Blogs of the LA Area Chamber

Yesterday, I stood with Los Angeles County Supervisors Mark Ridley-Thomas, Hilda Solis and Janice Hahn, L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti, L.A. Councilmember Curren Price, mayors and councilmembers from other cities throughout L.A. County, labor representatives, social service and non-profit leaders, religious communities and environmentalists in support of Measure H to tackle the crisis of homelessness in L.A. County. This quarter cent sales tax on the March 7 ballot will create a dedicated stream of revenue to provide an array of services, including outreach, housing, mental health care and job training, to the 47,000 homeless individuals in our region.

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California and other states could keep their federally funded insurance exchange with consumer protections intact under a proposal unveiled Monday by two Republican U.S. Senators.

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The sponsors of Measure S claim that this two-year construction moratorium is altruistic, to halt greed and improve life in Los Angeles. They claim that this draconian measure will increase housing affordability and decrease traffic. The exact opposite is true.

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The New Year has delivered the first long, steady rain and snow to California in a long time. Our reservoirs are refilling and our groundwater basins are beginning to replenish.

This is not the time, however, to exhale and assume our water crisis is over. While up to 40 percent of the State is no longer in a drought, that is not the case for Southern California, where some parts of Los Angeles and Orange counties are still classified as "extreme drought." The Metropolitan Water District's regional reservoirs remain at much lower levels than at the beginning of the drought, in part because much of the rain we have received was not captured, it simply flowed to the ocean. We still lack the infrastructure to secure our long-term water reliability and resiliency.

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Advocating for legislation that stimulates economic growth, more good jobs and a higher quality of life is one of the core missions of the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce. The heart of our influence and success in these efforts is member engagement. Personally taking your stories to elected officials about the impact of legislation on your companies, organizations and clients is essential to our success.

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2016 finished strong for the Los Angeles County economy. Employment during the year grew by 65,300 jobs and the unemployment rate declined to 5.1 percent. Voters expressed their willingness to invest in transportation (Measure M), housing (Measure HHH) and education (Measure CC) at the Nov. 8 election by 71.15 percent, 77.14 percent and 75.92 percent respectively. We have the opportunity to continue this positive economic momentum in 2017 if our voters and elected officials continue taking bold actions to build on these basic foundations. Here is how:

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