rise south los angeles economic forecast (march 2014)

5/27/2018 RISE South Los Angeles Economic Forecast (March 2014)

SoLAEconomic Forecast

BUSINESS-JOBS - HEALTH - COMMUNITY

Written By:Forescee Hogan- Rowles, Author, President & CEO

RISE Financial Pathways (formely CFRC) andCynthia Amador, Research Author

Azul Management Systems Institute, Inc.

Published March 2014

Presents:

The First Annual South Los Angeles Economic Forecast


Publication Date: March 2014

Rise Financial Pathways Board of Directors

Chairman:

Michael A. Costa, Highridge Costa Housing Partners, LLC

1sr Vice Chairman:

Donovan Green, AT&T

2ND Vice Chairman:

Mark Smith, Bank of the West

Treasurer:

Kim R. Bingham, Cathay Bank

Secretary:

Dulany Hill, Dumoney.com

Keith A. Drake, Wells Fargo Bank

Forescee Hogan-Rowles, RISE Financial Pathways

Tony Lee, Dickerson Employee Benets

Byron Reed, Wells Fargo Bank

David Terrell, U.S. Bancorp Investments, Inc.

Nancy Huntington, Manufacturers Bank (Ex-Ofcio Member)

Research Sources:

zipdatamaps.comThe Zillow Real Estate Research Corporation

Salesgenie.comU.S. Census

FDIC.gov


SoLA Economic Forecast

Executive Summary Findings

Prior to the Great Recession employment in Los Angeles had dipped to 5.0%, families of colorwere experiencing high levels of home ownership and employment, and even experienced

the nancial stability to send their children to college.

Wall Street has for the most part recovered, Fannie Mae posted its eighth straight protablequarter in the nal three months of last year and will send the federal government $7.2 billion,pushing its total dividend payments above the cost of the 2008 bailout for the rst time, thecompany reported February 21, 2014. The mortgage giant posted $6.5 billion in prot in thefourth quarter of 2013 and a record $84 billion for the year. Yet in 2014, South Los Angelescontinues to struggle with high unemployment, poor access to capital, the aftermath of re-

cord foreclosures and the signicant loss of wealth to families of color.

Looking at the South Los Angeles community we, at RISE Financial Pathways, formerly CFRC,

have found the following challenges that must be addressed in order to achieve a healthier,more prosperous, better prepared and educated community of employable people:

Continuation of lack of access to capital. There are 16 banks and onlyone community bank based in South Los Angeles serving 475,905

residents. Only one community development agency is currently operational that provides micro lending and homebuyer IDA savings programs. Today, South Los Angeles is still home to 64 payday lenders and 18

pawnshops, further exacerbating the effect of families with limited

resources Continued lack of access to healthy food options within a 32 square

mile area, South Los Angeles has an excessive proliferation of fast foodoutlets: 117 in total.

Continued lack of access to full service grocery stores, South Los Angeles has an overabundance of mini-markets and liquor stores offering little access to fresh fruits and vegetables, a total of 225 mini

markets/liquor stores.

The need for expanded business opportunities including access to public and private sector contracts for local businesses and manufacturers to create local jobs.

Currently there is not one full service operational hospital located inSouth Los Angeles. Currently there are no operational Emergency Room Facilities located

in South Los Angeles. The nearest trauma hospital is California HospitalMedical Center, 2.7 miles away to the north and Centinela Medical

Center, 8.6 miles away to the west.

http://www.latimes.com/business/money/la--mo-fannie-mae-bailout-prot-20140221,0,3944800.story#ixzz2uC7gIYL1

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Introduction

Since the civil unrest of 1992 there havebeen a few substantial changes in South LosAngeles. There are six major brand name su-permarkets such as Ralphs, Superior Grocers

and Food For less, with sales of $20-50 milliondollars annually, as well as new supermarket

entries such as Superior Warehouse, Smartand Final and Big Saver Foods. Hundredsof affordable housing units have beenbuilt and there are established communitybased service agencies providing a varietyof social services including entrepreneurtraining, housing assistance and at least one

small business incubator.

Twenty years after the 1992 civil unrests,South Los Angeles is now home to 16 banksserving 475,905 residents compared to 7banks in 1992 in the 9 zip code study area.Community advocates over the past 20years have strongly advocated and se-

cured retail bank branches in inner cities,such as South Los Angeles including stafngdiversity that is reective of the community,an array of services and products for rsttime home buyers, access to small busi-ness loans for small businesses and sup-

plier diversity programs.

Yet, with this success, the Great Reces-sion and Global Economic Crises of 2008took a heavy toll on South Los Angeles.

It continues to have one of the highestrates of poverty in Los Angeles County,high school graduation rates continue

to fair signicantly below their suburbancounterparts and unemployment is nearly

double the State and National average.

This study will focus on the progress of thepast decade, notating demographic

changes, employer base and access tobanking and capital. It will take a moredetailed look at major employers, employ-ment, access to healthcare services andupcoming economic development projects

and potential projects or programs to bedeveloped or enhanced to address bothpoverty and unemployment.

South Los Angeles Area Description

South Los Angeles is one of the poorest com-munities in Los Angeles County, comprised of

9 City of Los Angeles zip codes. In total theycomprise a population of 475,905, a total of123,168 households and measures 32 squaremiles.

RISE is a member of several communityadvocate coalitions that have workedtogether during the past two decades

bringing economic opportunity to SouthLos Angeles. The purpose of this studyis to: (1) Examine the economic andsocial progress of the past two decades

since the 1992 civil unrests; and (2) Set acourse with recommendations to work

collaboratively with public, private andcommunity leaders, residents and com-munity agencies in moving this com-

munity forward. With unemployment stilldouble the State and National average,the need for economic opportunities

and community wealth generatingmechanisms are sorely needed.

2 City of Los Angeles Zip Codes: 90001, 90002, 90003, 90037, 90044, 90047, 90059, 90061 and 90062. 3 http://www.zipdatamaps.com

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Demographics

Table 1. South Los Angeles Statistics

The median household income of $30,525 is46% less than the County of Los Angeles me-dian income ($56,241) and 50% less than the

State of California Median Income of $61,400.Over 70% (70.86%) of households survive onincome less than $50k per year.

For January 2014, the State of California an-nounced that unemployment had dropped

to 8.1%, and the National average haddropped to 6.7% - yet the average rate ofunemployment for South Los Angeles is nearly

double in most zip codes at 13-14% and anaverage of 13.15%. Further demonstratingeconomic need is that over 87% of all pub-

lic school students in South Los Angeles areeligible for Free or Reduced Lunch Programoffered by the Federal government.

