Newsletter November 2021 Highlights
The mission of The Valley Economic Alliance is to engage and unite Valley stakeholders to raise standards of living and economic vitality across the San Fernando Valley.
We promote business retention, business attraction, workforce development, and tourism to create and retain jobs and a great quality of life in the 5-City San Fernando Valley region, including Burbank, Calabasas, Glendale, Los Angeles SFV, and San Fernando.
|
|
- Message From The CEO
- Breaking News
- Feature Stories
- Small Business
|
|
- Employment
- Making An Impact
- Investor Spotlight
- Calendar of Events
|
|
A Message of Thanksgiving from the CEO |
|
|
 |
Dear Friends,
This Thanksgiving, we’re grateful for our many accomplishments over the course of a challenging year. I’d like to express my gratitude for the support I’ve received during my first year as President and CEO of the Alliance, along with the invaluable programmatic feedback we’ve received from our San Fernando Valley community. Our organization ceases to exist without you!
Now is the time to remain mindful of those less fortunate and struggling in our region and the world at large. Specifically, the Alliance is dedicated to uplifting the lives of our local residents by providing solutions to problems plaguing our community, such as homelessness, economic disparities, job loss, and threats of drastic redistricting. Many of these topics – and our organizational stance on these matters – are addressed in this month’s Newsletter in hopes of awakening our supporters and advocating for collective change. We hope that our mission to galvanize our readers and promote our initiatives prove to be successful.
I personally want to thank the members of The Valley Economic Alliance and our partners for their dedication and support, which has solidified our organization as the voice of San Fernando Valley’s economic revitalization. Our board of directors, committee members, volunteers, and staff generously contribute their time and resources each day for our cause, which makes all of our efforts worthwhile.
I wish all of you a healthy and Happy Thanksgiving and hope that you enjoy a relaxing holiday with your family and friends.
Sincerely,
|
Sonya Kay Blake
President and CEO
|
|
|
|
Housing Creates Communities |
|
|
In support of our ongoing Housing Creates Communities campaign, the Community Foundation of the Valleys, in partnership with The Valley Economic Alliance, will host a multi-sector Homelessness & Housing Conference addressing solutions and innovations tackling the critical needs of the unhoused locals on Friday, December 3, 2021 from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm at Los Angeles Pierce College (6201 Winnetka Avenue in Woodland Hills). Not only will discussions address housing solutions for local residents, but they will also focus on future housing development in the greater San Fernando and Santa Clarita Valleys.
Thirteen local community and business organizations planned the conference to ensure the widest and deepest engagement from stakeholders. “This is the first conference of its type focused solely on the San Fernando and Santa Clarita Valley regions,” said Marianne Haver Hill, Board Chair of the Community Foundation of the Valleys and the Chair of the conference planning committee. “Our expectation is that by bringing together a diverse group of speakers and attendees, the conference dialogue will deliver viable solutions for addressing the challenges of homelessness and housing development.”
Conference keynote speakers include Christopher Hawthorne and Kerry Morrison. Hawthorne is the chief design officer of the City of Los Angeles and will focus on New Housing Paradigms for Los Angeles. Morrison, is the founder of Heart Forward LA. Morrison’s presentation will focus on The Unhoused and the Mentally Ill. One of two panel discussions, titled The Challenge of Homelessness, will be facilitated by Wendy Greuel, chair of the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority Commission. The second panel presentation titled, The Challenge of Housing will be facilitated by Helmi Hisserich, senior principal and co-lead of the housing team with Lesar Development Consultants.
“There is a real connection between the homeless crisis and the availability of affordable housing as well as all types of housing development,” said Fred Gaines, the Board Chair of The Valley Economic Alliance. “The best way to address these issues is through this multi-sector approach working collaboratively with business and community leaders, the public sector, faith-based leaders and with representatives from homeless service agencies.”
The Alliance’s Housing Creates Communities campaign is intended to promote the development of housing in the Valley. Special thanks to the Southland Regional Association of Realtors, Union Bank, and The Zoo 360 Marketing Agency for their partnership and support, which makes the initiative possible. In addition to attending our Homelessness & Housing Conference, we invite you to lend a hand in the following ways:
2. Support housing on social media;
3. Voice your support to your elected officials; and
4. Attend city planning hearings.
For more information about how you can help make housing more available and affordable in our region, visit TheValley.net/Housing.
|
|
Redistricting Soon Complete |
|
|
Our leaders within city and county government are currently changing the landscape of San Fernando Valley through the redistricting process. Depending on the issues at hand, many of our residents will either be positively or negatively affected by these transitions. We have the power to weigh in to preserve the rich character and composition of the Valley by raising our voices. The future of our economy depends on our participation in such critical decisions for our community, so we urge you to take an active stand for what’s best for all of our residents.
