April 5, 2019

In This Issue
"Whatever we do, it won't be without input from VICA and the business community. You have my word; I will be transparent and we will have a discussion and see what compromise we can come up with. "
- Los Angeles City Councilmember David Ryu discussing the City Council's proposed parental leave measure

Media Mentions 
With Business Groups Allied Against It, LA Parcel Tax Faces Big Hurdle
EdSource
April 1

Really, It's All About the Kids
April 1

Los Angeles City Council's Paid Parental Leave Policy
KNX 1070
April 2


Members

VICA Thanks Our Renewing Members
____________________

PLATINUM MEMBERS
(1979)

(2013)

SILVER MEMBER
(2016)

BRONZE MEMBERS

(2009)


(2011)

__________________

Birdi & Associates
(2016)

David Gershwin Consulting
(2013)

Employers Group
(2010)

Kindel Gagan Inc.
(2007)

M Strategic Communications
(2014)

Polaris Group
(1998)

San Fernando Valley Interfaith Council, Inc.
(2015)

Valley Cultural Foundation
(2017)

Western States Petroleum Association
(2012)
__________________

 
Calendar

This Weekend

Fill The Truck
Saturday, April 6
10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Promenade at Westfield Topanga
6100 Topanga Canyon Blvd., Canoga Park
Click here to learn more

The Week Ahead

Land Use Committee
Hosted by The Garland
Tuesday, April 9
8:00 to 10:00 a.m.
The Garland
4222 Vineland Ave., North Hollywood
Click here to RSVP

Sacramento Advocacy Day
Wednesday, April 10
All Day
Sacramento, CA
Click here to RSVP

Not-for-Profit Committee
Hosted by Child Care Resource Center
Thursday, April 11
8:30 to 10:00 a.m.
Child Care Resource Center
19809 Prairie Street, Chatsworth
Click here to RSVP

Save the Date

Government Affairs Committee
Hosted by Penny Lane Centers
Wednesday, April 17
8:30 to 10:30 a.m.
Penny Lane Centers
15314 Rayen Street, North Hills
Click here to RSVP

Newsmaker Connection Council District 12 Election Forum
Tuesday, April 30
7:30 to 9:30 a.m.
VICA Office
16600 Sherman Way, Suite 170, Van Nuys
Click here to RSVP



Hot Issues 

LAX
Los Angeles airport officials called for an expansion and reorganization of the nation's second busiest airport, including changes to existing runways and the construction of a passenger terminal east of Sepulveda Boulevard.

Infrastructure
Los Angeles city streets and sidewalks are in such disrepair that they may not be ready to handle the influx of 500,000 visitors for the 2028 Olympics. Nearly 40% of the city's streets have a D or F rating and more than 8,700 lane miles are in need of rehabilitation.

Cannabis
The State Senate moved to close a licensing gap for state cannabis growers. Many cultivators have seen their temporary license expire before the state was able to replace them. Companies without a license are unable to do business in the legal pot economy. The Senate voted to extend temporary licenses until replacements are approved.

Valley Leadership
This week, the Valley Economic Development Center announced the appointment of Alex Guerrero as their new president. Guerrero is a senior leader in the organization and has been instrumental in reshaping the organizations renewed focus on serving small businesses. 
 
Emergency Alerts
A statewide fix for county based emergency warning systems is in the works. Experts found that emergency management by individual counties has proven outdated in an era of massive, fast moving wildfires and other extreme weather events. 



LA City Councilmember David Ryu Discusses Homelessness, Transparency, and Parental Leave
VICA Vice Chairs Mark Davis (Sun Hill Properties / Hilton Universal City), Steve Nissen (Comcast NBCUniversal), Pam Berg (MP Printing & Mailing), Councilmember David Ryu, Brad Roen (Vitello's Restaurant), VICA 1st Vice Chair Brad Rosenheim (Rosenheim & Associates)
 
On Tuesday, VICA members met with Los Angeles City Councilmember David Ryu for a VICA After Dark. Members enjoyed appetizers and drinks hosted by  Vitello's Restaurant as they heard remarks from Councilmember Ryu. Ryu discussed his recent engagement and the story of his path to the City Council. Ryu expressed his belief in the power of local politics, stating that, "local politics is where the rubber meets the road. You vote for me, I work for you, and together we get things done." The Councilmember highlighted his focus on transparency and compromise, as well as the Council's effort to increase housing for the homeless using money generated by Measure HHH. Ryu also took questions from the audience about congestion pricing, distracted driving, and paid parental leave. 

Thank you to our presenting sponsors, Athens Services, Comcast NBCUniversal, Sun Hill Properties / Hilton Universal City, and Vitello's as well as our co-sponsors California State University, Northridge and Sheppard Mullin, and our friends of VICA sponsor, the Southland Regional Association of Realtors.

Click here to view pictures from the event


Tuesday, April 30, 2019
7:30 - 9:30 a.m.
VICA Office
16600 Sherman Way, Suite 170,
Van Nuys

COUNCIL DISTRICT 12 SPECIAL ELECTION FORUM

Join VICA for a special Newsmaker Connection as candidates for Council District 12 gather to discuss issues affecting businesses across the San Fernando Valley. This special Election Forum will provide members with the unique opportunity to meet, listen and speak with the CD 12 contenders.

Confirmed Speakers
(as of 4/5/19)





Scott Abrams Jeff Daar John Lee Loraine Lundquist
Josh Yeager
This event offers attendees the freedom to ask questions and receive immediate responses from our candidates.