1. History of CFRC (Now RISE FinancialPathways) and Economic Conditions thatExisted

a. Economic Conditions in 1992-Civil

Unrest/Riot/Racism Tension

Prior to the unrests of 1992, the economic andsocial landscape was considerably differentthan it is now in 2014. During this period, therewere racial tensions amongst the diverseethnic communities, economic disparities,

zip code/red lining for mortgages and auto-mobile insurance, unemployment was high,

manufacturing centers had closed, such asthe Firestone Tires and GM Plants -- leavingblighted industrial sites. There was also com-munity distrust of the Police department duein large part to racial proling.

The Los Angeles Weekly revisited the conditions present

in Los Angeles when the 1992 Civil Unrest erupted fol-

lowing a police brutality trial in which a jury acquit-

ted Los Angeles Police Department ofcers Stacey

Zip Code Janu

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1 90001 14.35% 93.27% 57,110 54,481 12,971 29,849$ 73.50% 0.6% 10.30% 0.10% 88.50% 0.50%

2 90002 14.52% 87.00% 51,223 44,584 11,731 28,368$ 72.60% 0.6% 24.80% 0.10% 73.40% 1.00%

3 90003 13.63% 86.67% 66,266 58,187 15,642 27,007$ 75.40% 0.7% 23.70% 0.10% 74.50% 1.10%

4 90037 12.64% 78.90% 62,276 58,691 15,869 23,947$ 78.40% 1.1% 21.40% 0.20% 75.40% 1.90%

5 90044 13.21% 90.82% 89,779 87,366 25,144 27,215$ 75.40% 1.0% 36.50% 0.10% 60.50% 1.90%

6 90047 11.90% 85.50% 48,606 47,105 16,168 43,838$ 55.20% 0.9% 64.70% 0.20% 31.70% 2.60%

7 90059 14.40% 83.82% 40,952 40,952 9,596 26,659$ 72.60% 0.9% 33.50% 0.20% 64.10% 1.30%

8 90061 12.35% 87.30% 26,872 24,503 6,892 33,304$ 67.60% 1.0% 36.50% 0.20% 61.10% 1.50%

9 90062 11.38% 92.30% 32,821 29,279 9,155 34,537$ 67.00% 1.1% 36.60% 0.20% 59.00% 3.00%

AVERAGE 13.15% 87.29% 30,525$ 70.86% 0.9% 32.0% 0.2% 65.4% 1.6%

TOTALS 475,905 445,148 123,168 3

Info from: htp://www.zipdatamaps.com/

DemographicsSouth Los Angeles Statstcs

S

Over the past ten years, the community has grown by 6.5%, representing a total of 123,168households. The community has also changed demographically from a predominantly AfricanAmerican community to Latino, with Latinos representing 65.4%, African American 32%, Whites.9%, Asians .2%, and Native Americans and all others representing 1.6%.

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Koon, Theodore Briseno, Timothy Wind and Laurence

Powell on charges of excessive use of force against

Rodney King. The previous year, a videotape broadcast

around the world had shown a belligerent King, pulled

over after a wild chase in which he drove up to 80 mph

on surface streets, ghting ofcers as theyd tried to pin

him down - and the ofcers whacking him with their

batons more than 50 times.

When the mostly white jury let the ofcers off at 3:15

p.m. on April 29, the rst violence erupted at the inter-

section of Florence and Normandie avenues in South

Los Angeles. It wasnt just businesses and investors

who rejected South L.A. after the riots. As L.A. Weekly

reported in 1993, black families ramped up the black

ight from Los Angeles that had started in the previ-

ous decade with some 56,000 African-Americans leav-

ing South Los Angeles between 1980 and 1990.

California State University Northridge researchers

found that the exodus was driven by racial displace-

ment - the mass movement of mostly illegal Latino im-

migrants into the citys affordable black neighborhoods.

After the riots, between 1992 and 2007, the citys black

population dropped by 123,000, as households left for

the Inland Empire, close-in suburbs and even for family

hometowns in the Deep South.

In stark difference to 1992, the dilapidatedFirestone Industrial Plant has been re-adapted

as a US Postal Distribution Center. Communitypolicing has resulted in signicant strides to-ward working closely with the community andlocal residents, and most racial tension has

subsided. Rebuild LA, the group formed bythe City of Los Angeles after the civil unrest,worked with local community organizations toabate most of the racial tensions.

Legislation passed to outlaw zip code lining,the banking industry has developed afford-able mortgage products, and community

groups have worked closely with the City ofLos Angeles to build affordable housing units.The one area that remains underdevelopedare the economic and business corridors.These corridors must be developed to both

attract and grow new businesses, and pro-vide exporting opportunities for South Los

Angeles based companies. These steps arecritical to providing access to quality jobs andeconomic opportunity.

b. Mass Exodus of Banks-Urban Land

Institute Study

This 1991 excerpt reects the economicconditions as if it were written today in 2014:

South L.A. Patrons Pay a Hefty Price as Banks Leave,

Consumers:Pawnshops,check-cashing frms and

fnance companies have moved in to fll the void.

Shortly after Wells Fargo Bank closed a branch ofce

last year (1991) on West 43rd Place, joining the exodus

of nancial institutions out of South Los Angeles, a

pawnshop moved onto the site and began doing a brisk

business lending money to customers at annual interest

rates of 42% and higher.

As banks and thrifts have closed their doors in South

Los Angeles, pawnshops, nance companies and check-

cashing rms have sprung up to ll the void, with

many doing a land-ofce business. But the toll on area

customers, who already pay high prices for basic goods

and services because of a scarcity of retail outlets, is

steep. Exorbitant interest costs are common on loans

and there are hefty fees to cash what are often paltry

payroll, pension or welfare checks.

Today, South Los Angeles is still home to 64payday lenders and 18 pawnshops, furtherexacerbating the effect of families on limitedresources. Twenty years after the 1992 civilunrests, South Los Angeles is now home to 16banks serving 475,905 residents compared to7 banks in 1992 in the 9 zip code study area.While signicant strides have been made inproviding community based nancial ser-vices, it is extremely important to increase the

number if credit unions and nancial institu-tions in the area. Families that utilize paydaylenders versus nancial institutions spend anaverage of $785 annually in fees usingpayday lender type services.

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4 http://www.laweekly.com/microsites/la-riots/5 ibid

6ibid 7 http://articles.latimes.com/1991-11-26/news/mn-211_1_check-cashing-rms

82009, Bank on Los Angeles Study.

