Thursday, September 3, 2026

Altadena Chamber’s Friday Coffee Chat Carries County Economic-Recovery Updates

The Altadena Chamber of Commerce & Civic Association holds its weekly Business Coffee Chat online at 9:30 a.m. Friday, an open session for Altadena business owners that carries updates from the Los Angeles County Department of Economic Opportunity.

The Friday session is the standing point of contact between the Chamber and a business community in the unincorporated community directly north of Pasadena that is still working through Eaton Fire recovery, and it now doubles as a regular channel for county information at a point when several of the county’s Altadena aid programs have closed.

The session runs Friday, Sept. 4. It is held on Zoom, with the link posted on the Chamber’s homepage at altadenachamber.org, and the meeting ID is 881 9070 5729.

The Chamber has described the Coffee Chat as a forum for owners and operators to raise concerns, share experiences and talk through recovery. “Let’s foster a supportive environment where we can learn from one another,” the Chamber said in its announcement of the series. Attendees are told to bring their coffee.

The Department of Economic Opportunity runs Altadena’s commercial recovery work through its Office of Small Business, which launched the Altadena Commercial Concierge Program under the direction of Supervisor Kathryn Barger. The program pairs businesses with a concierge representative and, through the Altadena SmallBiz Permit Express, offers what the department describes as permit turnaround up to 25 percent faster than the standard process. Eligibility is limited to businesses with fewer than 100 employees and $19 million or less in revenue averaged over the previous three tax years. Kelly LoBianco is the department’s director.

Several county funds are no longer taking applications. The Small Business Mobility Fund Launch Grants, the LA Region Small Business Relief Fund and the Marketing Lab+ marketing program are all listed as closed, and Phase I applications for the LA County Commercial Acquisition Fund closed June 30. The department’s guidance states that eligible applicants for individualized technical assistance are asked to schedule a meeting with a business consultant beginning in July 2026.

The Chamber is also pointing businesses to the county’s Altadena Commercial Recovery Survey, saying on its homepage that the county needs the information to continue providing support.

Incorporated in 1924, the Chamber is a nonprofit that relies on membership dues and volunteer labor to staff an office and provide services. It launched Back in Business in April 2025, a volunteer program that helped displaced Altadena businesses find space and obtain free legal, real estate and architectural help, and partnered with the county department, the City of Pasadena’s economic development department and the Pasadena Chamber of Commerce. The Pasadena Chamber of Commerce & Civic Association is the Altadena Chamber’s fiscal sponsor for wildfire-related donations.

In April the Chamber was named 2026 Business Nonprofit of the Year for the county’s 5th Supervisorial District in the BizFed Bizzi Awards. The Eaton Fire swept through Altadena on Jan. 7, 2025, destroying more than 9,000 structures and displacing tens of thousands of residents.

The Chamber’s next open session board meeting is set for 10 a.m. Sept. 8, also on Zoom.

Need to know: The Altadena Chamber of Commerce & Civic Association Business Coffee Chat is held online at 9:30 a.m. Friday, Sept. 4. The Zoom link is on the Chamber homepage at altadenachamber.org and the meeting ID is 881 9070 5729. The Chamber office is in the Altadena Community Center Building at 730 E. Altadena Drive, Altadena, and can be reached at 626-794-3988 or office@altadenachamber.org.