LOS ANGELES, CA – Los Angeles County has opened a new recovery grant program offering eligible small businesses up to $3,000 after the Lineage Fire in Boyle Heights and an oil spill in East Los Angeles disrupted businesses and commercial activity in affected areas.
The Los Angeles County Department of Economic Opportunity announced the Small Business Recovery Grants on Sept. 17, giving qualifying businesses a limited period to apply for financial assistance.
Applications opened Thursday, Sept. 17, and the deadline is Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026.
The program is intended for businesses located inside county-designated impact areas associated with either incident. The county said the grants are intended to help businesses address economic losses and interruptions connected to the fire and oil spill.
Grants range from $1,000 to $3,000
The maximum grant amount depends on the type of business.
Eligible commercial brick-and-mortar small businesses can receive grants of up to $3,000.
The county also has a $1,000 grant category for eligible home-based businesses with customer presence, sidewalk vendors and mobile businesses.
Awards are subject to eligibility verification and the availability of funds.
The county emphasizes that submitting an application does not automatically guarantee an award. If the number of eligible applicants exceeds the amount of available funding, applications will go through a prioritization process and weighted lottery.
Businesses that qualify but are not initially selected may be placed on a waitlist if additional funding becomes available. (Los Angeles County Department of Economic Opportunity)
Who can apply
The grant program is geographically limited.
A business must be located within a county-designated impact area connected to either the June 17 Lineage Fire or the May 22 East Los Angeles oil spill.
Businesses also must have been operating at the eligible location for at least 30 days before the applicable incident.
Other requirements include having 100 or fewer employees and annual gross receipts of $6 million or less.
Applicants must also demonstrate or attest to a qualifying business disruption or economic impact associated with the incident and provide information or documentation needed to verify eligibility.
The county said the applicant must be the majority owner of the business, and businesses located outside the designated geographic impact areas are not eligible.
Owners can review the official eligibility requirements and impact-area maps before beginning an application.
Applications are handled online
Applications are being accepted through AidKit, the county’s grant administrator.
The county’s Small Business Recovery Grant application page provides the application, eligibility information and maps showing the areas designated for the Lineage Fire and East Los Angeles oil spill.
Applicants should be prepared to provide information about the business, including its location, ownership, business type and operations, as well as the disruption or economic impact experienced because of the applicable incident.
The county said supporting documents may also be required as part of the eligibility review.
Southern California Grantmakers is serving as the program’s fiscal sponsor, while AidKit is supporting grant administration and payment processing.
The county’s Office of Small Business is also providing application assistance.
Businesses needing help can contact the Office of Small Business at (844) 432-4900 or visit its office at 4716 E. Cesar E. Chavez Avenue in Los Angeles. The office is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Oil spill released about 2,400 gallons of crude
The grant program covers two separate incidents that affected nearby communities earlier this year.
On May 22, a ruptured pipeline released approximately 2,400 gallons of crude oil near Cesar E. Chavez Avenue and Eastern Avenue in East Los Angeles, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.
County health officials said the oil entered nearby storm drains before the leak was controlled.
Public Health issued guidance to residents following the spill, including recommendations to limit exposure to strong odors and avoid contact with spilled oil or contaminated debris.
The department also warned that odors associated with the spill could cause headaches, nausea, eye, nose or throat irritation, dizziness and breathing problems in some people. (Los Angeles County Public Health)
The new small-business grant program is specifically focused on businesses located within the county-designated impact area rather than businesses throughout East Los Angeles.
Lineage Fire created prolonged cleanup problems
The second incident covered by the program was the June 17 fire at the Lineage Logistics warehouse in Boyle Heights.
The aftermath continued to affect the surrounding community after large quantities of food remained inside the facility.
Los Angeles County Public Health said in July that food left in the warehouse after the fire began decomposing, contributing to pest conditions and an ongoing odor nuisance affecting nearby communities.
The department subsequently cited Lineage Logistics for unsanitary and nuisance conditions related to rodent and pest-control violations. The county said the first administrative citation was issued July 23 and carried the maximum $500-per-day fine until the violations were corrected. (Los Angeles County Public Health)
The county later reported that additional citations were issued over continuing pest-control and sanitation problems. By July 29, Public Health said it had issued six citations and increased the potential daily fines by citing individual violations separately. (Los Angeles County Public Health)
The department also conducted community outreach in Boyle Heights following the fire. Its July community survey found that many residents reported frequent, strong and persistent odors, while the county distributed air purifiers and N95 masks in the affected area. (Los Angeles County Public Health)
The county maintains a public collection of Lineage warehouse directives, citations and inspection reports, providing documentation of the regulatory response following the fire.
County says grants are intended to help businesses recover
Los Angeles County Board Chair and First District Supervisor Hilda L. Solis said the grant program was established using First District funds to provide assistance to businesses affected by the disruptions.
“Small businesses should not be left to absorb the financial damage caused by an emergency they did not create,” Solis said in the county’s announcement.
County Department of Economic Opportunity Director Kelly LoBianco said emergencies can continue affecting businesses after the immediate crisis has ended, including through lost customers, reduced revenue and interruptions to normal operations.
The county said the recovery grants are designed to provide direct financial assistance to eligible businesses that experienced those impacts.
Deadline is Oct. 1
Business owners who believe they may qualify have until Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026, to submit an application.
The county encourages applicants to check the designated impact-area maps before applying because businesses outside those boundaries are not eligible.
The official Los Angeles County grant page also contains the full eligibility requirements, application information, impact-area maps and contact information for application assistance.
Applications submitted by the deadline will receive equal consideration, meaning businesses do not receive additional priority simply for applying earlier.
If there are more eligible applicants than available grants, the county will use its stated prioritization process and weighted lottery to select recipients. Selected businesses will receive instructions on accepting the grant and receiving payment.
