VICA Weekly
Valley Industry & Commerce Association
Friday, December 11
In This Issue
  • Quote of the Week
  • 71st Annual Meeting Recap
  • Members
  • VICA Advocacy
  • CHLA: Get Your Flu Shot!
  • Upcoming Events
  • Hot News
  • Apply for LA Al Fresco Funding!
  • Member Spotlight
  • Media Mentions
  • 2021 Government Handbook
  • Committee Meeting Recaps
"While we were all presented with remarkable challenges due to the pandemic, a reawakening to the systemic challenges facing many in our society, or the political environment that never ceases to disappoint, VICA has prevailed."
Brad Rosenheim, VICA Chair
VICA's 71st Annual Meeting
VICA Culminates 71 Years of Service to San Fernando Valley at Annual Meeting
The 2021 VICA Board of Directors was virtually sworn in by Los Angeles City Controller Ron Galperin.
Today, VICA celebrated another successful year of service to the San Fernando Valley at our 71st Annual Meeting - Home Edition! VICA culminates every successful year with this celebratory program for some of the Valley's finest volunteers, business leaders, scholars and public officials. VICA honored a few of these outstanding individuals with awards for their service and commitment to the community.
Among the award recipients was VICA First Vice Chair Victor Berrellez (US Bank), who was presented with the 15th Annual President's award, sponsored by Comcast NBC Universal. The President's Award honors a member that has gone above and beyond in service to VICA in the past year. Berrellez is an entrepreneur and businessman who serves the business community as a Vice President and Relationship Manager for US Bank. He is also very active in the San Fernando Valley community.
VICA's newly re-elected Chair Brad Rosenheim congratulates Victor Berrellez on being presented with the 15th President's Award.
The 28th Annual Harmon Ballin Community Service Award, sponsored by The Garland, was presented to Darnell Tyler (Comcast NBCUniversal) for his outstanding contribution to the community through long-term community service activities. Tyler currently serves as a Vice Chair of VICA and holds positions on eight other boards and committees within our community, but also has a long history of service, including seven years in the US Air Force.
Scott Mills of The Garland presents the 28th Harmon Ballin Community Service Award to Darnell Tyler.
Since 1978, VICA has presented the Robert E. Gibson Corporate Award for Excellence to industry leaders who have contributed in making the San Fernando Valley the most forward-thinking business community in Southern California. This year's 42nd Robert E. Gibson Award, sponsored by Bobrick Washroom Equipment was presented to PricewaterhouseCoopers, the second largest professional services network in the world.
Tuan Ho Presents the Robert E. Gibson Corporate Award of Excellence to Stefanie Kane, who accepted the award for PricewaterhouseCoopers.
VICA also recognized three distinguished students who are not only scholars, but represent the ideals of entrepreneurship and scholarship. We are proud to have presented scholarships to the following three students: Erica Hightower (Los Angeles Valley College), recipient of the 5th Annual Rickey M. Gelb Scholarship; Skye Loventhal (Granada Hills Charter School), recipient of the 5th Annual Melvyn A. Kohn Memorial Scholarship; and Samantha Schwartz (UCLA), recipient of the 6th Annual Marvin R. Selter Memorial Scholarship.

VICA's 71st Annual Meeting was presented by the California Alliance for Renewable Energy Solutions, San Fernando Valley Business Journal, and Southern California Gas Company and was co-sponsored by The Boeing Co., Charter Communications, Home Depot, and the Los Angeles Daily News. A big thank you to our sponsors, elected officials and members for making the 71st Annual Meeting, and VICA's 71 years of service to the Valley, such a success!
Members
VICA Thanks Our Renewing Members
Silver Member:
Bronze Member:
VICA Welcomes our New Members
VICA Advocacy
Delta Conveyance
VICA is an active supporter of the Delta Conveyance Project, which will provide reliable, high-quality, and affordable water to Southern California. This week, VICA urged the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD) to commit to funding the environmental review and planning process for the project. VICA explained that MWD's support and funding of the Delta Conveyance project would help ensure the region's water resiliency. Modernizing the aging water supply is vitally important to 29 million people, millions of acres of farmland, Southern California's $1.6 trillion economy, and our environment. We were pleased with the Board's decision to move forward with funding their share of the project. We will continue to be active in advocating for the Delta Conveyance Project, as it is essential to securing an affordable and reliable water source for generations to come.
Action Alert: S. 4421 TREAT Act
VICA strongly supports S. 4421 (Murphy), the Temporary Reciprocity to Ensure Access to Treatment (TREAT) Act, which will provide temporary licensing reciprocity across state lines to medical practitioners. The TREAT Act is crucial to ensure that our health system is capable of handling national emergencies both now and in the future, and VICA needs you to voice your support to Congress!

The COVID-19 Public Health Crisis has shown that access to health care is crucial to the welfare and economy of our nation. The TREAT Act would allow healthcare professionals to bypass lengthy license requests while still adhering to safety measures. In doing so, the TREAT Act expands possibilities for treatment and provides important flexibility to accessing safe and timely health care in national emergencies.

