CREATING GREEN PATHWAYS IN LOS ANGELES
Members of Los Angeles' green tech community gathered Wednesday for the Chamber's Green Pathways: Creating a Valuable Workforce through Employer Engagement and Community Partnership event. Participants discussed the landscape of green sustainability in L.A. and heard from Fred Walti, executive director of the Los Angeles CleanTech Incubator, who shared his organization's efforts to accelerate development of clean tech start-ups in the City. "In the next five years, we're going to create 600 direct jobs and 11,000 indirect jobs," said Walti, above. Contact Geraldine Contreras-Jaimerena, 213.580.7553.


Chamber supports state bill to increase imports and exports
On Tuesday, the Chamber urged the L.A. City Council to support AB 2656, the Jobs & Trade Competitiveness Act, (Calderon). By providing state income tax credits for exporters and importers to increase the movement of goods through our ports and airports, this bill will enable our state to protect and grow the international trade sector and create jobs for Californians. Other states and countries are competing to obtain a piece of the international trade market by investing in capital improvement programs and attractive tax credit incentives. AB 2656 will match those efforts in the face of increased competition from the Panama Canal. The bill was heard in Assembly Appropriations on Wednesday and and placed in the "suspense file." The Chamber will work with the City and Port of Los Angeles to get the bill out of suspense. Contact Jessica Duboff, 213.580.7558.

Chamber advocates on bills in Sacramento
This week, the Chamber was in Sacramento to weigh in on several bills as the Legislature began the last month of the session. Legislation supported included bills that address intellectual property protection, film tax credits, State Water Board accountability and regulatory implementation. The Chamber also spoke in favor of SB 694 (Padilla) to address children's dental health and SB 1456 (Lowenthal) to improve completion rates among community college students by providing critical student support services. Chamber representatives will continue to advocate on behalf of our state legislative agenda as both houses work their way through approximately 800 bills by September. Contact Jessica Duboff, 213.580.7558 or Sonia Campos-Rivera, 213.580.7538.

Lumina Foundation President & CEO to visit with Chamber members on Aug. 24
Lumina — the nation's largest private foundation committed to enrolling and graduating more students from college — has embraced an ambitious and specific goal: to ensure that, by 2025, 60 percent of Americans hold high quality degrees and credentials. Lumina Foundation President & CEO Jamie Merisotis will be at the Chamber on Friday, Aug. 24. Merisotis will be joining California Community College Chancellor Jack Scott at the Accenture Pancakes & Politics Breakfast Speaker Series from 7:45 - 9 a.m., to discuss college access and success. This event is open to Board and Circle level members only. Register now. Merisotis will also be at the Education & Workforce Development Council that same day from 10 - 11:30 a.m. with Eloy Ortiz Oakley, superintendent-president of Long Beach City College. Register now or contact Shannon Cooper, 213.580.7565.

Office Depot Foundation donates 10,000 sackpacks to children in Los Angeles Award-winning actor, comedian and host of "America's Got Talent" Nick Cannon joined the Office Depot Foundation last month to donate 10,000 colorful new sackpacks to deserving children served by non-profit organizations, schools and agencies in the Los Angeles area. The Foundation, the independent charitable giving arm of Office Depot, presented the sackpacks, which contained essential school supplies, during a special "Back-to-School Celebration" at the Office Depot store on S. Figueroa St. in Los Angeles. Above, Cannon, far right, with Chamber Executive VP & COO David Eads. Read more. Click here to submit your member good news.