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c. Left Out of Washington

Recently the Los Angeles Times reportedon President Obamas Promise Zone An-nouncement that several low-income Los

Angeles neighborhoods would be eligiblefor grants as part of his signature poverty

initiative, some city ofcials reacted withsurprise that none of the areas were in

South Los Angeles. Further, the Times reportsthat Promise Zones are supposed to move

neighborhoods to the top of the list whencities apply for competitive federal grants,Los Angeles could receive up to roughly

$500 million over the next 10 years, but thereis no guarantee that a grant will be award-ed. For an area with so much need, sadly,according to the Los Angeles Times report,South Los Angeles was not included in theapplication.

The Times also reported that federal fund-ing has also been dramatically reduced.California received just $131 million from the

HOME Investment Partnerships Program inthe scal year that ended mid-2012 lessthan half the amount that was available in

the previous scal year. There has also beenfar less money available from the Com-munity Development Block Grant program,which has often been dedicated to afford-able housing.

With the elimination of the communityredevelopment agencies, the Los Angeles

Times also reported that the loss of stateand federal funds has stalled or jeopardizedthousands of projects for lower-income

families across the state. Los Angeles andmany other California cities were rocked bythe withdrawal of $1 billion a year in fundingfrom the states municipal redevelopmentagencies, which were eliminated at theurging of Governor Jerry Brown to help bringthe state back into the black.

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Access to Capital

South Los Angeles Financial Services

Payday Lenders (64) Banks (16) Pawn Shops (18)

Community advocates over the past 20 years have strongly advocated and secured retailbank branches in inner cities, such as South Los Angeles including stafng diversity that isreective of the community, an array of services and products for rst time home buyers,access to small business loans for small businesses and supplier diversity programs.

Table 2. South Los Angeles Financial Sevices

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2013/01/at-la-mayoral-forum-top-candidates-say-housing-is-a-priority.html

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Washington provides competitive grants

through Grants.gov for a myriad of programsincluding, housing, economic development,

small business assistance, micro nancing, en-ergy and green technology, workforce as wellas environmental remediation. To continue tospur the economic recovery needed in South

Los Angeles, both the community develop-ment community as well as Elected Ofcialsand City governments will need to work to-

gether to build coalitions and partnerships tosecure these competitive dollars.

d. Leadership Role For Financial Industryto Foster Public/Private Partnership

South Los Angeles is home to 16 banks. Thefollowing major US Banks are represented in

the area:

Table 3. Banks By Los Angeles Zip Code

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90001 Chase Bank 1435 E Gage Ave # C 90037 Bank Of America 5700 S Vermont Ave

90001 Union Bank 1301 E Gage Ave 90037 Broadway Federal Bank 4001 S Figueroa St

90001 Wells Fargo Bank 1144 E Florence Ave 90037 Chase Bank 5717 S Vermont Ave

90002 Bank Of America 10340 S Central Ave 90044 Chase Bank 1027 W Manchester

90002 Chase Bank 10221 Compton Ave # 100 90044 Union Bank 1100 W Slauson Ave90002 Citbank 1601 E 103rd St # 3 90047 Bank Of America 8701 S Western Ave

90003 Bank Of America 6400 Avalon Blvd 90047 Chase Bank 1810 W Slauson Ave

90003 Bank Of America 8564 S Broadway 90062 Bank Of America 4103 S Western Ave

6 Bank of Americas 5 Chase Banks (2 Chase banks

have closed in South Los Angeles) 2 Union Banks 1 Wells Fargo Bank 1 Citibank There is one community bank serving South

Los Angeles: Broadway Federal Bank

Adjacent to the 9 Zip Code Study Area areComerica Bank, US Bank and One UnitedBank, the only African American-owned

national bank located in South Los Angeles.Conversely, its neighbor to the South, LongBeach has 73 banks serving a population ofrelatively the same size as South Los Angeles467,892 and 475,905 respectively.

Banks are the life blood of the American economic structure. Without access to traditional andlargely affordable capital, entrepreneurs and businesses cannot nance their growth, equip-ment or daily operations cost effectively.

On January 23, 2014, JPMorgan Chase announced a $7 million dollar grant to four leading Com-

munity Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs). The grant is part of the foundations new CDFI

Collaboratives program, a $33 million commitment to help CDFIs and small business lenders buildcapacity and to jumpstart job creation in low- and moderate-income communities in the Chase foot-

print.

The Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) Collaborative is led by the Community Reinvestment fund

and includes the National Development Council, and the Calvert Foundation. The cooperative will

work together to lend to small businesses in select areas including Chicago, Denver, Milwaukee, De-

troit, Seattle, Buffalo and the New York City Metro area.

http://www.crfusa.com/crf_blog/post=582_crf-leads-collaborative-to-increasenancing-to-small-businesses-in-underserved-communities

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Neither South Los Angeles or the City of LosAngeles was included in this important eco-nomic initiative, where Los Angeles County

is home to 287 JPMChase Branches with $27billion dollars in deposit. The South Los An-geles study area has 4 branches with a totaldeposit base of $201,507,000.00 according to

the FDIC Summary of Deposits Report for theperiod ending June 30, 2013.

For micro entrepreneurs seeking access tocapital, currently, RISE Financial Pathways is

the only operating micro lending programusing the Grameen Bank peer lending model

and the only IDA Program of its kind servingthe South Los Angeles area.

2. Todays South Los Angeles EconomicConditions

a. Job Statistics and Unemployment Rate

Of the 9 zip codes represented in South LosAngeles, 90062 has the lowest unemploy-ment rate of 11.38% with 90002 having thehighest unemployment rate of 14.52%, whichborders the Watts community. There is oneWorksource Center based in South Los Ange-les serving 475,905 residents with a medianincome of $30,525.

Table 4. Unemployment Statistics

b. Current Causes of Local Unemployment

South Los Angeles during the 1990s and early2000s had seen a signicant investment inwork source centers and community devel-

opment agencies collaborating with housingfunders to build affordable housing. Therewere new social enterprise endeavors such

as micro loan centers, entrepreneur train-

ing centers and a small business incubator mostly fueled through a growing economyand public investment. Then the Great Reces-sion occurred, drying up investment, creatingmass unemployment, retail and manufactur-ing closures and the closing of many com-

munity agencies as well as the elimination ofcommunity redevelopment agencies whichwere charged with rebuilding blighted areas.

