Valley Industry & Commerce Association | |
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- VICA Ranked #1 Chamber of Commerce in 2022
- Top 10 Laws to Go into Effect in 2023
- Higher Energy Bills Expected
- New & Renewing Members
- Save the Date
- Hot News
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Quick Jump - Register to Attend!
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"California is mobilizing to keep people safe from the impacts of the incoming storm. This state of emergency will allow the state to respond quickly as the storm develops and support local officials in their ongoing response." | |
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Governor Gavin Newsom
Statement on Proclaiming State of Emergency Ahead of Winter Storms
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VICA Ranked #1 by San Fernando Valley Business Journal | |
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The San Fernando Valley Business Journal has released its list of Top Chambers of Commerce and we are pleased that VICA has been given the #1 spot.
VICA thanks the collaboration between staff, members, and the business community for this recognition and looks forward to advocating and promoting a healthier business community in 2023!
To read the full listing, click here.
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10 Laws to Should Know for 2023 | |
1.) Minimum Wage Increases: As of Jan 1, 2023; the California state minimum wage will increase to $15.50 for all employers, regardless of employee headcount. This also means that exempt employees in California must be paid a minimum annual salary of $64,480. | |
2.) Pay Data Reporting and Pay Scale Disclosures: SB 1162 will require private employers with 100 or more employees to submit a pay data report to the Civil Rights Department annually on or before the second Wednesday of May, beginning May 10, 2023. The pay data report is separate from an employer's EEO-1 and must include the median and mean hourly rate for each combination of race, ethnicity, and sex within each job category. Beginning January 1st, employers with 15 or more employees must include the pay scale for a position in any job posting. | |
3.) CFRA and Paid Sick Leaves Expanded to Cover Employee's Care for "Designated Person": AB 1041 expands the categories of individuals for whom an employee may take leave to care under the California Family Rights Act and California's Healthy Workplaces Healthy Families Act. Under the amendments, an employee may take unpaid leave to care for a "designated person", defined as "any individual related by blood or whose association with the employee is the equivalent of a family relationship". An employer may limit an employee to one designated person per 12-month period. | |
4.) New Requirement to Provide Five Days of Bereavement Leave: AB 1949 will require covered employers to offer employees up to five days of bereavement leave. Under AB 1949, employees who have been employed for at least 30 days may take five days of bereavement leave for a family member, defined as a spouse, domestic partner, child, parent, parent-in-law, sibling, grandparent, or grandchild. Bereavement leave does not have to be taken consecutively but must be completed within three months of the death. Notably, the statute states that leave "shall be taken pursuant to any existing bereavement leave policy of the employer." Therefore, employers have three options for compliance depending on the practice. | |
5.) Retaliation Prohibited in the Event of An Emergency Condition: SB 1044 will prohibit an employer, in the event of an emergency condition, from taking or threatening adverse action against any employee for refusing to report to, or leaving, a workplace or worksite within the affected area because the employee has a reasonable belief that the workplace or worksite is unsafe, except as specified. The bill will also prohibit an employer from preventing an employee from accessing the employee's mobile device or other communications for seeking emergency assistance, requires an employee to notify the employer of the emergency condition requiring the employee to leave or refuse to report to work; however, these new protections do not apply when emergency conditions pose an imminent and ongoing risk of harm in the workplace. | |
6.) Paid Family Leave Increases: SB 951 increases the share of paid family leave provided to lower-income Californians and extends what was a temporary increase in benefits from 55% of wages to 60% or 70% depending on the level of income. In 2025, the bill requires an increase to the benefit of 70%. | |
7.) Farmworker Unionization: AB 2183 makes it easier for farmworkers in California to unionize. The implementation of this law has been delayed following an agreement signed by the Governor and labor leaders. The Governor agreed to sign the bill, with conditions after facing political pressures from high-profile elected officials including President Joe Biden. The conditions involved striking out nearly half of the measure that farmworker groups had pushed for, while there will be the reliance to have the state legislature approve the governor's changes. | |
8.) Fast Food Worker Council: AB 257 would create a state council to bargain wages and working conditions on behalf of the half-million fast food workers in the state. The bill will set up a 10-member council that will include worker and employer representatives and state officials, and that would review pay and safety standards across the restaurant industry. The council could issue health, safety, and anti-discrimination regulations and set an industry-wide minimum wage with the figure at $22 an hour in 2023. The bill also requires annual cost-of-living adjustments for any new wage floor beginning in 2024. (State courts have issued a temporary hold on AB 257, preventing the law from being implemented until the court decides the merits of the case). | 9.) Fur Ban Goes Into Effect: AB 44 was signed into law in 2019 and makes California the first state to ban the sale and manufacturing of new fur products. Lawmakers had given retailers enough time to phase over and make the changes necessary. The fur bars residents from selling or making clothing, shoes, or handbags with fur starting in 2023. The fur ban doesn't apply to used products or those used for religious or tribal purposes and excludes the sale of leather, dog and cat fur, cowhides, deer, sheep, and goat skin, and anything preserved through taxidermy. | |
10.) Consistent Pricing of Products: AB 1287 prohibits California businesses from charging a higher price on products marketed for women, frequently referred to as the "Pink Tax". The bill prohibits two "substantially similar" products from the same company from being "priced differently based on the gender of the individuals for whom the goods are marketed and intended". Companies that violate the new law could face fines. | |
Higher Energy Bills to Be Expected in January | |
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Natural gas prices in the Western United States have more than doubled over the last month, in part because of a cold snap across the nation in recent weeks. As a result, residents can expect to see higher gas bills in the coming weeks.