City
On November 9, 2021, the City Council Ad Hoc Redistricting Committee published its proposed redistricting map, which will ensure that three Council districts represented by Council Members Nury Martinez, Bob Blumenfield and Paul Krekorian remain largely as-is. Significant changes were made to the Hollywood Hills district, which is represented by Councilwoman Nithya Raman, while Councilman Curren Price’s district will retain Exposition Park and USC. After a state-required hearing takes place at the end of the month, the Council will reconvene on December 1 to vote on activating the changes.
County
Since the beginning of the year, the Commission has held 45 meetings addressing County redistricting. Though there are only five LA County Supervisors representing five districts, six maps are currently under consideration for the reorganization of those districts. A second public hearing took place on November 17 where the Commission unveiled the following draft maps: A1, B1, C1, D1, E and F .
The Commission is scheduled to choose its final map later this month and complete its work by December 15, with the new district boundaries taking effect in January 2022.
|
|
Community Revitalization: Valley Main Streets |
|
|
With funding for the “Valley Main Streets” place-based revitalization project, its inaugural component—Uplift Lake View Terrace—is well underway.
Thanks to a generous grant award from Wells Fargo, the Alliance is in the process of launching two separate segments of the project: 1) the development of a Commercial Cluster Toolkit, which can be used by community leaders as a self-directed guide for revitalization in their respective commercial districts; and 2) a Demonstration Project, where the toolkit will be implemented as a pilot project. Uplift Lake View Terrace, which is scheduled to take place within this four square mile neighborhood, will benefit nearly 12,000 diverse San Fernando Valley residents.
The Demonstration Project centers on the Lake View Terrace Shopping Center, one of the few business centers known for providing necessary amenities to the local community. The project offers business assistance to local companies, community engagement to decide on district improvements, campaigns to attract new businesses to vacant commercial spaces, and promotion to increase customer foot-traffic from local neighbors and visitors. The project also offers helpful resources to job seekers, first time homebuyers, and financial literacy education.
“We are proud to support this grass-roots revitalization initiative and the overall impact that it will have in the Lake View Terrace community,” said Jack Olree, Social Impact and Sustainability at Wells Fargo. We look forward to the success of this initiative.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Do you need help recovering from the pandemic or otherwise reaching profitability? Support is available to help you recover and grow.
Assistance is available with:
Applying for loans and grants, Marketing to attract new customers, Finding subsidized employees, Bidding on contracts, Optimizing your website, and more.
|
|
|
|
Business owners of color and women business owners are growing segments of our burgeoning economy, they often face additional barriers to success such as lack of access to information, capital, and resource networks. The Valley Economic Alliance offers three affinity groups to offer culturally relevant outreach to these traditionally disadvantaged groups. Join our Facebook Groups for timely information on targeted grant opportunities and other resources that might be of interest. |
|
Business Assistance Program Success Story |
|
|
As we develop our 2022 calendar, we would like to know what you would like to learn about:
|
|
Winning government and private contracts
|
|
|
|
|
Increasing revenues through exporting
|
|
|
|
|
Managing staff/HR compliance
|
|
|
|
|
Obtaining capital (grants, loans, and investors)
|
|
|
|
|
How to find a commercial location
|
|
|
|
|
How to obtain a building permit
|
|
|
|
|
Other (Email info@economicalliance.org to suggest topics)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The San Fernando Valley region is a great place to plant your business and grow. Our large and diverse economy, with a strong labor force and available commercial real estate, all you need is the right support network to access opportunities that will help you increase revenues, decrease expenses, and access labor, capital, and real estate.
Throughout the month, the Alliance highlights virtual regional leaders to speak on the latest hot valley topics.
Matthew Glesne presented LA's 2021-2029 Housing Element and Clint Harper discussed the future of drones in the San Fernando Valley.
