The Business Perspective

This week I traveled to Lawrence, Kansas for the memorial services of Gary Toebben, former president and CEO of the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce. I was joined by several attendees from Los Angeles; including Chamber staff, Board members, and former Board Chairs.

Read More

Mayor Eric Garcetti celebrated Women’s Equality Day with an executive order to increase access to procurement opportunities with the City of Los Angeles for women owned businesses.

Read More

In a region where 94% of businesses have less than 20 employees, one of the most powerful economic development tools at our disposal is the multi-billion-dollar annual procurement spend.

Read More

This year marked the start of a two-year legislative session, which meant tighter deadlines for two-year bills that had been idle the year prior. As the state's legislative year heads into its final month, the Chamber hit the ground running in advocating for the issues affecting our members and community, by voicing concerns over supply chain issues, highlighting limited procurement opportunities for small businesses, and other pressing legislation.

Read More

This month, L.A. County Public Health Department signaled they were considering a reinstatement of the mask mandate, a move which would devastate businesses already struggling to emerge from the pandemic.

Read More

In these lazy days of summer, our attention has been drawn to the flurry of activity in our nation’s capital with legislation on gun control, the January 6ᵗʰ hearings, and the Supreme Court issuing several final decisions. In the midst of this, the Chamber once again visited Washington D.C. to continue our advocacy work from our delegation visit earlier this year.

Read More

As a convener of thought leaders in the Los Angeles community and in celebration of Pride Month, we are pleased to welcome the Chamber's partner and friend, Mark Morales, Chair of the California State Insurance Commissioner's Insurance Diversity Task Force, as the guest author of this week’s Business Perspective.

Read More

At the L.A. Area Chamber, we have a deep legacy of building up Los Angeles, addressing challenges, bringing about solutions, and ensuring opportunities for all. That legacy is about collaborating with both government and the community for the mutual benefit of creating systems which work equitably.

Read More

The pandemic created immense uncertainty in labor markets, and now, retaining employees is a real challenge, especially for small businesses. In an effort to help our local and small businesses, the Employee Retention Tax Credit (ERTC) was established by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. This provides a credit to small and medium businesses (including tax-exempt charities) for qualified salaries and health benefit expenses incurred during the pandemic.

Read More

With the primary election around the corner, it is critical we are prepared to cast our vote and make our voices heard. Every election is important, but this year, Election 2022, Los Angeles residents will see significant changes in elected leadership across all levels of government.

Read More