Article
12. Los Angeles Community College District Small Business and Entrepreneurship Center
79530.
For purposes of this article, the following definitions apply:(a) “Center” means the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Center.
(b) “District” means the Los Angeles Community College District.
79531.
(a) The Los Angeles Community College District Small Business and Entrepreneurship Center is hereby established at East Los Angeles College.(b) The mission of the center is to promote and support entrepreneurship education and microbusiness development at California Community Colleges and to support the growth and job-creation potential of regional small businesses through greater access to business education, mentors, and networking opportunities.
(c) The center shall do all of the following:
(1) Serve as a resource for the community through events and workshops on entrepreneurship education and access to small
business development resources with the understanding that at its core, formal entrepreneurship training and access to entrepreneurship resources is an economic justice and equity issue.
(2) Build a clear management and entrepreneurship pathway that leads to high-demand certificates, degrees, careers, and business development opportunities.
(3) Enhance partnerships with business and nonprofit organizations that encourage the development of an entrepreneurship ecosystem for students to connect, both inside and outside the college environment.
(4) Establish student resources and support on campus to blend the importance of academic and entrepreneurial development.
(5) Partner with local, state, and federal governments, regional small businesses, and
regional entities to support the local small business and entrepreneurial ecosystem.
(6) Develop and sustain an annual regional entrepreneurship and small business resource fair to impart technical assistance and essential business skills for business growth, management improvement, increased productivity, and innovation.
(7) Support local small businesses and entrepreneurs through startup microgrants, informational tools, networking and convening opportunities, and access to resources that enhance growth.
(8) Partner with existing technical assistance and entrepreneur development organizations, including the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce and other public or private agencies that have a record of programming, workshops, and development programs.
(9) Manage center overhead and operational expenses, including website development, office furnishings, and product prototype equipment and materials.
(d) When building clear management and entrepreneurship pathways as referenced in paragraph (2) of subdivision (c), the center shall consult with relevant faculty and administrative groups of the California Community Colleges.
79532.
(a) The sum of two million five hundred thousand dollars ($2,500,000) is hereby appropriated from the General Fund in the 2023–24 fiscal year to the district for the development and initial operation of the center.(b) The money appropriated pursuant to subdivision (a) may be encumbered for up to a five-year period.
(c) The money appropriated pursuant to subdivision (a) may be used for any of the following purposes:
(1) To establish internships and work-study opportunities for students to engage in entrepreneurship resources, activities, and other learning opportunities.
(2) Student business and entrepreneur boot camps, workshops, seminars, annual business fairs, and membership subscriptions to business organizations that will provide discounted membership rates to participants and business incorporation fees as one-time business startup costs.
(3) Microgrants for underresourced, underrepresented, and disadvantaged students seeking to start or grow a microbusiness.
(4) To develop management and entrepreneurship education curricula for community colleges.
(5) Faculty professional development, faculty open education resource course development, and workshop material development.
(6) Business resource fairs to establish workforce and business partnerships to meet
regional entrepreneurship needs.
(7) Outreach, recruitment, and marketing and branding materials.
(8) Guest speaker honoraria to serve as a resource for local and regional small businesses to enhance their productivity and growth.
(9) Staffing and startup operating costs for the center and the establishment of a small business regional advisory council.
79533.
On or before January 1, 2028, the district shall prepare a summary report that includes an evaluation of the center in accomplishing the mission of the center as described in subdivision (c) of Section 79531, recommendations for improving programs offered by the center, and an accounting of how the funds appropriated in subdivision (a) of Section 79532 accomplished the purposes established in subdivision (c) of Section 79532.