Los Angeles, CA – On Wednesday,  September 3, 2014, Maria Contreras-Sweet will deliver her first public address to the Los Angeles business community since becoming the 24th Administrator of the US Small Business Administration and a member of President Obama’s Cabinet on April 7, 2014. The speech to Town Hall Los Angeles will take place at City Club Los Angeles.

A recent national small business friendliness survey ranked seven California cities as being the least business-friendly with Los Angeles coming in at 74 out of 82. Small businesses were hit hard during the recession and declining rates and levels of lending are still being felt today. What role can Southern California's uniquely diverse and vibrant small business sector play in job creation and economic prosperity?

A longtime Angeleno, successful entrepreneur and business executive, Contreras-Sweet founded the first Latino-formed commercial bank in California in 35 years. She is the former state Secretary of Business, Transportation and Housing, and is distinctly qualified to discuss ways in which the SBA can support the success of small businesses, which employ half of the nation’s private sector workforce and create approximately two-thirds of the net new jobs.

As Los Angeles’ largest and longest-running public forum, Town Hall Los Angeles provides a distinct voice that helps the greater Los Angeles community become better informed on timely issues, breakthrough developments and innovative trends. We are a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to promoting public discussion of issues of regional, national and international significance. Join us - now in our 76th year here in Los Angeles, visit www.townhall-la.org.

All accredited members of the media are invited to cover this event.  Media RSVP to Deborah Weinberg at 213.312.9307 or [email protected].