Valley Industry & Commerce Association | |
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- VICA Demands Resignations
- VICA Celebrates 61% Victory Rate for Governor Signatures/Vetoes
- VICA and GSFV Chamber Cohost PAGA Workshop
- VICA Board Opposes Increasing Healthcare Costs
- VICA PAC 2022 Endorsements
- Let Us Known Your 2023 Legislative Priorities
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"At this critical time for the city and the nation, we must continue to build unity and solidarity within all our communities and we must recommit to the struggle for equity and justice for all." | |
VICA Demands Resignations | |
VICA Celebrates 61% Victory Rate for Legislation Sent to the Governor's Desk | |
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Friday, September 30th marked the last day Governor Newsom could sign or veto bills sent to his desk during the 2022 legislative session. VICA is proud to celebrate a 61% success rate on the Governor's signatures and vetoes. Below are some of VICA's victories:
Of the 997 bills Governor Newsom signed into law, VICA backed 33 of them, including:
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Assembly Bill 2011 (Wicks), which will create a ministerial, streamlined approval process for 100% affordable housing in commercially zoned areas and for mixed-income housing along commercial corridors.
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Senate Bill 6 (Caballero), which will allow residential development on existing lots currently zoned for commercial office and retail spaces, such as strip malls or large ‘big box’ retail spaces.
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Assembly Bill 1613 (Irwin), which will expand the territorial jurisdiction in which the Attorney General can prosecute specified theft offenses.
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Assembly Bill 32 (Aguiar-Curry), which will allow the healthcare industry to enforce contracts through telehealth on the same basis as in-person diagnostics or consultations, improving the accessibility and affordability of healthcare throughout California.
VICA was disappointed with the Governor's decision to veto a number of VICA-backed bills, including:
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Assembly Bill 1951 (Grayson), which would have provided a full sales and use tax exemption for manufacturing and research-and-development equipment purchases up to $200 million, investment and production opportunities in California.
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Senate Bill 70 (Rubio), which would have created the requirement for a child to have completed one year of kindergarten before that child may be admitted to the first grade.
The Governor's reasoning behind his decision to veto these bills was the need to practice fiscal restraint. Knowing that California was in a budget surplus just last year and the Governor did not make an effort to reserve funds for the future makes this excuse sound hollow.
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VICA and the GSFV Chamber Cohost a Presentation on Reforming PAGA | |
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This past Wednesday, VICA and the Greater San Fernando Valley Chamber of Commerce cohosted a presentation on the campaign to end the Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA.) Peter Fenolio, Director of Political Engagement for the California Restaurant Association, joined our members to explain what PAGA is and how it can be reformed to better serve employers and employees alike.
Peter began by explaining the growing problems employers and employees have with PAGA. He pointed out that in the last 6 years, eight billion dollars in settlements have been paid out, ending up in the pockets of attorneys rather than those of the wronged employee.
Employers have little certainty when it comes to California's 800+ page labor code, leaving them with few options but to settle. Over the years, the number of PAGA cases have exploded as trial attorneys discover the high profitability of these law suits.
Peter then moved to a proposed solution to this problem - reforming PAGA. These reforms would include a move to power the Labor and Workforce Development Agency (LWDA) to enforce the labor code, rather than outsourcing the enforcement to private trial attorneys. This opens up avenues for businesses to cure unintentional labor code violations and ensures that 100% of fines collected to go the wronged employee. These changes aim to aid the business community and prevent the abuse of labor code violations.
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VICA Opposes Proposition 29 and Raising the Cost of Healthcare for California's Vulnerable Residents | |
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The VICA Board opposes Proposition 29, which would require chronic dialysis clinics to have at least one licensed physician on-site during all patient treatment hours. Prop 29 would also require clinics to regularly report to the California Department of Public Health; failure to report the required information would result in penalties up to $100,000.
This Proposition is the third ballot measure since 2018 sponsored by SEIU-UHW targeting dialysis providers. The past two propositions were rejected by voters.
California’s approximately 600 dialysis clinics already face a shortage of licensed physicians, specifically nephrologists. As a result, this requirement would spread the amount of these specialists thin. Not only would this mean less physicians available to care for patients, forcing a physician to take up a strictly bureaucratic role would also mean higher healthcare costs for both the health provider and the patient.
Dialysis clinics unable to make up for these increased costs would see a greater risk of closing. The rest would be forced to offset these costs to patients and health insurance providers. This means either higher premiums for private health plans, or higher taxes for those who depend on government-sponsored plans.
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VICA PAC 2022 Voter Guide | |
For the full 2022 Voter Guide, click the button below! | |
What are Your Legislative Priorities? Tell VICA! | |
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As legislative sessions draw to a close, it's always important to ask what the next legislative session's agenda might look like and how that affects your business and the greater San Fernando Valley- Los Angeles business community.
VICA committees have begun discussing legislative priorities for 2023 this month, and we want to know what you think will be important for 2023. Click the Notify Now button below to communicate your ideas to our Legislative Affairs Manager, Victor Reyes, or email victor@vica.com
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VICA Thanks Our Renewing Members! | | |
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Premier Partner:
Platinum Member:
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LAST CHANCE TO REGISTER!
Business Forecast Conference: Attack of the Inflation Monster
Friday, October 21 | 7:00 AM
Hilton Universal City
Our Annual Business Forecast Conference continues to attract nationally recognized experts on our region's dynamic economy. This forecast will help our business leaders plan for the challenges facing us in 2023.
VICA thanks our Presenting Sponsors, SoCalGas and Wells Fargo.
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VICA After Dark: Supervisor Kathryn Barger
Thursday, October 27 | 5:30 PM
Anheuser-Busch
Supervisor Kathryn Barger serves the residents of the 5th District — Los Angeles County’s largest — spanning over 2,785 square miles, which includes 20 cities and 83 unincorporated communities in the Antelope, San Gabriel, San Fernando, Crescenta, and Santa Clarita Valleys.
VICA thanks our Presenting Sponsors Anheuser-Busch, Amazon, Comcast NBCUniversal, SoCalGas, Southland Regional Association of Realtors, and Wells Fargo.
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Aviation Committee Meeting
Tuesday, October 18
Noon - 1:30 PM
Hosted by Aerolease Group
RSVP
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Government Affairs Committee Meeting
Wednesday, October 19
Noon - 2:00 PM
VICA Office
Sponsored by Dolphin Group
RSVP
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Labor & Employment Committee Meeting
Wednesday, November 2
8:30 - 10:30 AM
Hosted by Sun Hill Properties/Hilton Universal City
RSVP
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Education Committee Meeting
Thursday, November 3
8:30 - 10:30 AM
Hosted by Los Angeles Valley College
RSVP
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Councilmember Nury Martinez Resigns
Embattled Los Angeles City Councilwoman Nury Martinez has resigned, days after a recording of her making racist comments against the city's Black and Oaxacan communities was leaked. "It is with a broken heart that I resign my seat for Council District 6, the community I grew up in and my home," she said in a statement. The resignation comes hours after protesters disrupted a scheduled Wednesday city council meeting inside Los Angeles City Hall.
California Gas Prices Begin to Drop
Gasoline prices in the Los Angeles area and across California continued to fall Tuesday, after reaching record highs in many regions last week amid refinery outages across the state. In Los Angeles, the average price of gas Tuesday fell by about 4 cents from the day prior, to $6.36 a gallon, a significant day-over-day drop that the metro area hasn’t seen in about a decade, said Marie Montgomery Nordhues, a spokesperson for the Southern California branch of the American Automobile Assn. She said the last time LA had this large of a one-day price drop was “almost exactly 10 years ago” when then-Gov. Jerry Brown had also recently switched the state to its winter-blend gas early, as Gov. Gavin Newsom did last week following steep price increases due to gas supply issues.
Alex Jones Ordered to Pay $965M
The families of eight Sandy Hook shooting victims on Wednesday won nearly $1 billion in damages from the Infowars fabulist Alex Jones, a devastating blow against his empire and a message from the jury that his lies and those of his followers have crippling consequences. Jones, who for years said the 2012 Sandy Hook shooting that killed 20 first graders and six educators in Newtown, Conn., was a government hoax, now faces financial ruin. But it is unclear how much money the families will ultimately collect. Jones began denying Sandy Hook and targeting the families hours after the shooting, but his falsehoods did not garner widespread scrutiny until the lawsuits were filed.
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Investigation into LA Redistricting
California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta said Wednesday that his office would investigate the Los Angeles redistricting process that took place last fall, saying an inquiry is needed to “restore confidence” in the line-drawing of the city’s 15 council districts.The announcement comes days after The Times published a recording in which then-council President Nury Martinez is heard making racist remarks while talking with fellow Councilmembers Kevin de León and Gil Cedillo and labor leader Ron Herrera about how the city’s council district boundaries should be redrawn. “We’ll be conducting our investigation, and when it’s full and thorough and comprehensive and complete, we’ll have something to share about what liability there might be, either civil or criminal,” said Bonta.
Bass, Caruso Discuss Racial Divides
Two days after racist comments on a secret audio recording rocked Los Angeles’ political leadership, the two candidates for mayor debated Tuesday night in a sober discussion that largely focused on which of them is best positioned to bridge racial divides and bring the city together. The matchup between US Rep. Karen Bass and developer Rick Caruso at Brokaw News Center in Universal City came hours after a large crowd packed LA City Hall chanting “fuera” — “out” in Spanish — and called for the resignations of top city officials, one of several moves Tuesday that left the future of LA's leadership in doubt.
President Biden Visits LA
On Tuesday, President Biden called for LA City Councilmembers Nury Martinez, Gil Cedillo and Kevin de León to resign from office, and arrived in Los Angeles on Wednesday to attend some events and fundraisers. Biden visited Los Angeles in June for the Summit of Americas, where the United States joined 19 countries in signing a pact to expand legal pathways for migrants and refugees and provide funding to assist countries hosting them amid a swell of migration across the Western Hemisphere.
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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.
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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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