Visit our Event Calendar and join us for upcoming virtual speaker programs.
|
|
|
|
|
Matthew Glesne, Senior City Planner for the Los Angeles Department of City Planning leads the Department’s Housing Policy Unit, which is responsible for developing various citywide housing related initiatives.
|
|
|
|
|
Clint Harper, Urban Air Mobility Fellow for Urban Movement Labs Urban Air Mobility
envisions a safe and efficient aviation transportation system that will use highly automated aircraft that will operate and transport passengers or cargo at lower altitude within urban and suburban areas.
|
|
|
The Valley Works Job Board is available for job seekers to connect with various industry employers. This free on-line job board provides the following:
-
Employer Cards – Click on any of the Employer Cards to go to the Employer Pages to view jobs available.
-
Supplemental Employers Pavilion – In this section, you can access the “Jobs” pages of our partners.
-
Video Library – View expert videos on writing your resume and cover letter, interviewing well, and optimizing your LinkedIn profile among other topics.
|
|
Diana Sanchez received the 63rd Annual Fernando Award on November 5th at the Skirball Cultural Center.
During Sanchez’s acceptance remarks, she said, “I’m honored and humbled to be selected as the Fernando award recipient.” She also recognized her fellow finalists, shared her appreciation to her employer and dedicated the award to the memory of her late mother, late wife and to anyone who has fought cancer.
|
|
|
Walter Njboke was honored by the Humanitarian Award by Optimist Youth Homes & Family Services (OYHFS) at their 2021 Mentor awards for his years of service as a loyal friend to children, advocate for change, and dedicated board member to enhance life for foster and probation youth
|
|
|
By participating in our Give Where You Live campaign, you become a Valley influencer who leads the way toward a brighter future for our region. If you have the means to share in this important work that builds all of our neighborhoods into thriving communities, then there is no better time to invest than now and no better place than The Valley Economic Alliance. |
|
|
|
Volunteer Opportunities
We are seeking some energetic, creative, and reliable volunteers to assist us in advancing our mission to help businesses endure through the COVID-19 crisis and stimulate Valley-wide recovery and prosperity.
Volunteer positions are available in graphic design, website design, social media management, and event management. If you're interested in volunteering, please complete our Volunteer Form to get started.
|
|
|
American Business Bank, headquartered in downtown Los Angeles, offers a wide range of financial services to the business marketplace. Clients include wholesalers, manufacturers, service businesses, professionals and non-profits. American Business Bank has seven Loan Production Offices in strategic locations including: North Orange County in Anaheim, Orange County in Irvine, South Bay in Torrance, San Fernando Valley in Woodland Hills, Riverside County in Corona, Inland Empire in Ontario and LA Coastal in Long Beach.
|
|
|
Bobrick is a 100+ year-old washroom accessory and toilet partition company headquartered in North Hollywood, CA, with seven manufacturing divisions across the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom and remains loyal to their local communities by reaching out through partnerships, volunteerism and community outreach sponsorships.
|
|
|
|
Invest in The Alliance
Make your impact by funding our job retention and attraction programs while receiving valuable recognition and benefits. Contact Jacqui Matsumoto at jmatsumoto@economicalliance.org or click below for more information.
|
|
|
|
Homelessness & Housing Multi-sector Conference
Friday, December 3, 2021
8:00 Am - 2:00 PM
Keynote Speakers:
Christopher Hawthorne, Chief Design Officer, City of Los Angeles
“New Housing Paradigms for Los Angeles”
Kerry Morrison, Founder, Heart Forward LA
“The Unhoused Mentally Ill: A Model for System Change”
|
|
|
|
Join us on Thursday, December 16, 2021 from 8:00 am to 9:30 am for our annual Board of Directors meeting.
- Election & Installation of Officers & Board of Directors, swearing in by Los Angeles City Controller Ron Galperin
- The Valley Economic Alliance Annual Report
- City reports from Burbank, Calabasas, Glendale, Los Angeles and San Fernando
- Self guided museum tour
Registration is required.
|
|
|
|
We invite you to join us for what will surely be the event of the year for the San Fernando Valley. This year, our highly anticipated in-person Gala will offer all of the inspiration and entertainment our guests have come to expect.
Our charming Master of Ceremonies Jerry O’Connell, Co-Host of The Talk, will guide us through a fun-filled, elegant evening where we will honor Eric Dickerson as our Sports & Entertainment Honoree, Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt as our Jane and Bert Boeckman Business Leadership Honoree, and Ken Craft of Hope of the Valley as our Humanitarian Honoree.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