With the enormous loss of jobs, so too wentthe middle class foundations, loss of wealth

was tremendous. Not only were homeown-ers devastated by foreclosures, most lenderswere unwilling to work to keep homeowners intheir homes with silent seconds or other loanforgiveness options. Scam artists preyed upon

senior citizens and homeowners with exoticreal estate scams.

South Los Angeles is one of the poorest com-munities in Los Angeles County. Compound-

ing this fact is little access to economic op-

portunity via job growth in the manufacturingor industrial areas of South Los Angeles, there-

by leaving low-wage paying jobs offered bythe retail industry. Lack of educational andhigh school graduation attainment furtherpushes economic opportunities away for

youth and the areas unskilled labor force.

Over the past decade the US Department ofLabor has had its budget slashed resulting inthe City of Los Angeles receiving substantiallyless to operate workforce and job trainingprograms than they had in the late 1990s.Thus, cutting access to training programs, jobreadiness and placement services, as well as

employer incentives such as on-the-job train-ing subsidies.

Foundations and Wall Street are looking

at Social Impact Bonds to provide com-petitive funding opportunities such as Payfor Successprograms that save taxpayerinvestments, such as youth employment

and job training programs, reducing jailrecidivism, and job creation programs.

Zip Code January 2014Unemployment

Zip Code January 2014

Unemployment

90001 14.35% 90047 11.90%

90002 14.52% 90059 14.40%

90003 13.63% 90061 12.35%

90037 12.64% 90062 11.38%

90044 13.21%

11http://www2.fdic.gov/sod/sodInstBranchRpt.asp?rCert=628&baritem=1&ryear=2013

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Yet, none of these resources have reachedSouth Los Angeles nor have any entitiesbased in South Los Angeles been invited toparticipate in current and upcoming SocialImpact Bond initiatives.

Like all other cities, with the loss of its tax base

from the recession, South Los Angeles con-tinues to struggle for new economic life. Itsresidents still continue to struggle with access

to affordable public transportation, new livingwage employment opportunities, and access

to economic opportunities to support theirfamilies.

Key to rebuilding the economic vitality ofSouth Los Angeles is creating economic op-portunity and pathways out of poverty. Thiscan only be achieved through educationalattainment and employment opportunitiesin living wage jobs, self-employment, smallbusiness expansion and innovative economicinvestment in infrastructure and business cor-ridors.

c. Retail Business Environment in SouthLos Angeles

South Los Angeles is home to a combina-tion of retailers, industrial, manufacturing and

commercial businesses. The largest sectorbeing retailers which totals 999. Often con-sidered an Urban Food Desert, there is anoverabundance of mini markets in South LosAngeles:

51 mini-markets with annual sales of$500,000 or less

174 mini-markets with annual sales of$500,000 to $1,000,0000

30 mini-markets with annual sales of$1,000,000 to $2,500,000

There are a total of 225 mini-markets withmost employing 1 to 4 employees serving anarea of 32 square miles. South Los Angelesis home to 8 medium size markets with salesfrom $2.5 million to $5 million, employing 10 to19 employees.

There are also 7 larger markets with sales from

$5 million to $10 million employing on average50 to 99 employees; 5 supermarkets with salesof $10 million to $20 million and 6 large super-markets, including Ralphs, Food 4 Less andPayless Foods that employ 50 to 99 employ-ees with the exception of Superior Grocersand Superior Warehouse which employ as

many as 249 employees all with annual salesof $20 to $50 million.

With only 18 (7%) of the 255 markets beingmajor markets, most of the mini-markets are

non-union and lower wage paying jobs leav-ing little opportunity for living wages for theworking poor to provide for their families with-

out public assistance or subsidies.

3. New Affordable Housing Developments in So Los Angeles

Recently two affordable housing projectsopened in South Los Angeles, creating bothtemporary construction jobs, and a few newproperty management permanent jobs.

Jefferson Park Terrace, is an affordablehousing project built by Mercy HousingCalifornia. The Jefferson Park Terrace

project features 60, one to four-bedroomapartments which addresses the com-

pelling need for new, affordable andquality housing for very low-income

families. While there are no subsidiesit does accept Section 8 and requisiteincome qualications. The project isalso an energy-efcient LEEDSilver Certied building.

Jefferson Park Affordable Housing recently developed Jefferson Square

Apartments, a new 40-unit apartmentproject located at Jefferson and 4th

Avenue. This $15 million project becamefully leased up with 11,000 applicantsof which 360 were immediately placedon the waiting list and 40 familiesoccupied the available units. Opened inDecember 2013, the complex features9, one-bedroom apartments, 19

two-bedroom apartments, and 12 three-

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With the Los Angeles Housing Trust commit-ment of $100 million, nearly abandoned andhaving dwindled to $5 million dollars theneed for an affordable housing strategy iscritical. When there are 11,000 residents seek-ing access to just 40 new affordable housingunits the need is clearly defned.

a. New Business/Retail CentersOver the past year, 57 new businessesopened in South Los Angles, all but three aremicro businesses with less than 4 employees.Seven of these new business, while still in thenascent stage have garnered sales of $1 mil-lion up to $5 million in annual sales, 16 havesales of $500,000 to $1 million and 22 havesales under $500,000. The remaining 12 haveno sales available for public view to date.

Of the 57 new micro businesses opened thispast year, 13 are in retail, with 6 being minimarkets or tobacco stores, 6 providing au-tomotive maintenance and 9 in Healthcare,with 1 new dentist and 6 new physicians nowserving the area.

Clearly, the need remains for higher payingliving wage jobs, middle income jobs, andeconomic investment in South Los Angelesbusiness corridors. The need for business infra-

structure investment is critical to the develop-ment and expansion of small business, new

job creation, and business retention.

b. New Mixed-Use/Transit Oriented DevelopmentsSouth Los Angeles is an integral part of the Los

Angeles County Transportation footprint, of-fering bus, rail, local transit and easy freewayaccess. Set in the central part of Los Angeles,

South Los Angeles is just 15 minutes from theLos Angeles World Airport (LAX), 25 minutes

from the Port of Los Angeles (one of the busi-est ports in the world), and 20 minutes fromthe Alameda Corridor, making it a likely areafor new business and industrial investment.

Rail Connections - Metro Link

The Silver Line and the Expo Line intersect at

the Northeast Corner Grand Avenue andHope Street to serve South Los Angeles. The910 Metro Silver line runs north and south,making its way east as it travels north to El

Monte and ends at the Harbor GatewayTransit Center, its most southern destination.The 803 Green Line parallels Imperial Highway

through South Los Angeles, beginning in Nor-walk and travels mostly east and west endingin Redondo Beach.

