Blogs of the LA Area Chamber

June 15 is D-Day for the California Legislature. It’s the Constitutional deadline for passing a balanced state budget. And it is an opportunity to pull our State out of the financial and economic morass we find ourselves in today.

Financial deadlines usually force people out of their comfort zones and give them an urgency to act. Gov. Jerry Brown and members of the Legislature should use the June 15 deadline as an opportunity to put a financial workout plan into place for California. 

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Yesterday we celebrated Memorial Day. Many of us had the day off while thousands of men and women in uniform were on active duty around the world protecting the freedom of our great nation and other people around the world. We owe our freedom and the opportunities we have today to the veterans who have served and protected our nation in the past and to the young men and women who are serving today. 

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As a way to achieve State mandates for waste reduction and recycling, as well as generate more revenue, the City of Los Angeles is considering a major overhaul of how trash is collected for commercial and multi-family properties by instituting a franchise system. Neighboring cities have instituted franchise systems and the County of Los Angeles has started the process to move toward a non-exclusive franchise system. But that’s where the similarities between this trend and the City’s proposal end.


 



 

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Last Friday, the Chamber's Environmental Sustainability Policy Council, in conjunction with Opportunity Green, hosted a panel to discuss the state of the clean tech industry in Los Angeles. A standing room-only crowd heard from experts in the industry on what venture capitalists are looking to invest in, what Los Anglees needs to do to cultivate a more clean tech friendly environment and what game-changing technologies are on the horizon.



 

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Yesterday, Gov. Jerry Brown released his revised state budget that proposes the elimination of 43 various departments, commissions and task forces in an effort to help close California’s budget deficit. Much of that streamlining will improve efficiency and save taxpayer dollars. However, there is one new department that state lawmakers should actually create in this climate — a new Agency for Economic Development, Job Creation and Competitiveness.  

California has the dubious distinction of being one of the few — perhaps only — states without an agency to help compete for and provide assistance to job creating employers. Other states, including competitors like New York, Arizona, Texas and Nevada all have state agencies that focus like a laser beam on economic development. These agencies coordinate efforts to recruit California businesses through incentives, but just as important is their role in helping existing companies within their state to grow and expand by cutting through red tape at the state level. 

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Exports are the key to putting America back on track in the global economy. Only 1 percent of U.S. companies are exporting. Yet with more than 1 billion new global middle class consumers expected over the next 15 years, U.S. businesses will have market opportunities unparalleled in human history. The challenge is to seize this moment by implementing a national export strategy that will truly lift all boats...

 

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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.

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The City of Vernon, located just south of Downtown Los Angeles, has less than 100 full-time residents and its motto is "Exclusively Industrial." That motto took hold in the early 1920s when stockyards and meat packing plants were the backbone of the city. Later, major companies such as U.S. Steel, Alcoa Inc., General Mills, and the Studebaker Assembly Plant defined Vernon, until recent years when BCBG Max Azria, Farmer John, Tapatio Hot Sauce, True Religion Apparel Inc. and Papa Cantella’s Sausage became the modern face of this jobs Mecca.

Vernon offers a unique mix of benefits for industry. Its city-owned utility provides water and power rates below those of neighboring cities. Its zoning code allows for industrial operations that other local cities do not offer. Red tape is virtually non-existent and businesses have access to first-rate police and fire services. In total, Vernon is home to 50,000 jobs and a cumulative $4.5 billion annual payroll ... 

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Angelenos should all take a moment and thank Ray Cortines, retiring Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendant. Thursday was the last official day for the 78-year-old life-long teacher and educator. During his tenure the past two and half years, Cortines has had a "laser like" focus on putting children first and last. This focus may seem obvious, yet with boards, budgets and unions, educational leaders often do not maintain the discipline and priority of putting students first 

During Cortines' term, LAUSD’s base budget of $8 billion was decreased by $1.5 billion—a severe management crisis for any enterprise. Cortines navigated these waters and made tough decisions in order to minimize the negative impact on students. He dramatically cut the central support office by nearly half and increased the portion of resources going directly to schools and classrooms...

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When L.A. City Hall thinks it knows what's good for business, the business community usually ends up with a raw deal. As if Councilmembers don't have enough of their own issues to grapple with—starting with the City's own budget deficit—now they want to make hiring decisions for you. That's right, the “Hotel Worker Right of Recall” proposal from Councilmembers Paul Koretz and Janice Hahn would require all 50-room or more hotels that close for renovation or reconstruction to offer former employees their former job when the new facility opens...

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