The Los Angeles County Department of Economic Opportunity kicked off the holiday shopping season Cyber Monday with gift cards to help boost sales for businesses recovering from the devastating Eaton and Palisades wildfires.
The Shop Local LA County Gift Card Program is part of the Shop Local. Dine Local. Recover Local. Campaign. Consumers can purchase gift cards valued at $20, $50 or $100 at shoplocal.la and receive a bonus gift card worth $10, $25 or $50, officials said. The county cards are redeemable exclusively at fire-impacted small businesses listed in the Recover Local Business Directory.
Officials also encouraged corporations to support the effort by purchasing gift cards without a bonus card for their employees during the holiday season and afterward.
The gift cards help local consumers spend at “fire-impacted, brick-and-mortar food, retail, and service businesses” in the county that directly contributes to the region’s recovery and economic resiliency, according to the DEO.
Registration in the Recover Local Business Directory requires businesses have fewer than 100 employees, fulfill eligibility criteria and be located within the fire-impacted areas of the Eaton and Palisades fires, including in the communities of Altadena, Pacific Palisades, Topanga Canyon, North Pasadena, Malibu and western Santa Monica. An online form to register is at bit.ly/ShopLocalBizForm. In addition to the gift card program, businesses that register will also access promotional materials for their brick-and-mortar sites, marketing and promotional support, invitations to Shop Local events and technical assistance.
“As we give thanks this holiday weekend, I encourage everyone to consider shopping locally, particularly in fire impacted areas like Altadena,” District 5 Supervisor Kathryn Barger said in a statement. “Our small businesses are the lifeline of the economy and provide needed jobs and services to our community. I was proud to introduce this program for fire impacted communities to encourage all in LA County to shop at local impacted businesses who have lost their customer base, their homes, and their community.”
The county gift cards resulted from a public-private partnership between Yiftee and Southern California Grantmakers with a $100,000 contribution from the L.A. Care Health Plan.
The county’s Shop Local. Dine Local. Recover Local. Campaign launched in July when the Board of Supervisors approved a motion by Barger. The campaign aimed to “stabilize brick-and-mortar businesses in Altadena — many of which lost their spaces or continue to face declining traffic and revenue and remain uncertain in their ability to fully recover,” according to a county statement.
The original Shop Local LA County Campaign launched in 2023 to support small businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Consumers entered a sweepstakes drawing and signed a pledge to support local businesses at shoplocal.la/pledgetoshoplocal.
Since July the county has started to enroll fire-impacted businesses in the recovery directory, unveiled 23 countywide Recover Local billboards and posters with Clear Channel and received hundreds of new community pledges, officials said. The Shop Local pledge count is now over 35,000 and building on the $30,826 in Shop Local LA County sweepstakes awards since its start during the pandemic.
“We know that small businesses and workers are still reeling from the compounding impacts of the January 2025 windstorms and wildfires and the pandemic,” DEO Director Kelly LoBianco said in a statement. “We also know that small business stabilization and success will be critical to the community-centered return we all seek. This program is one way we can all support small businesses in keeping their doors open today for the goods and services we all love and ensure their long-term resiliency.”
Altadena restaurateur Margarita Cortez was hopeful the county retail cards would help bring new customers and help sustain her recovering business.
“Our community has always been the heart of El Patrón, but with business down nearly 85% and many of our longtime senior customers unable to return, we’re fighting every day just to keep our doors open,” Cortez said in a statement. “We’ve had to cut our 13 employees down to barely 15 hours a week, and it’s been incredibly difficult for them and their families. … Every gift card purchased helps us retain jobs, keep our team working, and continue taking care of the people who’ve stood by this restaurant for years. This program could truly go a long way for all of us.”
She added that the program “reaffirms our faith and provides us with hope. It has the power to bring new customers into what has become a very quiet area and introduce more people to dishes we’re proud of, like our chile relleno, chile verde, and Maggie’s molcajete.”
Officials noted the county has joined the city of Los Angeles and the LA County Economic Development Corporation in the recently launched LA is Open initiative, which alerts local, national and worldwide audiences that the region is open for business.
“With more than 1.3 million small businesses across 88 cities and over 120 unincorporated areas, LA County is well positioned to welcome worldwide visitors as it prepares to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup, 2027 Super Bowl, and LA28 Games,” according to the county.
Officials said staff at two offices could field questions and assist with sign-ups or provide broader support to businesses involved in recovery. The Altadena One-Stop Permit Center, 464 W. Woodbury Road, Suite 210, is open
Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The East LA Entrepreneur Center, 4716 E. Cesar E. Chavez Ave., operates Monday-Friday 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., 844-432-4900 or osb@opportunity.lacounty.gov.
