Mayor Villaraigosa unveils website to help Los Angeles businesses

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, borrowing a conference room from an expanding multinational biotech firm as a backdrop, unveiled a new city website Thursday designed to make it easier for businesses to find places in L.A. to locate their headquarters, open a manufacturing plant or launch a retail operation.

Villaraigosa, who as president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors has been pressing Congress to act on legislation to create jobs, stressed what he has done to create jobs in Los Angeles.

Noting that dwindling revenues have forced the city to cut about a quarter of its workforce, the major told an invited audience of about 130 business and community leaders: “We have had to face many budget crises, so one of the things we are focused on is how to expand the pie.”

Villaraigosa hosted the event at Grifols in El Sereno, which develops blood and plasma therapies. The Barcelona, Spain-based company has invested $135 million in its operations in Los Angeles, employs about 700 and is now hiring about 70 entry-level manufacturing technicians.

The mayor, who grew up nearby in City Terrace, also pointed out that he was familiar with the area. “During the fall after a rain, the grasses on these hills used to grow very tall,” he said, “so we would cut the cardboard boxes and we would either try to surf on them down the hill or sled, you know, bobsled them, that was our form of recreation so I know this neighborhood very, very well.”