"You only have special sessions when you have solutions. You don't have special sessions to discuss what you can't do."
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Senator Anthony Portantino
VICA Advocacy Day
August 25, 2020
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VICA Advocates Virtually in Sacramento
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The California State Legislature is in its final week of the 2020 legislative session, and VICA has continued to actively advocate for issues impacting the San Fernando Valley until the very end. During marathon sessions in both the State Assembly and State Senate, bills are moving quickly, and VICA's August Advocacy Day - Home Edition was just one example of our continuing push to have the voices of the Valley heard.
Several VICA supported bills were advocated for, and are now in the final stretch, awaiting approval on the floors of both Legislative Houses:
- SB 1085 (Skinner) would expand Density Bonus Law in order to help stimulate more housing construction.
- AB 323 (Rubio) would extend AB 5 exemptions for newspapers and news websites in order to ensure local journalism can continue providing critical information to Valley businesses and residents.
- AB 2560 (Quirk) would make Water Board decisions more transparent by requiring public distribution of information.
- AB 3163 (Salas) would make California's energy cleaner and more secure by expanding the definition of biomethane.
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AB 1845 (L. Rivas) would create a Governor's Office to End Homelessness in order to centralize state efforts to address the housing and homelessness crises.
Multiple bills that VICA opposes were advocated against as well, and are also up to vote as the legislative session ends this week:
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SB 977 (Monning) would strain access to health care by creating burdensome regulations on health care mergers and affiliations.
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SB 1159 (Hill) would create an onerous rebuttable presumption that any employee testing positive for COVID-19 must receive workers' compensation.
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SB 1383 (Jackson) would require all businesses over 5 employees to provide 12 weeks of mandatory family leave, potentially crippling small businesses.
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AB 1436 (Chiu) would transfer the burdens of the pandemic from tenants to property owners by creating a moratorium on evictions due to unpaid rent.
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AB 3216 (Kalra) would impose a statewide right of recall on the hospitality, aviation and event services industries, tying the hands of many California employers.
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| | Senator Bob Hertzberg inducts the 2020 Board of Directors |
VICA's 2021 Board of Directors nomination and selection process is underway, and we want your nominations!
Board members must be able to attend regular board meetings and be prepared to vote on a wide variety of public policy issues. Board members must also attend regular committee meetings and VICA events. Additional responsibilities may include calling or writing lawmakers, attending press conferences, testifying, authoring editorials, interacting with top opinion leaders and more.
For more information on the 2021 Board of Directors guidelines, click here.
If you or someone you know is interested in participating on the board in 2021, please click on the nomination form below and submit to [email protected]. If you don't want to serve on the board, but are interested in serving as a committee chair, please let us know that on the nomination form. Applications are due by Friday, September 18.
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 On Thursday, the VICA Board of Directors voted to support Proposition 22: The App-Based Drivers as Contractors and Labor Policies Initiative. Proposition 22 would create an exemption to AB 5, and define app-based transportation and delivery drivers as independent contractors and establish labor and wage policies specific to app-based rideshare and delivery companies.
Last year's passage of AB 5 upended major segments of the California economy by reclassifying many former independent contractors as employees. The resulting increase of labor costs brought by AB 5 led to many newly-classified employees being laid off. This was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, as many workers who have lost their jobs are now unable to find work as independent contractors.
Rideshares increase transportation flexibility, help prevent drunk driving, and are useful for people who do not own personal vehicles. Furthermore, due to the pandemic, families can rely on delivery apps to receive their groceries and medications, and small restaurants can stay open even while in-person dining remains restricted. Classifying rideshare and delivery drivers as employees restricted the freedom that has made these services popular for drivers and passengers alike.
Voting yes on Proposition 22 would ensure that rideshare and delivery app drivers maintain the ability to work entirely at will and choose their own hours. It also will ensure that riders would not see sudden sharp increases in ride and delivery costs as a result of massively increased employment costs for the companies. For these reasons, VICA supports Proposition 22, and urges you to do the same!
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VICA was pleased to have another successful virtual event! On Thursday, VICA welcomed Los Angeles Councilmember Mitch O'Farrell to our VICA After Dark program. The evening started with an hour of networking, cheers, and chats, where VICA members were able to have conversations with the Councilmember and each other. David Meza with SoCalGas welcomed and introduced Councilmember O'Farrell who continued with a robust discussion on homelessness, the economic crisis, and rebuilding our communities and businesses after the pandemic. Beverly Kenworthy with the California Apartment Association led the Q&A section of the program, where Councilmember O'Farrell answered additional questions from attendees.
We thank Councilmember O'Farrell for joining us for such an informative conversation, and thank our Sponsor, SoCalGas, and co-sponsor, the California Apartment Association for making this event possible.
If you missed it, be sure to join us at future VICA events!
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VICA's Harmon Ballin Community Service Award annually honors an active VICA member who has made an outstanding contribution to our community through their long-term community service activities. A nominee is someone who:
1. Has been an active VICA member and is actively engaged in the organization currently.
2. Has significant and long-term involvement in philanthropic and community/public serve organizations or a significant record in that area.
3. Is a role model as a community leader.
All Nominee forms must be submitted via email to [email protected] by Friday, September 18, 2020.
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Member Messages:
Get Your Message in VICA Weekly!
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VICA members can promote their business, events and news in VICA Weekly. Member messages are available for $50 per week or $175 for four weeks. Messages are text-based and may not contain more than 70 words. A logo may be added for an additional $5 per week. For more information or to schedule your member message, contact [email protected] or
call (818) 817-0545.
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