L.A. CITY BUDGET AT THE FOREFRONT
L.A. City Councilmember Bernard Parks discussed the "severe times" that Los Angeles is currently experiencing when it comes to balancing the budget at the Accenture Pancakes & Politics Breakfast Speaker Series Friday at the Chamber. "The issue for the City is to look for structural changes," Parks said, explaining that it will be difficult to sustain all personnel costs over time. Senate President pro Tem Darrell Steinberg will be visiting the Chamber next month. Register now or contact Shannon Cooper, 213.580.7565. 

Los Angeles on the Hill — ACCESS Washington, D.C. next week
Next week the Chamber and partnering organizations will sponsor Los Angeles on the Hill — ACCESS Washington, D.C., May 2-4. We have more than 60 meetings confirmed with legislators including White House Chief of Staff Bill Daley; U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu; Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid; Austan Goolsbee, Chair of White House Council of Economic Advisors; Administrator Lisa Jackson, Environmental Protection Agency; Nancy Sutley, Chair of White House Council of Environmental Quality; Senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer and many more. The trip includes a special briefing with White House officials and a roundtable discussion on transportation with U.S. Secretary of Transporation Ray LaHood. Follow us on Twitter as we tweet live during the trip. Read our advoacy agenda or contact Samuel Garrison, 213.580.7568. 

Chamber co-sponsored education bill headed to Assembly Appropriations
On Wednesday the California State Assembly Education Committee passed Chamber co-sponsored AB 790 (Furutani). AB 790 establishes a Linked Learning high school pilot program that would allow participating districts to implement a district-wide Linked Learning approach in all high schools. It would incorporate strategies such as small schools, problem based instruction methods and applied learning throughout all subject areas. This approach will help students build a strong foundation for success in college, career and life. The bill will be heard in Assembly Appropriations in a few weeks. Contact Sonia Campos-Rivera, 213.580.7538.

Chamber supports solution to balance environmental objectives with utility costs
AB 1180 seeks a reasonable solution to the regulation of once-through cooling water usage at coastal plants. The current state compliance schedule would force the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) to expend $2.2 billion dollars over the next 10 years — resulting in a rate increase of 6 percent. LADWP is currently investing in the necessary environmental upgrades at a pace that protects the ratepayers while ensuring power reliability. This bill would require the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) to quantify the impacts of the current policy on ratepayers and businesses. Last summer the Chamber successfully advocated for direct negotiations on this issue between the LADWP and SWRCB. Contact Jessica Duboff, 213.580.7558.

Leadership Southern California gets inside look at Ventura County trends and issues
Ventura County’s dueling identity between agriculture and commercial development— a contentious issue among farmers, developers, the business community and government officials—was one topic of discussion Friday among Southern California Leadership Network's Leadership Southern California 2011 Fellows. “You've heard of suburban, well we're ‘ag-urban’ and not interested in becoming too developed,” said City of Oxnard Senior Planner Chris Williamson. Brad Kemp, Beacon Economics, brought up the fact that despite income disparities in Ventura, the quality of life is very high and the poverty rate compared to other Southern California counties is one of the lowest. Fellows also experienced excursions on agriculture at McGrath Family Farms; coastal issues and climate change at Channel Islands National Park; and the military at Naval Base Ventura County. Contact April Tam , 213.580.7524.

LADWP breaks ground on ultraviolet water treatment facility The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) recently broke ground on the construction of a new ultraviolet water treatment facility at the Los Angeles Aqueduct Filtration Plant in Sylmar. The facility will add an advanced level of protection to the LADWP's treatment process to comply with new water quality regulations established by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Read more. Want your good news featured here? Click here to learn more.