Open Air Economy Collaborative

Advancing Economic Opportunity for Black & Latina Street Vendors in Los Angeles County

The Open Air Economy Collaborative (OAEC, 2022-2025) was a three-year countywide initiative dedicated to advancing economic mobility for Black and Latina street vendors and open-air micro-entrepreneurs across Los Angeles County. 

Community Advisory Board members share discussion during the launch event
Community Advisory Board members share discussion during the launch event

OAEC was led by Inclusive Action in partnership with Public Counsel, East LA Community Corporation, and California Reinvestment Coalition. It was supported by a $5 million philanthropic investment through JPMorgan Chase’s AdvancingCities initiative. OAEC represented one of the largest coordinated investments in infrastructure specifically designed for Black and Latina women operating in the open-air economy. 

The Challenge: Barriers to Formalization & Financial Stability 

Although street vending was legalized in Los Angeles in 2018, many vendors continued to face structural barriers including: 

  • Complex and costly permitting systems 
  • Limited access to affordable small business capital
  • Ongoing enforcement and criminalization impacts 
  • Lack of culturally relevant financial education

For many entrepreneurs, operating informally was not a choice, it was a result of systems that were difficult and costly to navigate. OAEC worked to change that and build durable bridges into the formal economy. 

Our Approach: The Circle of Success Model 

OAEC operated through a structured Circle of Success framework designed to connect  entrepreneurs to coordinated services while advancing change within the broader financial and policy systems shaping their businesses. 

Entrepreneurs received leadership development opportunities, learned about their rights, and gained access to financial education and tailored one-on-one business coaching. They also received access to microloans and lending circles, as well as legal clinics and support.

This integrated approach strengthened their businesses while building collective power and long-term economic resilience. 

Circles of Success

Program Impact 

  • 2,711 marginalized micro-businesses served 
  • 1,288 businesses received one-on-one business coaching 
  • 2,305 businesses received financial education 
  • 5,055+ hours of business coaching delivered 
  • 172 businesses formally registered 
  • 160 low-interest loans deployed 
  • $367,342 in small business loans distributed 
  • $83,742 in grants deployed 

Core Services Delivered 

Sabrena Whigham & Jamella Brown, based in Leimert Park
Sabrena Whigham & Jamella Brown, based in Leimert Park

Access to Responsible Small Business Loans/Capital 

Through microloan and lending circles, OAEC expanded access to healthy financial products. Entrepreneurs built or strengthened credit, refinanced predatory debt, invested in equipment and inventory, and stabilized operations. 

Tailored Business Coaching 

Culturally responsive coaching supported vendors with permitting, bookkeeping, tax preparation, compliance, inventory management, and operational systems. 

Patty Archuleta, clothing street vendor based in South Los Angeles
Patty Archuleta, clothing street vendor based in South Los Angeles
Cecilia Jimenez, jewelry street vendor based in Westlake/Macarthur Park
Cecilia Jimenez, jewelry street vendor based in Westlake/Macarthur Park

Financial Systems Education  

Businesses received accessible financial education that demystified banking, credit and debt, equipping them to make informed financial decisions and build long-term stability. 

Vendor Leadership & Community Advisory Board 

A defining component of OAEC was the creation of a Community Advisory Board (CAB) composed of Black and Latina women entrepreneurs operating in the open-air economy. 

Over three years, these leaders: 

  • Shaped advocacy priorities through lived experiences 
  • Conducted corridor-based outreach 
  • Connected vendors to one-on-one legal, resources and financial services 
  • Co-designed programming and resource fairs 
  • Delivered peer education and referrals 

This leadership structure ensured that the initiative remained grounded in community needs and strengthened trust between businesses, service providers, and public agencies. Their leadership elevated vendors as co-creators of change. 

  • Alma (Patty) Archuleta

    Alma (Patty) Archuleta

  • Amelia Gallegos

    Amelia Gallegos

  • Caridad Vasquez

    Caridad Vasquez

  • Diana Diaz

    Diana Diaz

  • Jamella Brown

    Jamella Brown

  • Lonette (Loni) Robinson

    Lonette (Loni) Robinson

  • Marcel Douglas

    Marcel Douglas

  • Sabrena Whigham

    Sabrena Whigham

  • Santa Huerta

    Santa Huerta

  • Stephanie Johnson

    Stephanie Johnson

  • Teresa Hermenegildo Silverio

    Teresa Hermenegildo Silverio

CEO Rudy Espinoza provides opening remarks at the Open Air Advisory Board launch event.
CEO Rudy Espinoza provides opening remarks at the Open Air Advisory Board launch event.

Systems Change & Policy Impact

During the initiative, partners:

  • Advanced policy reforms to reduce punitive enforcement
  • Challenged unlawful vending restrictions
  • Supported the elimination of no-vending zones 
  • Strengthened collaboration with City and County agencies 

The Collaborative informed the design and implementation of local street vending programs. These efforts contributed to a more stable and equitable regulatory environment for street vendors. 

Responding to Crisis

In 2025, street vendors faced compounded instability due to January wildfires and increased immigration enforcement actions. OAEC partners mobilized to provide emergency relief, support, financial assistance, and resources to provide stability during times of crisis. 

Inclusive Action provides emergency cash assistance to street vendors impacted by the Los Angeles wildfires.
Inclusive Action provides emergency cash assistance to street vendors impacted by the Los Angeles wildfires.

Legacy & Lasting Impact 

Although the Open Air Economy Collaborative concluded in 2025, its legacy continues.

The initiative elevated vendor leadership and contributed to meaningful policy and systems change, benefiting street vendors across LA County. It built durable partnerships, strengthened countywide service infrastructure, and created formalization pathways.

OAEC helped advance a more equitable and accessible pathway into the formal economy for Black and Latina micro-entrepreneurs whose businesses shape the cultural and economic fabric of Los Angeles. 

Open Air Economy Collaborative

Reports

Two reports were produced as a part of this partnership. Read the reports:

The white paper, “From Survival to a Growth Mindset: Lessons from Working with Black and Latina Micro-Entrepreneurs in Los Angeles through the Open Air Economy Collaborative,” prepared by Standard Deviation Consulting, highlights the lived experiences of four women leaders in Los Angeles. Through their stories, the paper explores themes of resilience, cultural preservation, mutual aid, confidence, and leadership, showing how street vendors are not only sustaining their communities but also challenging systems and redefining what economic dignity looks like from the ground up.

This brown paper, “Post Legalization, Significant Barriers to Street Vendors Still Loom Large,” written by Public Counsel, examines the challenges street vendors continue to face despite the legalization of sidewalk vending in California. Following the passing of California Senate Bill 946 in 2018 and California Senate Bill 972, cities across the state began implementing local regulations governing where and how vendors can operate. The paper highlights how complex permitting systems, local restrictions, and regulatory barriers still limit vendors’ ability to fully participate in the formal economy, and offers policy recommendations for creating more equitable, accessible sidewalk vending programs in communities across California.