Chamber Honors Senator Feinstein's Legacy
The Chamber was deeply saddened by the passing of Senator Dianne Feinstein. She was a trailblazer and an icon throughout the nation. Since taking federal office in 1992, she impacted countless lives through her compassion and fierce advocacy. She also led the largest legislative effort to protect public lands in the lower 48 states, which led to the creation of Death Valley and Joshua Tree National Parks. Her legacy as a public servant will live on throughout our state. We extend our condolences to her family and friends. California will miss her leadership. Read the Chamber's statement here.
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LA28 Visits Chamber Board
The Chamber's Board welcomed Michelle Schwartz, Chief External Affairs Officer for the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games, to discuss how Los Angeles is ramping up to the 2028 Games. This is the first-ever Olympics to have no new permanent venues built and the first to have two venues appear in three Olympic Games — the Rose Bowl and L.A. Memorial Coliseum. With only five years until the games, this is a unique opportunity to catalyze long-term investments in transportation, energy and infrastructure and build a legacy for the region beyond 2028.
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Councilmember McOsker Joins Members
Los Angeles City Councilmember Tim McOsker visited the Chamber to speak at our Accenture Pancakes & Politics series. McOsker, who represents the city's 15th District, discussed how to build up the local business community, how clean energy innovations will bring jobs, and how we can create economic development programs to support small businesses. Councilmember McOsker also addressed concerns regarding the environment and the ports.
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Chambers Welcomes New Harbor Commissioners
Maria S. Salinas, Chamber President & CEO, welcomed the five new Los Angeles Board of Harbor Commissioners, and commission President Lucille Roybal-Allard. The event was held aboard the Battleship USS Iowa Museum at the Port of Los Angeles in San Pedro. The event was hosted in partnership with the San Pedro and the Greater Los Angeles African American Chambers of Commerce.
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Fast Food Council Bill Signed Into Law
Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill yesterday to authorize the Fast Food Council to set fast-food restaurant standards for minimum wage and develop proposals for other working conditions, including health and safety standards and training. Assembly Bill 1228, introduced by Chris Holden, sets a minimum wage of $20 per hour for fast-food workers beginning April 1, 2024, and allows the council to increase this wage annually. This law will have dramatic impacts on franchises. The Chamber opposed this bill and sent a veto request to the Governor’s office.
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GFA Council Reviews Ballot Measures
This week, the Chamber's Government and Fiscal Affairs (GFA) Council considered the "Healthy Streets" measure slated for the March 2024 ballot in the city of Los Angeles. The Streets for All campaign presented details on this measure, which proposes that the City automatically implement its Mobility Plan during street repaving or qualifying improvements to a city-owned street section identified in the plan's network of concept maps. GFA’s recommendation now heads to the Chamber Board for a vote. The council was also joined by Chris Micheli from Aprea & Micheli, Inc. who gave an end-of-session legislative update. You can view the recording here.
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State Strikes Deal with Insurance Providers
Last week, home insurers in California struck a deal with Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara to return to fire zones and provide new coverage in the state. The deal allows insurers to make it easier to increase rates through the state regulator more quickly, and changes are slated to go into effect by the end of 2024. Insurers such as State Farm, USAA and Allstate have requests for rate increases pending and are requesting hikes of 28.1%, 30.6%, and 39.6%, respectively. Many of the top home insurers removed themselves from the state market this summer. The Chamber has been supportive of these efforts and looks forward to seeing insurers return to the state’s market.
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Chamber Meets with Lithuanian Vice Minister of Agriculture
Chamber Vice President of Global Trade and Foreign Investment, Ken Wengrod, met with Vytenis Tomkus, Vice Minister of Agriculture for the Republic of Lithuania, last week to discuss the thriving Californian food and beverage sector and explore wider opportunities for cooperation with Lithuania. The meeting included 14 delegates representing agricultural companies as well as a Lithuanian company listed on NASDAQ. The U.S. is an important trade partner for the Baltic nation, and there are opportunities for regional businesses to engage.
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Chamber Joins China Trade & Investment Network
The Chamber became a network member of the China Trade & Investment Network (CTIN) by entering into an agreement with the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development(GO-Biz). This agreement will open up networking opportunities with other chambers of commerce and economic development organizations around the state. As a network member, the Chamber will have access to information related to California-China trade and investment opportunities, events, trade missions, and more from GO-Biz and other CTIN members.
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National Association for the Self-Employed Growth Grant
The National Association for the Self-Employed (NASE) is offering business development grants for up to $4,000. The grants, which are reviewed quarterly, can be used toward marketing, advertising, hiring, and other specific business needs. Completed applications received in October, November and December will be reviewed in January 2024. Find out how to apply here.
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Al Fresco Dining Application Portal Update
The City of Los Angeles established the Al Fresco program during the COVID pandemic to authorize restaurants to temporarily utilize sidewalks, private parking lots, street parking spaces, and lane closures for outdoor dining. Due to its success, the city is working to make this program permanent. Apply here to take part in the Al Fresco program beginning in January 2024.
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Writers Return to Work
The Writers Guild of America (WGA) returned to work this Wednesday after reaching a tentative deal on a new contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). The initial agreement includes pay increases, better benefits, protections against artificial intelligence, guarantees for streaming compensation, and more. The initial agreement was reached over the weekend and union leaders voted Tuesday to approve the contract. The three-year contract will now be voted on by members. Read our statement here.
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Help People Out of Homelessness with Ascencia
Ascencia has been providing comprehensive, solution-driven services with life-changing and life-saving outcomes for 17 years. They provide street outreach and engagement, hospital in-reach to unhoused patients, case management, housing location, connection of households to services in the communities, and more. If you would like to learn more about helping lift people out of homelessness, visit here.
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Hispanic Heritage Month
The Chamber is celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month. It’s an honor to highlight the impact of Hispanic Americans who have enriched our communities and nation. This week, the Chamber is featuring Miguel Santana, who serves as President & CEO of the Weingart Foundation, and soon, as President & CEO of the California Community Foundation. We are grateful for his dedication to the region.
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COUNCIL MEETINGS & EVENTS
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OneLA Procurement Workshop
Tuesday, October 3, 10:00 a.m. or 5:00 p.m.
The Chamber is hosting a Prepare to Meet the Buyer Workshop to help your business understand what's needed to effectively secure procurement opportunities. Attendance at this virtual training session is required to qualify for one-on-one B2B matchmaking appointments at the OneLA Procurement Fair happening on Oct. 18.
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OneLA Procurement Fair: Get in the Game!
Wednesday, October 18, 9:00 a.m.
Join us for our annual OneLA Procurement Fair to meet one-on-one with buyers, forecast presentations, and network with our exhibitors. All contract-ready small businesses are encouraged to register. Don't miss out on this opportunity to access potential contracts. Sign up today!
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Pancakes & Politics: California State Controller Malia M. Cohen
Friday, October 27, 8:30 a.m.
MEMBER ONLY EVENT
The Accenture Pancakes & Politics Speaker Series features leaders in elected office, business, as well as city and state administration, who are influencing important policy issues impacting the Los Angeles region.
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Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce
350 S. Bixel Street
Los Angeles, CA 90017
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