Eligible small businesses in designated impact areas can apply for up to $3,000, with in-person help available Oct. 5-6 in East Los Angeles.
Why this matters for small businesses
For East Los Angeles businesses still dealing with the Lineage Fire and the East Los Angeles oil spill, Los Angeles County’s deadline extension is not just a calendar change. It is a short window to capture direct cash support that can help cover recovery-related losses, stabilize operations, and reduce the pressure to absorb disruption entirely out of pocket. The County says the Small Business Recovery Grant deadline moved from October 2 to Friday, October 9, 2026.
The program is aimed at businesses in County-designated impact areas tied to the June 17, 2026 Lineage Fire and the May 22, 2026 East Los Angeles Oil Spill. According to the County, eligible commercial brick-and-mortar small businesses can receive up to $3,000, while eligible home-based businesses with customer presence, sidewalk vendors, and mobile businesses can receive up to $1,000.
Who can qualify
The County says applicants must be located within a designated geographic impact area associated with either incident and meet additional program requirements. Businesses must have been operating at an eligible location for at least 30 days before the relevant incident, have 100 or fewer employees, and average annual gross receipts of $6 million or less. Applicants also must demonstrate or attest to a qualifying business disruption or economic impact tied to the incident.
Businesses outside the designated impact areas are not eligible. The County also says applications are reviewed and scored, and if eligible demand exceeds available funding, awardees are selected through a weighted lottery. That means submitting an application is necessary, but it does not guarantee funding.
How to apply and where to get help
The application is available online through AidKit at bit.ly/SBRGEastLA. For owners who need help before the new deadline, the Department of Economic Opportunity will host two full days of one-on-one application assistance on Monday, October 5, and Tuesday, October 6, from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. at the East Los Angeles Entrepreneurship at El Centro de Maravilla, 4716 E. Cesar E. Chavez Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90022. Support will be available in English and Spanish.
The County’s Office of Small Business also offers ongoing walk-in or appointment help at the same East LA Entrepreneur Center Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Businesses can call (844) 432-4900 or email [email protected]. For technical help with the online application, AidKit Support can be reached at (213) 755-8163 or [email protected].
Business takeaway
For local owners, the practical value is straightforward: this grant can replace a slice of lost revenue, help pay for recovery-related expenses, and buy time while customer traffic, operations, or supply chains normalize. The in-person help matters because grant applications often fail on documentation, eligibility details, or missing information. If your business is in the affected area and meets the County’s size and location rules, the next week is the time to verify eligibility, gather records, and submit before October 9.
