Blogs of the LA Area Chamber
Building Momentum on Solving Homelessness
Gary Toebben on October 20, 2015 at 9:00:00 am
Posted in The Business Perspective
Since 2009 the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce has worked in partnership with the United Way of Greater Los Angeles to pioneer a new approach to end chronic and veteran homelessness through the creation of permanent supportive housing. This effort, known as Home for Good, began with visits to other communities that were making progress in meeting this difficult challenge. Taking advantage of their lessons learned, Home for Good was born and in five years we have housed 9,305 chronically homeless and 14,094 homeless veterans. Key components of Home for Good’s success include a Coordinated Entry System and a Funders’ Collaborative that has invested more than $650 million.
ItÂ’s Time to Pass a Citywide Sign Ordinance
Gary Toebben on October 13, 2015 at 9:00:00 am
Posted in The Business Perspective
Advertising is essential for growing a business and our economy. More than 6,000 small and large businesses in Los Angeles use outdoor advertising as part of their strategy to market their goods and services. Outdoor advertising also creates thousands of jobs in our region for people who design and create the advertisements and for those who construct and service billboards and signage.
Congress Stops ACA's New Definition of Small Business
Samantha Beasley, Director of Public Policy, L.A. Area Chamber on October 7, 2015 at 10:00:00 am
Posted in Health Care Waiting Room
An Affordable Care Act (ACA) provision that changes the definition of a "small business employer" has garnered bipartisan opposition in Congress and was effectively reversed last week. The Protecting Affordable Coverage for Employees (PACE) Act, stops the ACA from requiring that businesses of 51-100 people enter the small-group insurance market in 2016 and manage the costs of new coverage.
Trans-Pacific Partnership: Job Creation in a Global Economy
Gary Toebben on October 6, 2015 at 9:00:00 am
Posted in The Business Perspective
It was exciting news yesterday that the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations among Pacific Rim nations have resulted in a final agreement. If ratified, this treaty would not only benefit the United States as a whole, but also uniquely and specifically the Los Angeles economy, which serves as the gateway to and from the U.S. for trade with these economies.
Boost Wellness, Reduce Health Insurance Costs
Webmaster on September 29, 2015 at 9:00:00 am
Posted in The Business Perspective
As business leaders know, wellness issues, including the obesity epidemic, are tipping the scales against the bottom line. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 20 states have an adult obesity rate greater than 30 percent, and rates of obesity among children and adolescents aged 2 to 19 have tripled since 1980.
Is your employee health plan compliant with the ACA?
Health Law Guide for Business on September 23, 2015 at 10:00:00 am
Posted in Health Care Waiting Room
If you have a small business that offers health insurance, make sure your plan complies with Affordable Care Act (ACA) rules that take effect at the end of the year. If your business offers a grandfathered plan or if your health insurance does not comply with the ACA, then you have until Dec. 1, 2015 to enroll in an ACA compliant plan to ensure your coverage meets the terms of the law on Jan. 1, 2016.
Stand With Us At L.A. City Hall on Oct. 7
Gary Toebben on September 22, 2015 at 9:00:00 am
Posted in The Business Perspective
Chamber members need to run their businesses, service their customers and create jobs. Doing those things doesn’t leave a lot of time to attend meetings at City Hall. Yet once year, at our ACCESS L.A. City Hall event, we have hundreds of business leaders, from companies of all shapes and size,s stand together, with one voice.
A Long-Needed Plan to Build More Housing in Los Angeles
Gary Toebben on September 15, 2015 at 9:00:00 am
Posted in The Business Perspective
In economics, supply and demand impact pricing. Nowhere is that more obvious than in housing in Los Angeles. Our lack of housing has pushed prices upward and forced many employees to endure hour-long commutes between where they work and where they can afford to live.
Committee Gives 'Mega Bill' Go-Ahead
California Healthline on September 11, 2015 at 10:00:00 am
Posted in Health Care Waiting Room
A special legislative session committee in the California Legislature approved a far-reaching bill on Thursday that imposes a $2-a-pack tax on cigarettes and a similar tax on electronic cigarettes, institutes a revised version of the current tax on managed care organizations, funds programs to curb tobacco use, pays for a 7 percent restoration in In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) hours, provides money to bolster services for the developmentally disabled and boosts pay rates for providers of those services.
State Transportation Funding and Reform Overdue
Gary Toebben on September 8, 2015 at 9:00:00 am
Posted in The Business Perspective
As we approach the final days of the legislative session, Governor Brown has released a framework for a transportation funding package. We urge legislators to us this proposal as the basis for negotiations and come together to fix our crumbling streets and roads now.