The focal point of Los Angeles finance and investment is the city's downtown Financial District, situated near to the construction at Bunker Hill. The district is mostly comprised of corporate office skyscrapers, hotels, banks, law firms, and real estate organizations.

On of the most notable groups historically involved in increasing investment in the city is the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce, which is supported by over 1,600 local businesses. By advocating for local businesses, the Chamber's main goal is to increase investment to the city and surrounding region. The organization prides itself on championing economic growth, prosperity and quality of life.

In its earliest days, the group championed the West Coast region's numerous opportunities in the agriculture and international trade industries. As Los Angeles finance and investment grew and the city developed into a major urban area, the Chamber turned it attention to civic and political activities, involving trade, education, transportation and advocacy.

At that time the organization had two major objectives: to stimulate migration to the area and to promote its products. They attempted to woo Midwestern farmers to Los Angeles because of their obvious expertise tending to the soil. To satisfy the second goal, the Chamber embarked on an ambitious 'California on Wheels' expedition, which consisted of a railroad car filled with the state's agricultural products, and traveled to every major town in the Midwest and South. In the two-year tour, over a million people saw the exhibit and took home products proffered by the Chamber.

The Chamber also assisted in boosting Los Angeles finance and investment at the grassroots level in several lucrative manufacturing businesses. The beet sugar industry profited from advancements in energy sources that stimulated its growth. Among these factors was the discovery of oil and the new use of electric power generated from water. The Chamber also brought aircraft manufacturing to the area in 1920 by sponsoring international air meets at the local Dominguez airfield. The region's livestock market increased when the Chamber helped to build the Central Manufacturing District, serviced by the Los Angeles Junction Railway.

After the conclusion of the Second World War, the Chamber changed from being an organization that tried to attract new Los Angeles finance and investment to the city to one that began to address modern issues associated with a large metropolitan area. The organization moved from a county-sponsored group to a private business organization financially supported only by its members. At the advent of the modern era, the Chamber took on the name of the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce.