On Friday, VICA members enjoyed lunch at the  Hilton Universal City with Los Angeles County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl at VICA's first Leaders Forum of the year. Kuehl discussed a wide range of topics including the county's response to the Woolsey fire and increased investment in transit. Supervisor Kuehl discussed the county's new emergency response plans and provided an overview of the extensive outreach by county staff to find new evacuation and warning systems. She then discussed her work on the Metro Board and her vision for improved transportation in Los Angeles, saying, "We are trying to get back to the future. When I was young, we had street cars and relied on public transit; we are trying to get back to that." Kuehl concluded the luncheon reassuring VICA members that the Metro Board is not anxious to place fees on drivers, saying, "don't worry car people, I'm on your side."

Thank you to our presenting sponsors, The Garland, Health Net, and Parsons. Also, thank you to our co-sponsors HNTB, Metro, Mission Community Hospital, and the Southern California Partnership for Jobs.

VICA formed a coalition with business groups to campaign against the proposed LAUSD 16 cent per-square-foot property tax on the June 4th ballot. While a strong education system is crucial for our region, this new tax will not improve the quality of education. Though expected to raise up to $500 million per year, this revenue will only cover an existing structural deficit. Instead of working with the business community to improve education, the Board of Education chose not to make hard decisions about reducing overhead or ballooning pension and healthcare costs. This proposed property tax will remove the pressure to reform the district's broken finances at the expense of the business community, who will shoulder the majority of the tax burden. 

If you want to join the coalition to stop the rushed and burdensome tax measure, contact [email protected].

On Tuesday, the Los Angeles City Council Planning and Land Use Management Committee voted to move forward with a motion to allow special event permits for public events in aircraft hangars at LAX and the Van Nuys Airport. VICA has strongly advocated for the city to lift its sudden ban on events in aircraft hangars after enforcement began in November of last year. VICA welcomed the committee's decision to craft an ordinance that protects public safety while allowing events to be held in hangars. We look forward to working with the city to create an event permit system that meets the needs of Angelenos and their businesses.

VICA and other business leaders joined newly elected Congresswoman Katie Hill for a roundtable discussion on transportation and infrastructure funding. Hill and attendees discussed how to improve infrastructure in the San Fernando and Santa Clarita Valley to accommodate projected population growth in the region. At the meeting, VICA suggested focusing on transit-oriented communities as a way to meet the transportation and housing needs of a growing population. The group also discussed a potential federal gas tax increase as a way to fund infrastructure improvements. VICA urged the Congresswoman to ensure that money generated by raising a gas tax should come back to the community as funding for local and regional projects.  

Committee Report

Government Affairs Committee (03/20)

Hosted by Penny Lane Centers

• The committee heard a presentation on early results of the County's interim housing inspection program from Pabina Bista (LA County Department of Public Health).
• Jennings Imel (U.S. Chamber of Commerce) provided an update on the federal budget and the new Congress.
• The committee also heard a presentation on the business community's opposition to LAUSD's proposed property tax from VICA President Stuart Waldman.
• Dylan Johnson (Rodriguez Strategies) gave an update on legislation impacting retailers and soft drink vendors.
• The committee recommended supporting Senate Constitutional Amendment 1 after discussing the importance of removing barriers to affordable housing construction. This will go to the VICA Board next week.