The Expo Line runs mostly east and west, be-ginning at 7th Street in Downtown Los Ange-les, makes its way south to South Los Angelesthen turns west to conclude in Culver City.

The highly anticipated new Crenshaw/LAXTransit Project is an 8.5 mile light-rail line, witheight stations including Leimert Park and

Hindry. The line will run between the ExpoLine on Exposition Boulevard and the Metro

Green Line. The Crenshaw/LAX Transit Projectwill serve the Crenshaw District, Inglewood,Westchester and surrounding areas with eight

stations. This line will run nearby several of the9 zip codes in this study. The Crenshaw/LAXTransit Project is a $2.058 billion project, one of12 transit projects funded by Measure R, thehalf-cent sales tax approved by Los AngelesCounty voters in 2008.

Bus Lines

South Los Angeles is served by the LA MetroDash which provides circular services downfrom Grand Avenue to Martin Luther King Blvdto the South, north up Central Avenue and

West from the Blue Line Station across 23rdStreet.

The following seven Metro Bus Lines currentlyserve the South Los Angeles community: 442,450, 460, 550, 607, 733 and 745 lines.

c. Dilapidated Industrial CorridorsOne of the impediments to economic recov-ery that South Los Angeles has incurred is theelimination of the Los Angeles Community

Redevelopment Agency. In 1996, the West-ern/Slauson Project area was adopted. As a

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The Project Area is bounded by Vernon Avenue to the north, Van Ness Avenue to the west, 80th Streetto the south, and Vermont Avenue to the east. There are ve commercial corridors: Western, Nor-mandie, and Vermont avenues (north-south); and Slauson and Florence avenues (east-west).

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21 90003

19 90047 16 90044 15 90037 15 90059

11 - 90001

7 90002 7 90062 6 - 90061

result of the civil disturbance of 1992, nearly all(95.8 percent) of the buildings in that ProjectArea needed some type of repair. Addition-

ally, of the 655 buildings in the area, 138 hadvacancy levels greater than 20%.

The City of Los Angeles was able to provide

incremental improvements: a 56-unit Amistad Plaza for low-incomeresidential development was completedin 2001;

Phase I of a Commercial Facade andSignage Program was completed in2003. The program provided ve proertyowners and 12 businesses with up to$25,000 to improve their storefronts.

Phase I of a Streetscape Program wascompleted.

Phase II began with the design and installation of more trees along WesternAvenue south of Florence Avenue to 80thStreet.

Chestereld Square, a 23-acre retailshopping centerthe largest commercial development in the Project Areawas completed in 2001.

Yet, the Western Slauson area continues tosuffer from blighted commercial buildingsand lack of economic resources to completefaade, signage and streetscapes for the

area. This is evidenced with the blighted com-mercial buildings that run parallel to the railroad tracks beginning on Slauson Avenue atAlameda Street which continue to run West

through South Los Angeles Hyde Park area.

As of the date of this study no new economicdevelopment projects were approved andavailable for review on public record.

d. South Los Angeles Retail/Fast Food OutletsSouth Los Angeles is often considered a Food

Desert due to the lack of access to healthy

fruits and vegetables. In contrast it is overrunwith fast food outlets 117 in all, includingindependent vendors and chains. Typicallycommunities may have 1 or 2 of each ofthese franchises in their community, South LosAngeles has multiple franchise sites several

times over:

18 Subway Sandwiches13 McDonalds10 Burger Kings10 - Jack In the Boxes

7 Pizza Huts6 Churchs Chickens5 KFCs7 - Little Caesars Pizzas

7 Taco Bells

The saturation of fast food restaurants rep-resented by zip codes, demonstrates whichcommunities have the least access to healthyfoods:

With the South Los Angeles communities hav-

ing an overabundance of fast food outletsand mini markets this creates a public healthissue, with these types of foods contributing tohypertension, diabetes, obesity and a pleth-ora of health issues for the predominantly La-

tino and African American residents of South

Los Angeles.

The California Endowment has taken the leadon this issue by starting its Building HealthyCommunities (BHC) initiative. This effort can

4 El Pollo Locos4 Dominos Pizzas,3 Carls Juniors3 Popeyes Chicken

& Biscuits1 Del Tacos1 Jamba Juice1 Quiznos1 Rallys Hamburge

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be greatly enhanced with City Leaders advocating that Los Angeles be designated as a recipi-ent of major US foundation funding through the Living Cities Initiativethat is currently underway.

4.South Los Angeles Employers

a. Largest Employers in South Los AngelesSouth Los Angeles is home to 23 businesses that generate $100 - $500 million in annual sales,

with one generating over $1 billion annually. Of these, 15 employ under 100 employees with thebalance employing less than 250 employees at their South Los Angeles locations.

Company Name SIC code

Primary SIC Code

Descripton

1 A & S Glass Fabrics 5131-19 Fabrics-Wholesale

2 American Dye House 5169-63 Textle Dyers (Whls)

3 Bizz 5136-28 Clothing-Wholesale

4 EMJ Metals 5051-06Steel-Distributors &Warehouses (Whls)

5 Triple L-A Tld Distributon Co 5046-04

RestaurantEquipment &Supplies (Whls)

6 Bestway Recycling Co Inc 5093-17 Waste (Whls)

7 Crenshaw Lumber Co 5031-09 Lumber-Wholesale

8 Guagranito USA LLC 5099-05 Importers (Whls)

9 J C Trimming Co 5137-05Women's Apparel-Wholesale

10 Jack Engle & Co 5093-13Scrap Metals & Iron(Whls)

Metals & More LLC 5051-07 Pipe-Wholesale

12 NEWARK Bci 5084-89

BookbindersEquipment &Supplies (Whls)

13 Pacific Rags Inc 5099-01 Exporters (Whls)

14 Paragon Textles Inc 5099-01 Exporters (Whls)

15

Waste Management

Recycle Amer 5093-12Recycling Centers(Whls)

16 Airgas West 5172-05

Gas-Indstrl/Med-Cylinder & Bulk(Whls)

Dcx Chol Enterprises 5099-08

Manufacturers-Agents &Representatves

18 Delta Dyeing & Finishing 5169-36 Dyes & Dyestuffs (Whls)

Eurostar Inc 5139-02 Shoes-Wholesale

20 Rogers Poultry Co 5144-04 Poultry-Wholesale

21 Superior Anhausner Foods 5141-02 Food Brokers (Whls)

22 Swinerton Builders 1542-13 Building Contractors

23 Tesoro Refining & Marketng 2911-01 Oil Refiners (Mfrs)

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Company Name SIC codePrimary SIC CodeDescripton

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Salegenie.com report by zip code and sales volume.

b. Long-Term BusinessesSouth Los Angeles is home to 11 businesses that date back to the 1940s. The Robert Kaufmanmanufacturing company is the largest employer with over 100 employees. Robert KaufmanCo., Inc. is a converter of quilting fabrics and textiles for retailers and manufacturers worldwide.Sadly, after 68 years, Signall Rexall Drugs, established in 1945 recently closed this past year,

along with 12 employees being displaced.