Customers can expect to see changes in their natural gas bills this winter due to the rise in natural gas prices. If your residential peak winter bill was around $65 last winter, you can expect to see bills closer to $160 this year. Similarly, if it was around $130 last winter, customers can expect to see bills around $315 this year. These increases are primarily due to increases in the price of gas and to a much lesser extent increased transportation rates. Rates for the transportation of natural gas is set by the California Public Utilities Commission, which reviews these rates yearly.
SoCalGas offers many accessible tools to help you cut down on energy usage and help lower your bills amidst the rising costs. We encourage customers to sign up for weekly Bill Tracker Alerts to monitor gas consumption, take steps to reduce usage, and avoid bill surprises. Alerts can be sent through email or text and include a bill-to-date and projected next bill amount to help you manage your energy bills as easily as possible.
Eligible customers may also sign up for a Level Pay Plan (LPP), which averages their annual natural gas use and costs over 12 months. SoCalGas also has a number of assistance programs that range from past due bill forgiveness, CARE program (bill discount), and free energy efficiency home improvements through the Energy Savings Assistance Program.
For more information on bills and how to lower your costs, please visit socalgas.com/ManageHigherBills.
For more information, click here to read SoCalGas Press Release.
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VICA Thanks Our Renewing Members! | | |
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Renewing Members:
Platinum Member:
Gold Members:
Silver Members:
Bronze Member:
Other Renewing Members:
New Members:
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Transportation Committee Meeting
Tuesday, January 10
8:30 - 10:30 AM
Hosted by The Garland
RSVP
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Ambassador Committee Meeting
Wednesday, January 11
9:00 - 10:30 AM
VICA Office
RSVP
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Aviation Committee Meeting
Tuesday, January 17
Noon - 1:30 PM
Hosted by Aerolease Group
RSVP
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Government Affairs Committee Meeting
Tuesday, January 18
Noon - 2:00 PM
VICA Office
RSVP
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12 Failed Ballots for Speaker
Kevin McCarthy and his opponents have reached a tentative breakthrough after a days-long standoff, giving the California Republican's speaker bid a needed momentum boost. Conservatives will get more time to look over the details after Republicans agreed to adjourn the House until noon on Friday. It's a sign of life for McCarthy who is struggling to show strength after four days of 12 speaker ballots that have seen him fail to flip any of his opponents. It is unlikely an agreement will be enough to get him the votes he needs to win the speakership. Twenty Republicans have routinely opposed McCarthy on the floor, leaving him more than a dozen votes short.
Twitter to Relax Ban on Political Ads
Twitter says it will ease up on its 3-year-old ban on political advertising, the latest change by Elon Musk as he tries to pump up revenue after purchasing the social media platform last year. The company tweeted last Tuesday that "we're relaxing our ads policy for cause-based ads in the US." Twitter banned all political advertising in 2019, reacting to growing concern about misinformation spreading on social media. Then-CEO Jack Dorsey said that while internet ads are powerful and effective for commercial advertisers," that power brings significant risks to politics, where it can be used to influence votes to affect the lives of millions".
Renominating Garcetti for Ambassador
President Biden renominated former Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti to be the U.S. ambassador to India on Tuesday after Garcetti's confirmation failed to advance through the U.S. Senate last year. The White House also resubmitted nominations for roughly 60 people for jobs in key administrative posts or national security positions, as well as 25 judicial nominees who failed to win confirmation in 2022. Candidates must be renominated at the start of each new Congress. Biden's support for Garcetti is notable given how long the nomination has lingered. The vacant diplomatic post comes as Biden looks to allies to help contain the rise of China and shore up support for Ukraine following Russia's invasion. "I am grateful for the president's confidence, and strong support on both sides of the aisle in the senate," Garcetti said.
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Former Pope Benedict XVI dies at 95
Pope Benedict XVI died Saturday at the age of 95. Benedict was the longest-living pope, having surpassed Pope Leo XIII in September 2020. "With sorrow I inform you that the Pope Emeritus, Benedict XVI, passed away today at 9:34 in the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery in the Vatican," the Vatican said in a statement early Saturday. No cause of death was provided. The Vatican said Benedict's remains would be on public display in St. Peter's Basilica starting Monday, with his funeral to be held on Thursday, jan. 5, in St. Peter's Square, with Pope Francis presiding over the mass. His coffin will then be transported back to St. peter's Basilica and then to the Vatican Grottoes.
Newsom Declares State of Emergency
Northern California is bracing for yet another powerful storm that's expected to bring strong winds and drench the already-battered region with heavy rain on Wednesday, prompting Gov. Newsom to declare a state of emergency to "support response and recovery efforts." A moisture-rich atmospheric river - fed by a plume of subtropical water vapor at the atmosphere of the lower and middle levels is expected to bring wind gusts up to 60 miles per hour and more than 6 inches of rain in some parts of the Bay Area. The Sacramento Valley can expect up to 4 inches of rain and some areas in the foothills could see up to 6 inches.
Krekorian Announces Committee Seats
LA City Council President Paul Krekorian released new committee assignments on Tuesday incorporating the five new Councilmembers from the recent election. The assignments are all subject to full Council approval when it returns to session next week. Councilmember Traci Park will chair the Trade, Travel, and Tourism committee while being appointed as Vice-Chairman of the Transportation committee. Councilwoman Nithya Raman will chair the Housing & Homelessness Committee, with Kevin De Leon being moved from the Homelessness & Poverty Committee to the Board of Referred Powers, which rarely meets. In addition to committee changes, Krekorian will discontinue the Ad Hoc COVID-19 Recovery and Neighborhood Investments committee.
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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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