Board Brief - From the President & CEO's Desk April 27, 2026

I hope you are all doing well. The Chamber has been extremely busy, with a strong focus on work in the City of Los Angeles related to the Mayor’s budget, ULA, and upcoming ballot initiatives.

PUBLIC POLICY UPDATE

The L.A. Area Chamber signed on to the U.S. Chamber’s coalition letter calling on Congress to enact sensible immigration reform.
The Affordable L.A. coalition to reform ULA presented at the ULA Adhoc Committee. The Chamber continues to work with the coalition in these efforts. View our City Council presentation.
Last week, the Chamber's Health Care Policy Council convened to hear presentations from Matt Insco, Branch Chief of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, on the projected developments in the healthcare workforce, and from Dr. Nina Park, Chief Deputy Director of Los Angeles County Bureau of Health Services, on the anticipated impacts of H.R.1 on local health services. The Council also met to discuss legislative positions ahead of ACCESS Sacramento.

See our Public Policy Update for the latest Policy news.

HIGHLIGHTS FROM LAST WEEK

We met with the newly appointed Consul General of the State of Qatar in Los Angeles, H.E. Hassan Bin Nasser Al Khalifa, where we discussed Qatar's engagement with the Los Angeles business community in the lead-up to the FIFA World Cup.

We sat down with Ensenada Mayor Claudia Agatón while she was in town to talk through several infrastructure projects that are currently underway in the Baja California region.

We had a great conversation at our Accenture Pancakes & Politics session with Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky, Chair of the City Council’s Budget and Finance Committee. She shared insights on the Mayor’s proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year. She took questions from our Chamber members, who were eager to understand the city’s current budget priorities.

The Chamber's workforce initiative, A Paradigm Shift, continues to build momentum. Following last month's launch with healthcare and education leaders, we’re proud to have Daniel Fontoura, the newly appointed President of Adventist Health White Memorial, formally join the effort with a signing of the MOU.

I had the opportunity to speak about entrepreneurship as a means for economic mobility at UnidosUS’s community town hall, Dignity. Prosperity. Together.

We have been allocated a limited supply of FIFA World Cup tickets, available through our partnership with the Los Angeles Sports & Entertainment Commission. If you are interested in purchasing, please reach out to Martin Breidsprecher.

L.A. JOBS PAC

To date, the L.A. Jobs PAC has endorsed several candidates in the County and City of Los Angeles. Below are endorsements that have been completed thus far:

Karen Bass for Mayor of Los Angeles
Jeffrey Prang for Los Angeles County Assessor
Robert Luna for Los Angeles County Sheriff
Hydee Feldstein-Soto for Los Angeles City Attorney
Zach Sokoloff for Los Angeles City Controller
Tim Gaspar for Council District 3
Monica Rodriguez for Council District 7
Jose Ugarte for Council District 9
Traci Park for Council District 11
Tim McOsker for Council District 15

Thank you to everyone who has supported the L.A. Jobs PAC. Your contributions help ensure the Chamber continues to speak with a strong, unified voice. If you’d like to get involved, please consider contributing here.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Click here to view the full list of our 2026 signature events.

Education & Workforce Development Policy Council — Tuesday, April 28, 10:00 a.m. — Register here
Join the upcoming Education & Workforce Development Policy Council to learn about statewide bills to bolster education and career-to-workforce readiness.

Joint Meeting: Energy, Water & Environmental Sustainability and Transportation & Good Movement Policy Councils — Thursday, April 30, 8:30 a.m. — Register here
Join this joint meeting with the EWE and TGM Policy Councils at South Park Center for a special session on recent legislative updates impacting the region.

ACCESS Sacramento — May 11 & 12, 2026 — Register here
Join us for our annual delegation trip to Sacramento to amplify the voice of the Los Angeles area business community on issues that directly affect job creation, economic competitiveness, and quality of life across the region. View sponsorship opportunities here.

LAUSD'S PLAN – Project Look Ahead & Networking Contractor Forum — May 15, 2026
The Los Angeles Unified School District will be hosting PLAN – Project Look Ahead & Networking Contractor Forum, a FREE in-person event designed to connect construction contractors with upcoming opportunities within LAUSD’s multi-billion-dollar Bond Program and provide a networking opportunity with prime contractors currently doing work for the District. See flyer for details.

100th Celebration of World Trade Week — May 27, 2026 — Register here
Join us for the Centennial Celebration of World Trade Week! Register here. View sponsorship opportunities here.

Save-the-Date — June 17th — Welcome Reception for Metropolitan Water District General Manager Shivaji Deshmukh. We are excited to be hosting a business community welcome. Details to follow.