Blogs of the LA Area Chamber

As the 2016 Olympics came to a close Sunday night, there are number of indelible images that will forever signify Rio 2016. Gymnast Simone Biles tumbling through the air on her way to a record four gold medals. Swimmer Katie Ledecky shattering world records in a class all her own. Michael Phelps coming out of retirement after finding joy in his sport again to claim an additional six medals for himself and the United States. 

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California is a vast state, with regions that vary greatly in needs and circumstance. From dense cities, to desert expanses and mountain ranges; from areas whose economy depends on technology or manufacturing, to communities that are driven by fishing or agriculture. This geographic and economic diversity is what makes California grea

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Three years ago, the Los Angeles City Council approved the Southern California International Gateway (SCIG) project, a near-dock rail facility proposed by BNSF Railway. This $500 million project to move goods more efficiently, lower emissions and reduce thousands of truck miles from our congested freeways is vital to our logistics sector, our economy and our environment.

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Scheduling open enrollment for health insurance at the end of the year is akin to driving on the Bay Bridge during rush hour. The journey could be long, slow and more than a little frustrating.

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Last week, the State Water Resources Control Board began a series of hearings on the California WaterFix, the plan to update the state’s aging water infrastructure. Our Southern California region is highly dependent on this infrastructure, with one-third of our fresh water flowing from the Sierra Nevada Mountains through the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.

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In 2008, Los Angeles County residents took a leap of faith and voted to raise our county-wide sales taxes to fund the construction and maintenance of our transportation infrastructure. Seven years later, Metro conducted a quality of life report to study the impact of that decision on the region. The results are impressive. New rail and bus rapid transit now provides access to more than 300,000 jobs in the region. Nearly 500,000 residents now live within a half mile of projects that opened after passage of Measure R. What’s impressive is that this data was tallied prior to the 2016 openings of the Gold Line extension and Expo Phase II.

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Obamacare exchange premiums in California will go up an average of 13.2 percent next year, although almost 80 percent of consumers could pay less or see a premium increase of no more than 5 percent if they shop around.

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Yesterday, the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges (CCC) announced the appointment of Eloy Ortiz Oakley as the next Chancellor of the 113-college system.

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Last week, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and Los Angeles County Supervisors Hilda Solis and Don Knabe kicked off this summer’s HIRE-LA’s Youth campaign by thanking Los Angeles County businesses for the summer youth employment and internship opportunities they provide. The Chamber has been a partner with the City and County of L.A. for a decade in championing youth employment and internships opportunities because we recognize the powerful economic impact on individual families and the prosperity of our region.   

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Last week Governor Brown signed a $171 billion California budget for the fiscal year that began on July 1 and the legislature adjourned for summer recess. The budget included major wins for the Chamber's cradle-to-career education priorities to prepare California's 21st century workforce. 

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