L.A. Business This Week

California Attorney General and U.S. Senate candidate Kamala D. Harris unveiled her yearly report, In School + On Track 2015, that addresses elementary school truancy and absenteeism, at the Chamber Education & Workforce Development Council meeting Wednesday. This is the first year the report shows raw data on the stark reality of California’s elementary school attendance crisis. This has proven to be a persistent and expensive problem that undermines our children’s education and their future careers. According to this year's report, 230,000 California elementary school students are chronically absent (missing 10 percent or more of the school year) and more than one in five are truant (absent or tardy by more than 30 minutes without a valid excuse on three days in a school year). Equally staggering is the report reveals that more than 75 percent of chronically absent students are low-income. Read the full report.

BOTTOM LINE: From 2014-2015, L.A. County lost $232,400,000 in funding as a result of elementary school truancy.

Chamber member, Martin Luther King Jr. Community Hospital (MLKCH), will be the location of a special Health Care Council meeting and private tour, Friday, Oct. 2. The new MLKCH opened its doors earlier this summer, serving an estimated 1.35 million residents from all over South L.A. and creating more than 1,800 jobs. The meeting will also include an update from the County Department of Public Health on their continued efforts to meet the health care needs of County residents, implement the Affordable Care Act, and integrate the County's health departments into the County's new Health Agency. RSVP TODAY.

BOTTOM LINE: Join us for our next Health Care Council meeting as we tour the newly opened Martin Luther King Jr. Community Hospital. Any member is welcome, but space is limited.

For more Member News, including Telemundo 52 Community Forum “La Sequia y Tu Bolsillo” (The Drought and Your Wallet), please click here.

The Chamber will present, in partnership with Town Hall Los Angeles, Show Me the Talent: L.A.'s Call for Top Talent on Thursday, Oct. 1. This panel discussion, which includes featured guest speaker and author Jamie Merisotis, will discuss what innovation is needed to ensure we have the talent a 21st century workforce demands and what roles our regional leaders are playing in the process. Additional panelists include David Rattray, Chamber executive vice president of Education & Workforce Development, Jan Perry, general manager, City of L.A. Economic & Workforce Development and Joni Topper, senior market executive Healthcare, Higher Education, Not-for-Profit and Government Banking, Pacific Region, JPMorgan Chase & Co. RSVP today.

BOTTOM LINE: The Chamber is partnering with Town Hall Los Angeles to discuss how to recruit and retain top talent for employer success.

The White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics released its list of Bright Spots in Hispanic Education that included L.A. Cash for College, a Chamber program. Cash for College increases college access and success by informing, assisting and rewarding program participants. As a Bright Spot, L.A. Cash for College will be part of a national online catalog that includes programs that invest in key education priorities for Hispanics. visit white house initiative on educational excellence for hispanics web page

BOTTOM LINE: The Chamber continues to gain national attention for its programs, most recently by the White House recognizing L.A. Cash for College.

The Innovation & Technology Council at the Chamber collaborated with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Los Angeles Better Buildings Challenge initiative to present the third annual Building Technology Showcase on Tuesday. The fast-pitch competition gave the spotlight to 18 L.A. tech companies to present targeted solutions for increasing energy efficiency for buildings. The Chamber, along with the City of L.A., Los Angeles Department of Water & Power and Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator, is a founding institutional partner for the utility-funded initiative to support property owners and manager in executing cost-effective building performance upgrades, with the goal of achieving 20 perfect energy and water savings by 2020. better buildings progress report 2015.

BOTTOM LINE: The Innovation & Technology Council at the Chamber supports clean-tech initiatives for more energy-efficient buildings in L.A.

The Chamber co-sponsored a reception at the Getty Center in Los Angeles on Wednesday to honor distinguished members of the Los Angeles Consular Corps. Chamber Senior Vice President of Global Initiatives, Carlos Valderrama, welcomed members of the diplomatic corps and congratulated them on their direct contribution to making L.A. a global city. This annual event was organized by the Los Angeles World Affairs Council with the participation of the Chamber and the Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board.

BOTTOM LINE: The Chamber, Consul Generals and diplomats are developing commercial and industrial initiatives linking the L.A. region with their countries.

The Chamber welcomed Luc Robitaille, Stanley Cup champion and president of business operations for the Los Angeles Kings, at its Power Hour meeting on Tuesday. Robitaille discussed his successful hockey career and transition to the business world. Robitaille stressed the importance of a team-first mentality in both hockey and business and noted that " to be a great organization, it's about paying attention to detail." view photos from the event.

BOTTOM LINE: The Chamber's Power Hour connects members with business experts in an intimate exchange of information and best practices to increase competitiveness in today's economy.

Access to quality health care and preventative health care policy were front-and-center topics as Leadership Los Angeles (LLA) fellows, of Chamber affiliate program Southern California Leadership Network, participated in a panel discussion Sept. 11 with health experts from Canary Health, Kaiser Permanente Southern California and UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. Guest speaker Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Hospital CEO Dr. Elaine Batchlor addressed affordable access for low-income individuals and communities. In addition, fellows toured several major health institutions in the Southland for a comprehensive, inside look at the current available state of care. more about being an scln fellow.

BOTTOM LINE: SCLN fellows had the opportunity to be on the front lines of public health at LLA’s full-day seminar on health care.