Blogs of the LA Area Chamber

About 2.3 million California children live in poverty -- but that number would go up by 1.28 million if the state's social safety net programs were not available, according to a report from the Public Policy Institute of California.

Although government assistance is available for so many, wide variations in enrollment from county to county have led to disparities, according to the PPIC report released earlier this year.

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For California to maintain its position as the 8th largest economy in the world, our education system needs to prepare ALL students for a competitive workplace. California is making progress by implementing substantial changes to our educational standards, better testing and accountability systems, and granting local control over funding. California high school graduation rates have improved from 75 percent in 2010 to an all-time high of 81 percent in 2014. We are on the right track.

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Last Friday, the California Employment Development Department released the Employment Report for June. The California unemployment rate stands at 6.3 percent, the County of Los Angeles is 7.4 percent and the City of Los Angeles is 7.7 percent. The U.S. unemployment rate is 5.3 percent. While all of these numbers are better than a year ago, the growth in jobs in L.A. City and County is lagging far behind other metropolitan counties in California. Here are the comparisons: San Francisco – 3.5 percent; Alameda (Oakland) - 4.6 percent; San Diego – 5.0 percent; Orange – 4.3 percent; Santa Clara (San Jose) – 4.0 percent. All of these metro counties have a lower unemployment rate than the United States except L.A. County. 

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Facing billions in funding challenges for our state’s health care infrastructure in 2016, Governor Jerry Brown recently began a special legislative session on health care financing. In this, hearings are being held in the Senate and Assembly to discuss the needs of our continuously expanding Medi-Cal population, services for people with developmental disabilities, and - most prominently - expiration of the current Managed Care Organization (MCO) tax structure.

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Facing billions in funding challenges for our state’s health care infrastructure in 2016, Governor Jerry Brown recently began a special legislative session on health care financing. In this, hearings are being held in the Senate and Assembly to discuss the needs of our continuously expanding Medi-Cal population, services for people with developmental disabilities, and - most prominently - expiration of the current Managed Care Organization (MCO) tax structure.

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The Federal Highway Trust Fund will expire on July 31 and California’s highways are falling apart. The businesses and residents of California are angry and frustrated by the lack of focus on transportation at both the State and Federal level. Tax revenue is growing in Washington DC and Sacramento but none of that new revenue is going to transportation.

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The World Cup Championship victory by the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team on Sunday was exciting and inspiring. It was especially moving because it took place the day after the celebration of the 239th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and founding of our nation.

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On Tuesday, the Assembly Committee on Business and Professions rejected a bill (SB 323) that aimed to allow nurse practitioners to treat patients without the supervision of a physician if certified by an authority such as a hospital, medical group, accountable care organization or clinic, the Sacramento Bee's "Capitol Alert" reports (Walters, "Capitol Alert," Sacramento Bee, 6/30).

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