Assemblymember Sade Elhawary District Visit

CalCCI convened a district site tour and roundtable discussion with Assemblymember Sade Elhawary at the Mercado La Paloma in the Figueroa Corridor of South Los Angeles. The visit highlighted how CDFIs and community-based organizations are partnering with small businesses, entrepreneurs, and residents to advance economic opportunity, housing stability, and neighborhood-level investment in the district.

The tour brought together local leaders and practitioners from Genesis LA, Inclusive Action, VSEDC, PCR Business Finance, and Esperanza Community Housing, each of whom shared firsthand examples of how flexible, mission-driven capital and technical assistance are meeting community needs that traditional financing often cannot. Participants discussed the barriers faced by small businesses and nonprofit developers, as well as the ways CDFIs leverage public investment to attract private and philanthropic capital and deliver measurable outcomes in underserved communities.

During the meeting, Assemblymember Elhawary engaged directly with CDFI leaders to better understand how state policy and budget investments can strengthen local economic ecosystems. The conversation underscored the importance of sustained public support for CDFIs as trusted intermediaries that are deeply rooted in their communities and uniquely positioned to deploy capital quickly and effectively.