Following is a list of the oldest established businesses that continue to operate today:

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Table 5. South Los Angeles Largest Employers:


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Oldest Businesses in South Los Angeles

# Company NameZipCode

YearEstablished SIC Code SIC Code Descripton

1 Best Box Co Inc 90001 1941 2653-01

Corrugated & Solid Fib

Boxes (Mfrs)

2 Ohio Machine Co 90001 1942 3599-03 Machine Shops (Mfrs)

3 Natonal Sandblastng Co 90001 1942 1799-11 Sandblastng

4 Imperial Shade & Venetan Blnd 90037 1942 5713-06 Floor Materials

5 Charles Furniture Co 90037 1942 5712-16 Furniture-Dealers-Ret

6 Southwest Platng Co 90044 1945 3471-05 Platng (Mfrs)

7 Meadow Farms Sausage Co 90047 1945 2013-98

Sausages/OtherPrepared Meat Prod(Mfrs)

8 Robert Kaufman Co 90059 1944 2211-03Coon Goods-Manufacturers

9 Malco Manufacturing Co 90061 1945 3469-04 Metal Stamping (Mfrs)

10 Shalon Drum Co Inc 90061 1940 3412-01 Barrels & Drums (Mf rs

11 California Valet Cleaners 90062 1943 7212-01 Cleaners

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5.Housing

a. Properties for SaleHomes in South Los Angeles, like most areas ofLos Angeles are realizing gains in value. Overthe past several years, the Zillow Real EstateResearch Corporation (ZREC) reports that foreach of the 9 zip codes reviewed in South LosAngeles all but two have dropped to doubledigit sales from triple digit sales as high as 294homes sold in the month of November 2011 to109 homes sold in November 2013.

Home sales in South Los Angeles achieved

all-time high prices in July of 2007, selling foran average of $419,043 according to ZREC.Most recently, homes have been selling at anaverage of $256,065 as of November 2013 themost recent public data available. This recov-ery is in line with most of Los Angeles County,

where values have consistently improved over

the past year. The average home in South LosAngeles in November 2011 was selling for aslow $197,043.b. Properties In ForeclosureThe Zillow Real Estate Research Corporationrecently completed a study based on HMDAhousing data for the National Urban Leagueand found that unfortunately, during the

housing bust, homeowners not only lost anenormous amount of value in their homes, but

were frequently foreclosed upon, losing theirhomes altogether. [They] examined changesin homeownership rates over the last decade.In 2011, 46.5 percent of African Americansand 50.9 percent of Hispanics owned theirhome. The homeownership rate for whiteswas 73.9 percent .

http://www.zillow.com/blog/research/2014/01/15/minority-mortgage-access/

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Table 6. South Los Angeles Long Term Businesses


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In reviewing the ZREC data, since 1998, SouthLos Angeles reached an all-time low of no

foreclosures in any zip code, except for onein 90062 during May 2006 to an all-time highof all zip codes encountering an average of40.77 foreclosures per 10,000 in August of 2008demonstrating that South Los Angeles was a

highly stable community and had not always

been tainted with foreclosures. This changewas clearly due to the Global EconomicCrises resulting in the Great Recession as so

many families lost jobs and their homes.

As of November 2013 the most recent dataZillow has available, ve of the nine zip codeshave had signicant drops in their foreclosurerates since June 2007, just before the WallStreet nancial markets crash. Foreclosuresin zip codes 90061 and 90062 have actu-ally increased in foreclosures since 2007 andthere has been a vacillation between drop-ping then increasing foreclosures in zip codes90001 and 90047.

Table 7. Home Foreclosed per 10,000

Zip Code Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov

90001 34 36 33 28 27 17 28 44 21 13 36

90002 43 47 49 45 40 45 54 62 41 36 81

90003 118 114 115 107 132 137 138 167 74 89 191

90037 74 75 69 76 83 94 101 99 60 58 160

90044 148 151 146 152 163 170 171 216 114 132 309

90047 79 87 90 80 90 83 79 111 68 72 109

90059 23 28 30 31 33 41 42 48 24 28 41

90061 32 40 37 42 44 38 43 49 31 35 83

90062 42 42 47 63 59 47 37 50 32 44 68

According to these statistics, the evidence of

signicant wealth potential and asset devel-opment was consistently lost as housing prices

fell, homeowners were upside down in theirmortgages, and signicant job losses simul-taneously occurred resulting in thousands offoreclosures. This loss was veried in theHarvard study which reports that for home

equity losses on household wealth, Hispanicslost 65%, African Americans lost 52% com-pared to Whites which lost less than 20%.This was and continues to be devastating, ashome equity is used often to support localand family small businesses or to send childrento college.

c. Single Family Housings in South Los Angelesas a Rental NeighborhoodAs recently as 2010, few homes were for rentin any of the South Los Angeles study area ac-cording the ZREC data, this changed in July

of 2011 with three zip codes reporting homesfor rent. Homes for rent reached triple digits innearly all study zip codes by December 2012.While homes for rent appears to be abating,90044 had the most rental homes available inNovember 2013 compared to only 36 singlefamily homes for rent in 90001.

According to the November 2013 ZRECRental Report, Los Angeles Metro rents are

averaging $2,335.00 compared to South LosAngeles rents at $1,857.00 per month, bothare substantially higher than national rents at$1,297.00 per month. Compounding this issueis the continued wage stagnation, low wages,

and high poverty rates these rate averagesspeak to the realization that head of house-holds are having to hold 2-3 jobs or multiplefamilies must live in single family dwellings.

