Los Angeles is confronting a staggering $467 million budget deficit — and the decisions made in the weeks ahead will shape the City’s economic future for years to come. That’s why BizFed LA is mobilizing the broader business community to urge the City Council to adopt a fiscally responsible budget — one that safeguards essential services and jobs, promotes economic recovery, and avoids launching costly new programs the City simply cannot afford to administer or staff.
We’re calling on business leaders to unite behind a shared message: Now is the time for discipline, not distractions. New mandates that expand bureaucracy or increase employer burdens — such as the Tourism Worker Ordinance and Costly Restaurant Ordinance — are incompatible with the City’s fiscal reality.
These proposals would require expanding departments that are already facing hiring freezes and budget cuts, and stretching resources even thinner while doing nothing to address core economic or public service challenges.
Why This Budget Moment Matters:
Protect essential services and jobs: Core city services — from public safety and sanitation to business permitting and infrastructure maintenance — are already at risk. The budget must prioritize preserving these services and the frontline workers who deliver them.
Reject unfunded mandates: Proposed ordinances that impose new mandates on local businesses would come with hefty administrative costs the City can’t sustain — while pushing struggling employers closer to the edge.
Fuel true economic recovery: Local businesses are still regaining their footing post-pandemic and amid inflationary pressures. Now is the time to remove barriers to growth, not add new ones.
Lead with long-term thinking: Every dollar must be spent with an eye toward sustainability. Rushing forward with politically driven programs that lack funding, staffing, or implementation plans will only deepen the fiscal crisis — and delay real progress.
BizFed LA is organizing a joint letter from LA’s business community to make these points clear to City leaders — and we need your support. The letter is linked below for your review.
If your organization would like to sign on as a supporter, please email our Advocacy Manager, Alec Mesropian (alec.mesropian@bizfed.org), confirming your participation and organization’s logo to be included in the final letter.
We’re aiming to finalize sign-ons by end of day Friday, May 2, but please let us know if you need more time — we’ll do our best to accommodate.
Join us in calling for a budget that reflects fiscal reality and protects LA’s economic future.
BizFed launched in 2008 and now unites more than 245 diverse business organizations. BizFed’s 150 investors include micro-businesses to iconic brands and institutions.