Rep. Cisneros Calls on SBA to Support Southern California Small Businesses Ahead of 2028 Olympic Games

Washington, DC – Congressman Gilbert R. Cisneros, Jr. (CA-31) led a letter to the Small Business Administration (SBA) calling for greater support for Southern California small businesses ahead of the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games. In addition to the Games, the Greater Los Angeles Area will host eight other major sporting events, including the 2026 FIFA World Cup and Super Bowl LXI, which will provide small businesses in the region a major potential economic boom. In order to ensure small businesses benefit from these major events, Rep. Cisneros and his colleagues urged the SBA to commit to having the Los Angeles and Orange County/Inland Empire District Offices well-staffed and resourced. They also urged the SBA to expand its support for resource partners like SCORE, the nation’s largest network of volunteer and expert business mentors, who can offer assistance to small businesses ahead of the Olympic Games. 

“The coming global events will benefit the County of Los Angeles and Orange County. The success of these games will reflect success for the nation on the world stage,” wrote Rep. Cisneros and the lawmakers. “That said, there is much more work to be done to ensure our local businesses are prepared to take full advantage of these major events. As such, we respectfully urge the U.S. Small Business Administration to not only continue but expand its support for SCORE as a resource partner, and to proactively engage in efforts to empower small businesses in Los Angeles County and Orange County. Efforts that support small businesses at these events would provide a blueprint to support small businesses throughout the nation for future global events.” 

The letter was co-signed by Reps. Nanette Barragán (CA-44), Julia Brownley (CA-26), Lou Correa (CA-46), Diana DeGette (CO-01), Laura Friedman (CA-30), Robert Garcia (CA-42), Josh Gottheimer (NJ-05), Jared Huffman (CA-02), Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-08), Ted Lieu (CA-36), Brad Sherman (CA-32), and Norma Torres (CA-32). Full text of the letter is available here.  

Rep. Cisneros joined Mayor Bass and the Los Angeles Congressional Delegation for a Major Sporting Events Briefing late last month. A key takeaway was the need to ensure small business inclusion in event-related economic opportunities arising from the major sporting events in the region. Rep. Cisneros serves on the House Committee on Small Business and is the Ranking Member on its Contracting and Infrastructure Subcommittee.