Homes Foreclosed per 10,000 in South Los Angeles

Zip Code Jun-07 Jun-13 Nov-13

90001 1.9129 8.196 3.7355

90002 9.1083 10.2033 4.157390003 8.4083 7.3131 5.9983

90037 10.9428 3.5126 8.2465

90044 10.0993 2.2779 5.1996

90047 6.2516 7.2819 6.9214

90059 13.3483 9.6695 7.735

90061 3.9635 8.4711 10.882

90062 4.9879 3.11 6.8698

http://www.zillow.com/blog/research/data/ http://www.jchs.harvard.edu/sites/jchs.harvard.edu/les/son2012.pdf

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Table 8. Single FamilyHomes For RentDuring 201317

ZREC reports are available up to November 2013 only.


grants and grants for teachers, re ghtersand police ofcers who work in high povertyrate areas. Additionally, policy makers should

re-institute the Lease-to-Own programs popu-lar in the 1970s for rst time homebuyers.

Tax credits, should be made available to

investors who purchased thousands of fore-closed homes during the housing crash asthese units are now rentals in mostly low-to-moderate income communities. Such tax

credits could be made available to investorsupon the sale of rental units to qualied lowand moderate income homebuyers in owner-occupied units.

Los Angeles Leadership needs to commit tonding and securing resources needed to re-build the $5 million Housing Trust Fund up to itsoriginal goal of $100 million so we dont haveto repeat 11,000 rental applications for 40new affordable housing units.

6. Healtha.Hospitals:Currently there is not one full service opera-

tional hospital located in South Los Angeles.Additionally, there are no Emergency Room

Facilities operating in South Los Angeles. Thenearest trauma hospital is California Hospital

Medical Center located 2.7 miles away to thenorth and Centinela Medical Center located

8.6 miles away to the west. In Los Angeles

during peak trafc times 2.7 miles can be a15 minute drive, 8.6 miles can be a 30 minutedrive thus, a heart attack victim has a muchbetter chance of survival during an off peaktrafc time.

Only one hospital, the soon to be re-opened

Martin Luther King Junior Hospital, is locatedadjacent to the South Los Angeles study area,slated to open in Fall 2014.

Conversely, the nearby City of Long Beachwith a comparable population of 467,892 has21 hospitals serving its community residents.

Clearly there is a great need for improved ac-cess to Emergency Room facilities in the South

Los Angeles community.

b. Medical Clinics:There are 45 Medical Clinics with revenueof $500,000 or more serving the South LosAngeles service area of 475,905 residents,again, just to the north, nearby Long Beachresidents have access to 125 Medical Clin-ics providing its residents with 150% moreaccess to medical services than its South Los

Angeles neighbors to the south. The four larg-est health employers are Da Vita, Inc., CentralCity Community Health, Rai Care Center and

Comprehensive Health Center. All are healthclinics except for Da Vita which provide dialy-sis services.

Table 10. South Los Angeles Medical Centers

# Company Name ZIP Code SIC Code Description

1 Florence Family Obstetrics Med 90001 Clinics

2 Los Santos Reyes 90001 Physicians & Surgeons

3 Angel Family Practice Medical 90001 Clinics

4 Crown City Medical Group Inc 90001 Clinics

5 Los Santos Reyes 90001 Clinics

6 Organizing For America 90001 Clinics

7 Ali Abaian Medical Clinic 90001 Clinics

7.Business and Job CreationOpportunities

Like many low-income communities, South Los Angelesis slowly recovering from the

Global Financial Crises thatresulted in the Great Reces-sion. With new leadership

in City Hall as well as thenation beginning to slowly

recover, community leaders are hopeful that in collaboration with nancial institutions, insur-ance companies, community development agencies, and the public and private sector, arearesidents will once again climb out of the economic debacle that hit so hard. New collabora-tion and economic investment will spur economic growth in South Los Angeles.

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# Company Name ZIP Code SIC Code Description

8 Advanced Family Care & Medical 90001 Clinics

9 Florence Medical Ctr 90001 Clinics

10 Central City Community Health 90001 Clinics

11 Family & Community Medical 90002 Clinics12 Watts Health Care Corp 90002 Clinics

13 Dorothy Mae Medical Clinic 90003 Clinics

14 Ngo, Phung Hy 90003 Clinics

15 Planned Parenthood 90003 Family Planning InformationCenters

16 Kennedy Occupational Ctr 90003 Emergency Minor Medical

Facilities/Svcs17 Sharper Future 90003 Clinics

18 Florence Dialysis Ctr 90003 Clinics

19 Comprehensive Health Ctr 90003 Clinics

20 Maternity Center Of Vermont 90037 Clinics21 Sundaram Family Medical Clinic 90037 Clinics

22 Premier Medical Clinic 90037 Clinics

23 Sunset Family Medical Clinic 90037 Clinics

24 Total Care Dental 90037 Clinics

25 Vermont Community Clinic 90037 Clinics

26 Vern-Bro Medical Group 90037 Clinics

27 Village Health Foundations 90037 Clinics

28 Western Health Care 90037 Clinics

29 Clinica De Los Angeles 90037 Clinics

30 Maternity Center Of Vermont 90044 Clinics

31 Florence Medical Clinic 90044 Clinics

32 Mary B Henry Community Clinic 90044 Clinics

33 Pasific Medical 90044 Clinics

34 UMMA Community Clinic 90044 Clinics

35 Florence Western Medical Clnc 90047 Physicians & Surgeons

36 Kevin, Thomas MD 90047 Physicians & Surgeons37 Qualimed Specialists Assoc 90047 Clinics

38 Morningside Urgent Care Med 90047 Emergency Minor MedicalFacilities/Svcs

39 Exodus Recovery Inc 90059 Clinics

40 Gambro Healthcare 90059 Clinics

41 Da Vita Inc 90059 Dialysis

42 Rai Care Ctr-Compton Ave 90059 Clinics

43 Beth Medical Ctr 90061 Clinics

44 Tri City Medical Group 90061 Clinics

45 Western Women's Medical Clinic 90062 Clinics

All Centers have less than 50 employees except Comprehensivehas over 200 employees.Health Center which

While pursuing strategic public/private alliances, it our recommendation that residents

corporate, small businesses,community leaders and community agencies collaborateto bring these resources to

fruition.

Recommendations:

a.Affordable HousingAdvocate for affordabletransit oriented mixed-usehousing and retail centers

along the Crenshaw line. Design affordable conventionamortgage products to pur-chase expected new transit

oriented housing.

Coordinate with local non-prots providing homeownership training with IDA invest-ments and down paymentassistance to aid Low to Mod

erate Income clients in homepurchases.

Rebuild the Los Angeles

Housing Trust Fund to$100 million.

b.Health EndeavorsSecure additional funding topen an MLK Hospital satelliturgent care center North ofthe 105 Freeway.

