During a roundtable discussion on Tuesday, local business leaders said they’re having to make tough decisions because of the tariffs and ICE raids.
Industry leaders from all sectors told California Attorney General Rob Bonta said they’re struggling. One of those businesses, the iconic Cole’s French Dip, is closing its doors, Nella McOsker with the Central City Association pointed out.
“A 100-year-old restaurant beloved to Los Angeles,” McOsker said. “You can't name tariffs as the sole reason, but the feeling of many small businesses in Los Angeles at this moment is that compounding challenges together, right? So you add on additional costs to an otherwise really frustrating business environment, make it so that it is untenable.”
Jason Hodge, commissioner at Port of Hueneme, said the uncertainty is killing his business.
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“I have my wharfingers who are out there in their badges going out to get dinner, and they're not feeling comfortable,” he said. “Our shippers in the maritime industry, a lot of them, they come off to actually go shopping. They're not leaving the port now.”
Attorney General Bonta said hearing from local businesses helps the California DOJ create solutions, including lawsuits already filed challenging the tariffs and the ICE raids.
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