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Yesterday, VICA hosted our annual Local Officeholders Luncheon. Business leaders, local elected officials, and over 400 guests gathered at the Skirball Cultural Center to hear about some of the most pressing issues in our communities.
After a brief reception where VICA members and other attendees mingled with many of our local elected and public officials, guests sat down for lunch while our Q&A program began. Moderated by Marie Lloyd from Amazon, followed by Yesenia Monsour from Kaiser Permanente and Jeff McConnell with EKA, the 23 elected officials in attendance were asked a wide range of questions concerning many different topics. Below are just a few answers shared by some of our local elected officials in attendance:
Council President Paul Krekorian kicked off the Q&A by sharing some updates on the status of government reform in the City of Los Angeles, particularly the process of independent redistricting. He shared that when he created the Ad Hoc Committee on Governance Reform, “the first thing we took on was independent redistricting,” then sharing that “after extensive input across the city, after many, many meetings, we have a proposal that will be before the council to put on your November 2024 ballot to create fully independent redistricting” which will return the power to the people, and not the city’s elected officials.
Los Angeles Councilmember Traci Park shared some trade secrets on the success she has seen throughout her district when it comes to tackling homelessness, like the efforts she and her team have put into bringing non-profits and service providers together for regular meetings to collaborate and work together. Her district has also seen one of the highest rates of retention in interim housing, which she shared is largely because “we don’t just focus on the operation on the ground day of, we are focusing on the backend, on infrastructure and the services need to keep people stabilized.”
From the City of Santa Clarita, guests were joined by Mayor Jason Gibbs who shared some work they are doing to support our region’s police force and first responders. He started by sharing that “being in law enforcement has never been as challenging as it is in this moment,” meaning recruiting and retaining officers has become a major challenge. Gibbs argued that we must move the conversation towards recognizing the valor, commitment, and sacrifices made by our officers every day, and this change must be seen throughout the region, and not just in the City of Santa Clarita.
VICA thanks the following elected officials for joining us at our annual Local Officeholders Luncheon:
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