Breakfast is included. The event is free for VICA members. Non-members interested in attending, please contact  Helene  at the VICA Office.

Click here to register
VICA Continues to Push For More Housing Solutions
With housing as VICA's top legislative priority for 2019, VICA has expressed support for the re-establishment of aspects of Redevelopment Agencies, which could be used to provide a new source of funding to accelerate the development of low- to moderate-income housing. VICA has also strongly supported Senate Bill 50 (Wiener), which would allow housing to be built near high-quality transit and in job-rich areas. VICA strongly supports requiring local governments to approve higher-density housing if the site is within a half-mile of a major transit stop. VICA is also sponsoring Assembly Bill 1560 (Friedman), which would expand the definition of a Major Transit Stop so that new areas of the Valley can benefit from CEQA exemptions and other incentives to build higher-density housing along the Metro Orange Line and future bus rapid transit routes. VICA also recently advocated in favor of the Warner Center 2035 project during its five-year review and is continuing to oppose rent control policies at all levels. An extension for the county's rent control ordinance will be heard next Tuesday at the county board of supervisors, VICA will be there to oppose this bad housing policy.

For more information, email [email protected]
VICA Advocates for Independent Contractors; Other Labor Issues
Negotiations to resolve the problems caused by last year's Dynamex case, which prohibited many long-established independent contractors to continue working without being brought on as an employee, continue. VICA expressed concern about a proposal to codify the ruling and then carve out exemptions for certain industries, noting that carve-outs could never cover the myriad of situations including arts organizations, journalists, academia, and many other small businesses. Negotiations continue and VICA members can weigh in  here. VICA also continued to advocate on labor issues including joint employer liability, and the establishment of a rebuttable presumption of unlawful retaliation.  At the local level, VICA has been actively working to share the business community's concerns on proposals that employers in the City of LA pay 30-40 percent of employees' salary while they are on paid parental leave. Proposals to impose restrictive scheduling in the City of LA will be discussed with Council President Herb Wesson's senior staff at VICA's Government Affairs Committee on April 17.

For more information, email [email protected]
Member Spotlight
David Krause has served to bring the country's leading Hollywood studios and Fortune 500 corporations into the modern era of information technology for over two decades. Krause has worked for major studios including Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros Animation, and Comedy Central and for major blockbuster films. Krause is now bringing his expertise to RiseUp Technologies, an IT company that builds and manages technologies for growing small and midsize businesses and raises awareness about the latest cybersecurity threats.

Click here to learn more about RiseUp Technologies


Thursday, May 2, 2019
11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
 The Garland
4222 Vineland Ave., 
North Hollywood

Kevin Demoff
Executive Vice President of Football Operations and Chief Operating Officer of the Los Angeles Rams 
 
On May 2, Kevin Demoff, Executive Vice President of Football Operations and Chief Operating Officer of the Los Angeles Rams, will discuss last year's NFC Champions, the Los Angeles Rams. Demoff will take time to answer members' questions and give an overview of last season, next season, and the new stadium.

Co-sponsored by BYD America

Sponsorships are still available - email [email protected] or call the 
VICA Office at (818) 817-0545

Click here to RSVP
New Bill Will Fail to Relieve Congestion or Cut Emissions
VICA opposes Senate Bill 319 (Moorlach), which would require the construction of two additional traffic lanes on the Central Valley segments of the I-5 and SR 99 without a maximum speed limit using funds from the state's Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF).  Adding lanes is not a solution to relieving congestion. Research shows that for every 1 percent increase in highway capacity, traffic increases 0.29 to 1.1 percent in the long term (about five years out), and up to 0.68 percent in the short term (one or two years). SB 319 would divert funding from other projects and programs that benefit from the GGRF, such as improving our transit infrastructure and modernizing our transportation system with technology that has the potential to reduce emissions. This bill does not create an innovative solution to congestion nor does it take an approach to realistically cut emissions.

Click here to send a letter opposing SB 319


Join us as VICA continues its tradition by inducting the Valley's remarkable businesses into the San Fernando Valley Business Hall of Fame. We are looking forward to celebrating Valley businesses and 70 years of VICA members.

VICA is excited to announce that our emcee for the evening will be NBC4's Fritz Coleman.

Thursday, June 20, 2019
Sheraton Universal Hotel
333 Universal Hollywood Dr., Universal City
Reception 5:30-6:45 p.m. 
Awards 6:45-7:45 p.m.  |   Dinner  7:45-9:00 p.m.

Click here to RSVP
Support Bill to Reduce Healthcare Costs by Expanding Scope of Practice for Nurse Practitioners


VICA supports Assembly Bill 890 (Wood), which would grant unsupervised practice authority to nurse practitioners.  Current law requires all drug-prescribing nurse practitioners to have a supervising physician and stipulates that each supervising physician oversee no more than four nurse practitioners. AB 890 would allow nurse practitioners to have unsupervised practice authority and meet the healthcare needs of our growing population. Unsupervised practice authority for nurse practitioners would result in cost savings to Californians from reduced emergency department stays and hospitalizations, and the lower costs of retail clinic use and primary care.

Click here to send a letter supporting AB 890

Join Boys & Girls Club of the West Valley's Chair Jessica Yasukochi (VICA) as her guest. To RSVP please contact [email protected]

Member Messages:
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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.