SBA ADMINISTRATOR HAS SOUTHLAND ROOTS.

Byline: Brent Hopkins Staff Writer

Hector V. Barreto left Los Angeles four years ago for the grind of Washington, D.C., but he still has an evident fondness for his old haunt.

When he worked in the insurance business, he called Glendale home; now he crosses the country as administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration. As he dropped by Los Angeles for a series of events on Friday, he spoke passionately about the town where he built his own company.

``The most small businesses are here, the most minority-owned businesses are here, the most women-owned businesses are here,'' Barreto said in an interview on Friday. ``Agriculture, retail, manufacturers, you've got everything here. This was entrepreneurial heaven.''

Under his tenure in the top SBA slot, the agency has tried very hard to continue that feeling. Of its 70 offices, the Los Angeles district office has been the top loan dispenser, handing out more 4,000 federally guaranteed loans worth more than $1 billion so far this year.

While Los Angeles was once home to an array of large national corporate headquarters, the number has dwindled over the years so its tens of thousands of small companies have become increasingly important. Barreto noted that 52 percent of the work force calls a small business its boss, creating 75 percent of new jobs.

While Roberto Barragan, president of the nonprofit Valley Economic Development Center, said small enterprises still had tough issues to face, he praised the administrator's work in standing up for them in challenging times.

``Hector Barreto has had the most impact of any SBA administrator in its history,'' Barragan said. ``He's ... really delivered for small business. He's pushed the money to the people who need it most.''

In spite of the SBA's funding assistance, business owners report they still need help on the local and state level. Though last year's workers' compensation reform helped reduce costs somewhat, employers still find themselves hampered by high insurance costs and what they see as needless government regulation.

``I don't think it's getting better,'' said Ken Grow, who owns Gregory's Toys in Encino. ``The problem small businesses have is you have so many costs just to be in business: Insurance, payroll tax, property tax - all these things make it very difficult. You try to keep the expenses down, but it's tough.''

Brent Hopkins, [phone]

brent.hopkins(at)dailynews.com

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Photo:

(color) SBA Administrator Hector V. Barreto, who once worked in the area, was in town on Friday.

John Lazar/Staff Photographer