Blogs of the LA Area Chamber

Pennsylvania Congressman Talks Transportation

Jessica Duboff on August 17, 2011 at 12:00:00 am
Posted in Intersection L.A.

Last Friday, Rep. Bill Shuster (R-PA), joined the Chamber, Mayor Villariagosa, Metro CEO Art Leahy, Metro Boardmember Richard Katz and Metrolink CEO John Fenton for a conversation on transportation authorization and America Fast Forward. The Congressman, a senior member on the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee and Chair of the Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials emphasized to Chamber members that “if we don’t make our infrastructure a priority, we are going to get left behind globally.”

Let the Zoo Out of its Cage

Gary Toebben on August 16, 2011 at 12:00:00 am
Posted in The Business Perspective

Unlike most major U.S. cities, the Los Angeles Zoo is still tethered to a city government that will soon be unable to afford to feed the animals or the keepers. An effort to explore an opportunity to create a public/private partnership for our Zoo, by releasing a Request for Proposal (RFP) for an independent operator, passed in L.A. City Council last week. But we have a long way to go before progress is assured.

Framework for Downtown Stadium Deserves Support

Gary Toebben on August 8, 2011 at 12:00:00 am
Posted in The Business Perspective

For months the City of Los Angeles has been watching closely, with both fanfare and skepticism, as to whether or not an agreement for a downtown stadium and events center near the Staples Center could be worked out to the benefit of the City. With the release and public review of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the City of Los Angeles and Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), we now have an outline for a deal that reflects tough negotiations that protect Los Angeles taxpayers and offer the potential of a major economic stimulus for the City.

Finding a Middle Ground When Our Nation Needs It

Gary Toebben on August 2, 2011 at 12:00:00 am
Posted in The Business Perspective

The business community applauds the bi-partisan efforts of President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Speaker of the House John Boehner and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi for the passage of legislation to raise the national debt ceiling and reduce the federal deficit. These leaders persevered to find the middle ground in a very contentious debate that had the nation wondering if it was still possible to compromise on any issue in Washington, D.C.

Axe the Gross Receipts Tax to Create Jobs and New Tax Revenue

Gary Toebben on July 26, 2011 at 12:00:00 am
Posted in The Business Perspective

The City of Los Angeles has the highest gross receipts tax rate of all 88 cities in L.A. County — a distinction that also puts it among the highest of any major city in the United States. This, coupled with the fact that technology now allows businesses to locate almost anywhere, has left the City struggling to attract and retain businesses, jobs and tax revenue.

Releasing the Brake to Move America Fast Forward

Gary Toebben on July 19, 2011 at 12:00:00 am
Posted in The Business Perspective

Congratulations to Caltrans and the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority on their success this weekend in taking down half of the Mulholland Drive bridge over the 405 Freeway in 17 fewer hours than originally scheduled. The engineers and construction crews in charge of this project made national news, earned our respect and saved the taxpayers' money. Now it's time to focus our collective attention on another big job, securing national support for dozens of other badly needed highway and transit projects in Los Angeles County.

Hijacking the Public Good

Gary Toebben on July 12, 2011 at 12:00:00 am
Posted in The Business Perspective

Carmaggedon isn’t a Hollywood movie, but it is sure to be this summer’s blockbuster – literally. Block by block, streets all over the Westside will be jammed this ...

Improvements Taking Off at LAX

Gary Toebben on July 5, 2011 at 12:00:00 am
Posted in The Business Perspective

The new Tom Bradley International Terminal was a source of pride for Los Angeles as we welcomed the world to the 1984 Olympics. That was 27 years ago — enough time for 1 billion passengers to fly in and out of Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). Time also extracted a major toll on the facilities, so did delays caused by lawsuits and a lack of commitment by elected officials. Some observers were convinced that the politics of Los Angeles would doom LAX to third world status forever.

Change is Slow, but We Are Making Progress

Gary Toebben on June 28, 2011 at 12:00:00 am
Posted in The Business Perspective

Anyone with a basic understanding of economics knew long ago where the unsustainable public employee pension system was headed. And last year, City of Los Angeles Chief Administrative Officer Miguel Santana painted a frightening picture of the severe financial crisis facing the City as the cost of pensions and health care for retirees continue to rise. Despite that, public officials, who were too afraid of public employee union backlash, stuck their heads in the sand.

Building a Smarter Los Angeles

Gary Toebben on June 21, 2011 at 12:00:00 am
Posted in The Business Perspective

Los Angeles' business community has been clamoring for citywide development reform for so long that no one remembers what it's like to build a construction project without a sea of red tape. The City of Los Angeles has produced at least 100 reports on development reform in the last 40 years and not a single one of those reports has been fully implemented.