Blogs of the LA Area Chamber

For many students, preparing for college can be a daunting task. From navigating college preparation courses to applying for financial aid, the process is difficult, particularly for students who will be the first in their family to attend college.

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While the daily headlines are focused on Washington, D.C. administrative and legislative proposals, the L.A. business community understands that what happens in Sacramento has a direct impact on jobs and profitability. That's why the Chamber is looking forward to interacting with California's top elected leadership in Sacramento next week.

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I suspect you can recall your first work experience. Mine was baling hay with neighbors in Nebraska. Linda Sanazaro, Head of Enterprise Operations, Farmers Insurance Group of Companies, started her career as a receptionist. Dennis Rodriguez, Chief City Executive, Siemens Corporation, started his career as a carpet cleaner. In each of these first work experiences, someone gave us an opportunity that was the start of our career path. Now the Chamber is asking you and your business to do the same thing.

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The voters of Los Angeles City and County sent a very loud message to the world yesterday. They signaled strong support for continued economic growth and strong empathy for the 47,000 homeless individuals who spend their nights sleeping on the streets and public spaces throughout L.A. County.

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Tomorrow, March 7, is Election Day in both the City and County of Los Angeles. This is a very important election and every vote counts! Here are the L.A. Area Chamber's recommendations. Please share them with your employees.

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The Chamber's annual advocacy trip to our state's capital is less than four weeks away and the early bird deadline for registering is tomorrow, March 3. We are traveling to Sacramento earlier than normal this legislative session to get ahead of the budget conversations and share our thoughts on the positions that California might take relative to the new Federal agenda.

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"I join with all those who say Measure S goes too far."
- Gov. Jerry Brown

Last week Gov. Brown agreed with what a historic coalition of community residents and civic leaders has been saying for over a year - Measure S goes too far. In his second term, the Governor has led the charge to address the housing crisis in California's cities. His 2017-2018 budget warned specifically of the dangers of anti-housing policies like Measure S. The Governor's budget demonstrated how a housing ban would raise rents, drive away the middle-class, and worsen homelessness, climate change and traffic. Thank you Gov. Brown for joining us. 

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For decades, treating people for free or for very little money has been the role of community health centers in California and across the United States. In 2015, 1 in 12 Americans sought care at one of these clinics; nearly 6 in 10 were women, and hundreds of thousands were veterans.

The community clinics — now roughly 1,300-strong — have also expanded in recent years to serve people who gained insurance under the Affordable Care Act. In 2015, community health centers served 24.3 million people — up from 19.5 million in 2010. Most of the centers are nonprofits with deep roots in their communities and meet the criteria to be a federally qualified health center. That means they can qualify for federal grants and a higher payment rate from Medicaid and Medicare.

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The Los Angeles Daily News began its editorial this past weekend in opposition to Measure S with these two sentences: "Measure S, the Neighborhood Integrity Initiative, is by far the most consequential ballot measure facing Los Angeles city voters on March 7. While it aims to quell conflicts of interest and pay-to-play politics, its good points are outweighed by its unintended consequences, hurting economic vitality and progress in L.A. It deserves a no vote."

We're only two weeks away from one of the most impactful elections in Los Angeles history. That is why the Chamber is urging all of its members to encourage their 650,000 employees in L.A. and L.A. County to vote on March 7.

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"Measure S would block the construction of new and much-needed housing ... Measure S would make it harder to address homelessness ... Measure S would also stifle economic development in communities that want the development."  - Los Angeles Times Editorial Board, 2/11/17

The largest, most diverse coalition of business, labor, elected officials, civic leaders and non-profits has been communicating with voters for months how dangerous Measure S is to the future of our city. This past weekend, the Los Angeles Times editorial board weighed in, strongly urging a NO vote. While acknowledging the issues that laid the groundwork for the measure, the editorial board stated in no uncertain terms that "Measure S isn't a solution to L.A.'s housing woes, it's a childish middle finger to City Hall."

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