Los Angeles is Moving America Forward

by Gary Toebben

This week, business and community leaders from Southern California are in Washington, D.C. advocating for job creation to ensure that Los Angeles is a driver in the nation’s economic recovery. As Congress and the Obama Administration continue to address the budget deficit, the delegation is advocating strategic investments in critical priorities to establish a long-term plan for economic growth.

The delegation is presenting 25 different recommendations in the areas of economy and infrastructure, education, energy and sustainability, health care, housing and water.

At the top of our advocacy agenda is America Fast Forward, known in Los Angeles as Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s 30/10 proposal to finance the construction of high-impact transit projects in 10 years instead of 30 years. Last year we advocated strongly for the proposal and this year we are continuing our call to invest in this bipartisan national effort, which will empower state and local governments to determine their own priorities and speed up construction projects. This focus on ‘Main Street’ job creation will put people back to work faster, improve our aging transportation network and will not add to the nation’s budget deficit.

Other investments include supporting the National Export Initiative, passing legislation to crack down on copyright infringing Websites, restoring the Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) program, opposing a Medicaid Block Grant program, modernizing the funding formula of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act and securing Southern California's water supply.

Education advocates will focus on support for early childhood education, investment in federal workforce development programs and support for Linked Learning to lower dropout rates and improve college and career readiness.

Together we are spreading the message that as the world’s creative trend-setter and the main entry point for global markets, Los Angeles is moving America forward. 

And that's The Business Perspective.