourages women to be bold, secure, and always stay true to their values. Her experiences have also led her to be open-minded and welcoming to change because projects can often change at the speed of light. A good leader needs to be able to adjust, inspire others, and ultimately take it all in a positive way.
Yovana:
In her five years of working with EWDD, Senior Management Analyst Yovana Perez has played an integral role in ensuring the BusinessSource Center (BSC) system is running smoothly. This includes working closely with her team of monitors to review budgets, monitor reports, and draft transmittals and contracts for the various business programs that EWDD offers.
Yovana’s advice to other women interested in this line of work? “Explore and find work that is really meaningful to you. Also, if you are diligent and take the initiative to learn, specifically when it comes to technology, you will be promoted.” Perez states, “I also recommend being resourceful, not only to your colleagues but also to your grantees.” Perez closes her interview with a thanks to the department. “I am very thankful to work for a phenomenal team and for a department that has a great mission and has really outstanding programs.”
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Women Business Highlight: Masa Catalina
Prior to the pandemic, Nicole Carrasco was a professional interior designer in the construction industry, where she led an entire team dedicated to construction drawings. At the time, she made poor food choices, missed many family dinners, and faced burnout. Soon after, she began questioning her lifestyle choices as she considered motherhood. As time passed, her dream of being a mom was about to materialize when the pandemic occurred, leaving Carrasco without a job just a month before giving birth. These series of events, plus her love for Filipino and Mexican food, prompted Carrasco to start Masa Catalina, named after her daughter Catalina.
Starting a new business with no culinary background while being a new mom was a real challenge that included a lot of late nights and research to understand how her concept would fit in the market and how she could differentiate her offering from what was already out there. Understanding where to reach her target audience, how to create and manage a perishable inventory, while maintaining the economic sustainability of the business, was also part of the equation.
In March 2023, when Carrasco joined the Seasoned Accelerator Cohort 4, a program by Food Access LA and EWDD, she had already established Masa Catalina as one of the preferred vendors at the LA area Farmer’s Markets. However, there were still gaps to be filled within her business.
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CD7 & EWDD’s JEDI Team Speak with Business Owners in the Van Nuys JEDI Zone
On Thursday, February 29, 2024, EWDD's JEDI Zone team and Councilmember Rodriguez's team conducted a tour of the Van Nuys JEDI Zone. During this tour, the Councilmember and EWDD’s General Manager, Carolyn Hull, visited local small businesses Sabor a la Mexicana and New Smile Dental Group to inform them about the resources available to their businesses through the JEDI Zone program.
The Jobs & Economic Development Incentive (JEDI) Zone program is an initiative that creates opportunities for businesses in shopping corridors to jump-start and improve the economic activity in their zone. The initiative focuses on, but not limited to, clearing building code violations, connecting business owners to qualified employees, assistance with access to capital at low-interest rates, and façade improvement.
Watch L.A. This Week's short video of the JEDI Zone tour.
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WLCAC and CD15 Hosted Connect LA Job Fair in Watts
On February 29, 2024, EWDD’s WorkSource Centers collaborated with CD15 to host a Connect LA Job Fair at the Watts Labor Community Action Committee (WLCAC). Over 40 employers and resource organizations, from industries such as security, health and hospitality, connected with 280 job seekers.
The Connect LA Job Fair is an employment fair held quarterly in different Los Angeles regions. Keep a lookout for the next one!
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EWDD Attends the 2nd Annual Youth Civic Leadership Academy at USC
On March 16, 2024, EWDD attended the 2nd Annual Youth Civic Leadership Academy, hosted by the Youth Development Department at USC. This event brought together young people from youth advisory boards all over the City of LA and LA County to foster community and collaboration. Bryson Gauff, Senior Project Coordinator for the Youth Division, had the pleasure of being a part of a panel surrounding a conversation around Youth Employment. During this conversation, topics covered included challenges facing young people to secure employment, addressing the skills gap between young job seekers and employers, youth unemployment and underemployment, and the role of government, businesses, and educational institutions in addressing youth employment. Gauff’s advice to youth: “The right role, company, career pathway is out there. And if it’s not, know that there hasn’t been a better time to create your own path.”
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For a list of business webinars for the month April, click here. | |
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Join us for Hire LA Days! Meet employers & learn about internship opportunities in public service for LA City residents ages 16-30! Job opportunities include education, climate, and other community service roles, with summer and year-long options available.
Don't miss this chance to explore new career pathways and sign up for a fun internship while serving your community! Food, swag, and on-site application assistance will also be provided.
Los Angeles Valley College:
Thursday, April 11, 2024 from 4PM-8PM
RSVP at bit.ly/Valley-April
Los Angeles Trade Tech College:
***NEW DATE- Tuesday, April 23, 2024 from 4PM- 8PM
RSVP at bit.ly/Tech-April23
Los Angeles Southwest College:
Thursday, May 2, 2024 from 4PM-8PM
RSVP at bit.ly/Southwest-May2
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Legacy Businesses Program
EWDD launched the Business Legacy Program!
This program is an ongoing initiative to celebrate and support the visibility, legacy, and sustainability of Legacy Businesses, small businesses that have been operational for 20 years or more, with tangible benefits including technical assistance, promotional support, and access to capital, including grants.
The program will support the visibility, patronage, and sustainability of long-standing small businesses within the City of LA that contribute to the city’s rich cultural and historical identity. The Legacy Business Program aims to foster economic empowerment by encouraging patronage of participating Legacy Businesses throughout Los Angeles.
To learn more, visit bit.ly/LAlegacy.
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Permanent Al Fresco Program webinar
Join the next Al Fresco Webinar on Wednesday, April 3, 2024 from 12pm -1pm.
Learn how to apply, what happens after you apply, the payments required, documents that need to be submitted, and the project plan standard to follow. Please note, Spanish language translation is available.
Register Here
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If TTY/TTD is needed to contact us, please use 711 for Telecommunication Relay Services (TRS).
If you have any questions, comments, or wish to have a contribution considered for inclusion in an upcoming EWDD Updates, please contact EWDD's Comms Team at ewddcomms@lacity.org.
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