Expand the City Website toinclude a Resource Page byhome/business address, allow

ing clients to easily nd SociaServices, Small Business and

Health Resources by zip cod

Seek additional service providers to provide Emergency

Room Services, e.g. HealthCare Partners, AltaMed, Kai-ser, etc. in South Los Angeles

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Table 10. South Los Angeles Medical Centers (Cont.)


c.Economic Development Endeavors toPursue for South Los Angeles

Advocate for City of Los Angeles or CouncilOfce to locate in City Satellite ofces intosmall business incubators and small businessresource centers that can provide permits

and access to city resources.Advocate for investments in South Los An-geles for small businesses from the Small andMedium Enterprises (SME) Collaborative, ledby the Community Reinvestment fund, includ-ing the National Development Council, andthe Calvert Foundation.

Promote a Buy Local Campaign every July,the slowest retail sales month of the year inSouth Los Angeles, to generate greater sales

taxes and increase business sales.

Fund two mixed-use small business incuba-tors one for business to business endeavorsand one as a commercial kitchen

incubator. Design and develop a net-work of small commercial kitchens for

micro entrepreneurs and street vendorsto rent hourly for licensed food prepa-ration.

Set up partnerships with local tradeunions to take in a minimum of 100summer trainees to provide skills train-

ing for adult youth up to age 25 andoffer access to trade unions.

Advocate for local hiring set asideof 15% or more for all up-coming newdevelopments, be they commercial oraffordable housing.

Advocate and secure greater workforce

and training dollars for the community, includ-ing public/private partnerships such as thenewly launched $250 million New Skills At Workinitiative by JPMChase.

Improve and increase rst time homebuyerpartnerships by offering subsidies and dis-

counts to borrowers that complete home-ownership training and nancial educationseminars.

Advocate and secure increased fundingand supportive ordinances for entrepreneurtraining and micro lending for community

residents seeking to start and build their ownbusiness.

Increase business and commercial corri-dor infrastructure improvement funding andupdate buildings to LEED standards whereverpossible.

Incorporate green and solar technologies,and employ water saving strategies such asdrought resistant landscaping and water re-

cycling in neighborhoods and new develop-ment projects whenever possible.

d.Community ImprovementContinue to mobilize community clean-upsof Alleyways and Grafti abatement.

Advocate with Cellular companies oper-ating Cell Towers, such as on Slauson andFigueroa Streets be upgraded to look likepalm trees.

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(3rd from left) RISE CEO, Forescee Hogan Rowles andBoard Member, Mark Smith with business owners.


Advocate to Catellus Corporation, the Santa Fe Pacic Realty Corporation and owner of allnon-railroad real estate activities to invest in community beautication projects where SantaFe Railroads run along major thoroughfares, such as along Slauson Avenue and AlamedaStreets in South Los Angeles.

Implement a campaign to x potholes on South Los Angeles streets with busiest thoroughfares

and extending into neighborhoods.

Upgrade all park play areas to dispense with sand and implement rubber surfaces to improvequality, upkeep and safety.

Create a large community walking track at Exposition Park, expanding to other neighbor-hood South Los Angeles parks as beautication funds are secured to encourage exercise andhealthy living. Include solar lighting along walking tracks to improve safety and increase use.

Closing Summary:In summary, we encourage residents, community and elected leaders, policymakers and pub -lic/private corporate citizens to take this study as a Call To Action.

A Call To Action where we work together to identify, create, allocate and secure resourcesto make both substantial and incremental neighborhood improvements.

A Call To Action for more signicant job creating endeavors, such as business and industrialcorridor investments, micro nance options, and business growth, retention and expansion.

A Call To Action to develop and implement strategies to create more middle class jobs thathelp to abate poverty, blight and crime. Like all Americans, the residents of South Los Ange-les too, seek a community that is safe, healthy and economically stable and is ourishing withgreat opportunities to succeed for themselves and their families.

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Forescee Hogan-Rowlesis President & CEO of RISE Financial

Pathways, formerly the Community Financial Resource Cen-ter (CFRC), a nonprot Community Development Financial

Institution whose mission is to enhance the economic wealthand capacity of residents and businesses throughout

Los Angeles County.

Ms. Hogan-Rowles earned her BA degree from Loyola Mary-mount University and her MBA from Pepperdine University.

Having run her own L.A. based clothing business, Ms. Hogan-

Rowles has over 25 years of small business and communityeconomic development experience and is a strong advo-

cate for economic investment in underserved communitiesand micro and small business development.

Ms. Hogan-Rowles serves as a Federal Home Loan BankAdvisory Board Member, serves on the Board of Directors of Vermont Village Com-

munity Development Corporation, Community Financial Resource Center-Board of Di-rectors and formerly served on Comerica Bank California-Community Advisory Board

(2000-2010 ), Commissioner-Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and Chair,Economic Development Committee (2005-2010), Trustee-Water and Power EmployeeBenets Board of Trustees (2005-2009), Commissioner-California Commission for Eco-

nomic Development (2006-2010).

Recognized for her community-based work, recent awards include Outstanding Busi-ness Leadership Award-Black Business Association, Graziadio Distinguished Alumnus

Award Pepperdine University Los Angeles County Woman of the Year-Supervisorial Dis-trict 2, Loyola Marymount University Distinguished Alumni and Entrepreneurship Awards.

Cynthia Amadoris President & CEO of Azul ManagementSystems Institute, Inc., a Los Angeles based consulting rm,

specializing in economic development studies and ex-panding revenue streams for economic and communitydevelopment endeavors. Azul specializes in identifying

strategies for growth and creating strategic partnershipsas a means to expanding community and economic de-

velopment. She is an advocate for supplier diversity ac-tivities to create local jobs, bridging access to small busi-

nesses with Corporate America.

A champion for small business, Ms. Amador has over 20

years of economic development experience and is

nationally recognized for her program design expertise.

A graduate of the University of Southern California, Ms. Amador is an active member of

the Greenlining Coalition and serves on the US Bank Advisory Board. She has served onthe Boards of CALED, and Cathay Bank and Southern California Edisons Consumer Ad-visory Councils. Recent awards include: Advocate of the Year by Los Angeles - NAWBO

- National Assoc. of Women Business Owners, the Community Development Award byWashington Mutual Bank and Hispanic Magazine, the Tiger Award by the Community

Reinvestment Coalition and Latina Entrepreneur recognition by the California Hispanic

Chamber of Commerce.

rise south los angeles economic forecast (march 2014)

Documents