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Historic Days in Washington D.C.
Senator Alex Padilla was sworn into the Senate, becoming the first Latino to represent California. In the House of Representatives, Rep. Kevin McCarthy is vying to become the Speaker of the House. The California representative has lost 13 straight ballot attempts as of Friday afternoon. A Speaker must be chosen before the session starts and committee assignments are completed. The House GOP Leader hopes to replace Rep. Nancy Pelosi as Speaker. |
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Candidates Qualify for Council District 6 Ballot
The deadline to file a nominating petition for the Council District 6 vacancy ended this week. Nineteen candidates filed a declaration of intent to run, but only 11 submitted their petitions by the Jan. 4 deadline. So far, Marco Santana, Isaac Kim, and Imelda Padilla have qualified for the ballot. You can see the full list of candidates and their status here.
The special election is Tuesday, April 4, and a runoff election will be held, if necessary, on Tuesday, June 27. |
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Reappointment Vote for Chief Moore Delayed
The Board of Police Commissioners' planned vote on L.A. Police Chief Michel Moore’s reappointment has been pushed from Jan. 10 to a future date. Mayor Karen Bass has focused heavily on the city’s homelessness crisis and has not yet announced her slate of police commissioners. |
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Bass Begins Inside Safe Housing Program
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass kickstarted her "Inside Safe" initiative to move people who are living in tents on streets into hotel and motel rooms. The program will improve outreach efforts, help the city engage with individuals experiencing homelessness, and provide safe spaces inside with ongoing support. Bass said the program will cost under $100 million, and the goal is to move more than 17,000 people into housing in her first year. |
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| POLICY & ADVOCACY |
L.A. County Extends Eviction Moratorium
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted at their final 2022 board meeting to extend the countywide eviction moratorium until Jan. 31, 2023. The emergency measure was set to sunset at the end of December 2022 before the county extended it through January. |
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L.A. City Council Names Committee Assignments
L.A. City Council President Paul Krekorian released committee assignments on Tuesday to integrate the five newly elected Councilmembers. The most notable change is Krekorian leaving his chair position on the powerful Budget and Finance Committee and appointing Councilmember Bob Blumenfield as chair. The assignments are subject to approval by the full Council when it returns to session next week. You can see the list of committee assignments here. |
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L.A. Sets End Date for COVID-19 Emergency
L.A.’s state of local emergency will end on Feb. 1 after the City Council adopted Council President Krekorian’s amendment to extend the emergency declaration into the first months of 2023. The local emergency has been in effect since the spring of 2020. |
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New Fast Food Law On Temporary Hold
Save Local Restaurants filed a lawsuit in late 2022 and won a temporary restraining order to prevent the enactment of AB 257— known as the FAST Act, or the Fast Food Recovery Act. The law would give an appointed 10-member “Fast Food Council” wide-ranging authority over fast food and fast casual restaurants in California. The group submitted a petition on Dec. 5, 2022, signed by more than one million Californians, to put the measure on the ballot for the 2024 general election. |
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| GLOBAL ENGAGEMENT |
Governor Redesignates Lt. Gov. to Global Trade
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order to redesignate Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis as his top representative to advance California’s economic interests abroad. Lt. Gov. Kounalakis, a former U.S. Ambassador, has served as the Governor’s International Affairs and Trade Development Representative since 2019. California is poised to become the fourth-largest economy in the world. The state is the second largest exporter in the country and has $3.37 trillion in annual gross domestic product. View the announcement here. |
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World Trade Week Industry Awards and Scholarship Opportunities
The L.A. Area Chamber and the World Trade Week Committee are accepting nominations for several international trade industry awards which will be presented live at the Southern California Kickoff Conference on May 2. In addition, the Chamber is offering annual scholarships to encourage outstanding students to continue post-secondary study in international trade and business. The award ranges from $1,000 to $1,500 per student. Learn more here. |
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| COMMUNITY COLLABORATION |
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LAEDC Names Stephen Cheung as President and CEO
Congratulations to Stephen Cheung, who will replace William (Bill) Allen as President and CEO of the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC). Allen served as President and CEO for the past 17 years. The LAEDC is a community partner of the Chamber, and we look forward to working with Mr. Cheung. |
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Labor Laws for Employers
Join us for our first Small Business Strong virtual workshop of 2023. The Chamber is partnering with the California Department of Industrial Relations and the Labor Commission for a virtual training on Labor Laws for Employers. The training, conducted by Deputy Labor Commissioner Matt Hester, will provide an overview of labor laws, including Supplemental Paid Sick Leave/Paid Sick Leave, meal and rest breaks, retaliation, and related topics. Employers of all sizes are encouraged to attend and registration is free. The training will be hosted on Zoom in English with simultaneous Spanish translation. More information on resources for employers can also be found at saferatwork.ca.gov/ers. RSVP here. |
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Work Sharing Program Seminar
Are you or employers you know thinking about possible layoffs? The Work Sharing Program allows employers to reduce employee hours and wages while the Employment Development Department (EDD) pays partial unemployment benefits. Employers can avoid the cost of hiring and training new employees when their business or the economy improves. Register here for a virtual seminar on the Work Sharing Program on January 12 from 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. |
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| CHAMBER BUSINESS NEWS |
L.A. Area Chamber Named Top Los Angeles Chamber by LABJ
The Los Angeles Business Journal named the L.A. Area Chamber as the top L.A Chamber of Commerce in its 2023 Book of Lists. The Book of Lists is the complete collection of data on industry leaders researched by the LABJ's editorial team over the past year. You can view the Chamber's ranking here. |
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| MEMBER SPOTLIGHT |
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New Member
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Member Anniversaries
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| COUNCIL MEETINGS & EVENTS |
Barriers to the Workforce
Thursday, January 12, 4:30 p.m.
MEMBER ONLY EVENT
Join the Chamber as we kick off the year with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Allison Dembeck, Vice President of Education and Labor Advocacy and the Executive Director of Women Taking the Lead. Bring your questions and ideas for advocacy in 2023 on issues such as child care, workforce barriers, and women's advancement.
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Looking Forward in 2023
Friday, January 13, 10:00 a.m.
MEMBER ONLY EVENT
The Education and Workforce Development Council will meet to review key events from 2022 and identify targets for 2023, including speakers, advocacy topics, and more as informed by Chamber members.
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2023 Inaugural:
The Future Is Here
Thursday, February 16, 2023
The L.A. Area Chamber’s Inaugural is the region’s premier business event to kick off a year-long body of work which impacts the entire L.A. region. Join us as we celebrate our honorees and welcome incoming Board Chair, A.G. Spanos of the Los Angeles Chargers. Become a sponsor today.
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| VIEW FULL CALENDAR |
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Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce
350 S. Bixel Street
Los Angeles, CA 90017 |
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