The United States faces an unprecedented path forward from the COVID-19 crisis and allowing temporary licensing reciprocity for health care professionals will not only play an important role in our current recovery but will also help us prepare for future crises.
The LA Al Fresco program has been a lifeline to Los Angeles restaurants during the COVID-19 pandemic, with over 2,000 restaurants permitted to-date. While outdoor dining is temporarily suspended, the Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) continues to process and approve applications for curbside and street closure dining operations for use as soon as restrictions are lifted.

LADOT was authorized $2 million in funding for the LA Al Fresco Program, and the CARES Act requires outdoor dining improvements to be installed before the end of the year.

VICA strongly encourages businesses to apply for curbside dining closures this week to ensure that they are completed before the end of the year and can be reimbursed with CARES funding.
Hot News
Economy
UCLA Economists predict the "roaring twenties," with robust economic growth and acceleration after distribution of a vaccine.

Education
The CSU system plans to return to in-person learning in the Fall of 2021, noting the recent advancements in vaccine distribution.

Unemployment
US unemployment claims rose to 853,000 in November amid a COVID-19 resurgence, the most since September.

Homelessness
The LA County Board of Supervisors asked the US Dept. of Housing and Urban Development to cancel the 2021 homeless count in LA, citing COVID-19 concerns.
COVID-19
A child has died of a COVID-19 MIS-C related illness, the first in Los Angeles County and possibly the first in California.

Biden Administration
California Attorney General Xavier Becerra has been chosen to be the next Secretary of Health and Human Services under the Biden Administration.

Closures
A superior court judge has ruled that LA County acted "arbitrarily" with the outdoor dining ban. The state's overriding ban on outdoor dining still holds.

Social Media
The Federal Trade Commission and 48 states are suing Facebook for monopolistic practices, and Facebook could be require to divest Instagram.
Member Spotlight
Steven Kats - Kiewit
Steven Kats is a Chicago native and although he is still a diehard Chicago sports fan (Cubs/Bulls/Bears), he has been in Los Angeles for almost a decade and considers himself an adoptive Angeleno.

When asked a few questions about VICA and his experiences he shared these thoughts with us:

Tell us about your experience with VICA, how has VICA been valuable for you? 
I have been involved with VICA for over 7 years now and it has been a definite game changer. This organization is unlike most other affiliations. VICA not only goes the above and beyond to help you and your business grow, but it has also provided long lasting friendships, along with a platform to connect with industry/political professionals.

If you were to tell a peer or friend about VICA, what would be your sales pitch? 
VICA has been a great asset for me and my career. Regarding my industry which is Transportation, VICA is not only plugged into the San Fernando Valley but it has been extremely helpful for the entirety of Los Angeles County. Also, VICA has supported me when I was working at a small business to now a fortune 500 company and everything in between. In short, Stuart and team are here to create a plan specific to you and your company!

What is your favorite experience or memory with VICA?
There have been many great events (especially the Business Forecast Conference) and great friendships created, but I really have appreciated being a Co-chair of the Transportation committee. First of all, you get a great breakfast from the Garland, but second, you can always guarantee a great set of speakers and vote on legislation that is so important to the future of Transportation.

How has your company made commitments or adjustments to support employees and/or the community during the COVID-19 pandemic? 
At Kiewit, it has been at the forefront of our mind. We are a very large organization and have to look at things a bit different, especially since much of our work is in the field and has been deemed an essential service. So, I have been very proud on how Kiewit has reacted, and we actually have identified an internal group to respond to this situation and understand that there isn’t a one size fits all across the company. From my short time here, it has been apparent that Safety is the foundation to Kiewit and it seems like they are approaching COVID-19 similarly to how they approach safety, which is at the highest level.
Media Mentions
2021 Government Handbook
Committee Report
Land Use Committee (12/8)
Sponsored by The Garland

  • Lisa Webber from the Los Angeles City Planning Department provided insight into staff changes and proposed updates on processing fees at the Department.
  • Nicholas Maricich, Director of Planning Policy and Development for the Office of Mayor Eric Garcetti, updated the committee on current initiatives at the Mayor's Office.
  • Tomas Carranza, Principal Transportation Engineer with the Los Angeles Department of Transportation, presented on the City's Vehicle Miles Traveled Thresholds and Guidelines.
  • Anthony Dedousis, Policy and Research Director of Abundant Housing LA, presented on the Abundant Housing Equitable RHNA Distribution Strategy.
  • Bonnie Kim, City Planner at the Los Angeles Department of City Planning, updated the committee on the processes and procedures ordinance.
Member Messages
Get Your Message in VICA Weekly!
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 cathy@vica.com or call (818) 817-0545.
ABOUT VICA
Presenting the business perspective on behalf of employers in the
San Fernando Valley cities of Los Angeles, Burbank, Glendale, Calabasas,
Hidden Hills, San Fernando and Santa Clarita.
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