The Business Perspective

When the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce sponsored ACCESS L.A. City Hall last Wednesday, we had one message that resonated throughout the morning — JOBS. We presented the City Council with a list of eight things they can do to create jobs, stimulate the economy and improve the quality of life for thousands of Angelenos. We also provided them with the 2011 Los Angeles City Council District Report showing economic indicators in each of their districts.

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Tomorrow, nearly 400 of Los Angeles' business and civic leaders will descend upon L.A. City Hall for the Chamber's annual member advocacy day, ACCESS L.A. City Hall. The focus will be on the many opportunities that City Hall has to be a partner with business in creating jobs, expanding the tax base and improving our quality of life … all without spending more money.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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As the Port of Los Angeles prepares for the opening of the widened Panama Canal in 2014, the goods movement industry is doing its part to make sure that Los Angeles is ready to meet the challenge with innovative, environmentally friendly projects and technology. Modernizing the terminals, deepening the channel, cleaning the trucks and developing near-dock rail facilities are all essential to maintaining our region's competitiveness. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) teachers, administrators and staff deserve our congratulations and support. Despite significant budget cutbacks, LAUSD students achieved a 19-point Academic Performance Index (API) percentage gain for the 2010-11 school year. This increase in performance exceeded the State average for the second year in a row and was the highest gain among urban school districts in California. 



 

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The Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce has consistently rallied our members and legislators to support regulatory reform in California — a cause made all the more urgent by the Great Recession and the continued slump of the California economy. It was exciting last week to watch members of the state Legislature respond to that rallying cry from the Chamber and other business and labor organizations.

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More than 1,000 transportation, business and elected leaders are converging in Los Angeles today at Mobility 21's 10th Annual Southern California Transportation Summit to pledge their commitment to job creation for Southern California, by aggressively pursuing and delivering state and federal transportation investment to our region.

Leaders from seven counties will come together in support of the reauthorization of a long-overdue federal transportation bill and urge Congress to pass legislation to prevent the federal gas tax — 18 cents per gallon — from expiring at the end of September. The gasoline tax is the principle revenue source for federal transportation funding and if it vanishes, most of the federal funding for transportation will disappear.


 

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This weekend we’ll celebrate Labor Day, traditionally the end of summer and the return of football and cool autumn temperatures. Fortunately, talk is finally heating up on a game plan to put California back on track toward a winning economy. Last week, Gov. Jerry Brown released a three-part California Jobs First Plan to spur companies to hire California workers. This is on the heels of Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom's Economic Growth and Competitiveness Agenda to lead California into the post-recession "Next Economy." With fears of an economic relapse on the horizon, the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce applauds both Gov. Brown and Lt. Gov. Newsom for putting plans on the chalkboard to make business investment and job creation the top priority for California lawmakers. 

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When part of our California landscape is burning, we send in the firefighters. The California dream is ablaze for millions of able men and women whose ability to support their families has gone up in smoke. The California Legislature will adjourn the 2011 legislative session on Friday, Sept. 9. Taking bold action in the next three weeks will not require more tax revenue, but it will require bipartisanship, political will and a relentless focus on passing laws that will encourage and enable the private sector to create new jobs for Californians. 

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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. 

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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.

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