February 8, 2019

In This Issue
"Infrastructure isn't about miles paved or dollars pledged - its about less time in traffic and more time with our kids."

- Mayor Eric Garcetti addressing the House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure
Media Mention

How to Stop Housing Construction
San Fernando Valley Business Journal 
February 4

How to Stop Housing Construction
Fox & Hounds
February 6




Members

VICA Thanks Our Renewing Members
____________________

SILVER MEMBER

(2015)

BRONZE MEMBERS

(1988)


(2015)
__________________

Allison Asset Management
(2014)

AV Masters
(2007)

Bessolo & Haworth
(2008)

Consensus Inc.
(1996)

Handelman Consulting
(2013)

MP Printing & Mailing
(2009)

San Fernando Valley Community Mental Health Center
(2014)
__________________

 
Calendar

The Week Ahead

Land Use Committee
Hosted by The Garland
Tuesday, Feb. 12
8:00 to 10:00 a.m.
The Garland
4222 Vineland Ave., North Hollywood
Click here to RSVP

Sacramento Advocacy Day
Wednesday, Feb. 13
Sacramento
Click here to RSVP

Energy Environment & Utilities Committee
Sponsored by Metropolitan Water District of Southern California
Thursday, Feb. 14
12:00 to 1:30 p.m.
VICA Office
16600 Sherman Way, Suite 170, Van Nuys
Click here to RSVP

Save The Date

Government Affairs Committee
Hosted by Penny Lane Centers
Wednesday, Feb. 20
8:30 to 10:00 a.m.
Penny Lane Centers
Witherbee Hall
15314 Rayen Street, North Hills
Click  here to RSVP

State Officeholders Dinner
Presented by Comcast NBCUniversal
Friday, Feb. 22
5:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Sound Stage 29 Universal Studios Hollywood
100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City
Click here to RSVP

New Member Breakfast
Wednesday, Feb. 27 
8:30 to 10:00 a.m.
VICA Office
16600 Sherman Way, Suite 170, Van Nuys
Click here to RSVP



Hot Issues 

Transportation
VICA member Aurora Innovation Inc. has raised over $530 million from investors to develop self driving cars. The large investment by Amazon counts as a vote of confidence for Aurora in a competition among efforts to bring a driverless vehicle to market.

Labor Law
On Monday, the 2nd District Court of Appeals ruled that employees who call in two hours or less before their shift to see if they are needed are entitled to be paid regardless of whether they are called into work in Ward v. Tilly's.

Air Travel
VICA member  Hollywood Burbank Airport  served a record 5.2 million passengers last year.
A record number of travelers also passed through LAX in 2018. 87.5 million people arrived at or departed from the airport last year. 

Metro
On Thursday, Metro announced its new partnership with Getaround to offer a car sharing service at more than 25 transit park-and-ride lots throughout LA.

Homelessness
The LA City Controller is auditing funds generated by Proposition HHH bonds. Controller Galperin worries that the City is not using the funds to effectively address the homelessness crisis.


SCAQMD Delays Vote On Ban That Could Jeopardize Jobs and Economy
Last Friday, the South Coast Air Quality Management (SCAQMD) Governing Board considered a proposal to ban refineries' use of Modified Hydroflouric Acid (MHF) with Proposed Rule 1410. Banning the use of MHF would cost thousands of jobs and increase gasoline prices by an estimated 26 cents per gallon. VICA advocated against any ban or phase-out of MHF and urged the Board to support MOU agreements which focus on implementing safety measures tailored to each refinery. The Board voted to continue this item and directed staff to work with the refineries and surrounding communities to create a resolution which will be considered by SCAQMD's Refinery Committee before it returns to the Board. We look forward to working with SCAQMD to develop a plan to enhance and implement new safety measures to address the risks associated with MHF.

For more information, email Armando@vica.com



VICA invites you to dinner with your state lawmakers!

Friday,  February 22, 2019
5:30 - 8:30 p.m. 
Universal Studios Hollywood,  Sound Stage 29

Don't miss this fun opportunity for Valley business leaders to connect with state lawmakers during our annual State Officeholders Dinner. Join over 400 Valley business leaders and state elected officials in a relaxed and informal setting.

Confirmed Speakers
as of 2/8/19:

Senators
Ben Allen
Steven Bradford
Bob Hertzberg
Holly Mitchell


Assemblymembers
Laura Friedman
Jesse Gabriel
Tim Grayson
Reggie Jones-Sawyer
Sydney Kamlager-Dove
Adrin Nazarian
Luz Rivas
Robert Rivas
Blanca Rubio
Miguel Santiago
Christy Smith
Statewide Elected Officials
Controller Betty Yee
Member of the Board of Equalization Mike Schaefer
Member of the Board of Equalization Tony Vazquez


Last call for sponsorships - email Helene@vica.com or call (818) 817-0545. 

Click here to RSVP
Spotlight on VICA Committee Leadership
Niall Mulcahy is the Chair of VICA's Aviation Committee.

Niall Mulcahy is an aviation professional with more than thirteen years of airport leadership experience. Niall was part of the startup team at Virgin America with oversight at ten different airports, led the U.S. hub and global policies for Fiji Airways and served as Director of Airports overseeing forty seven Stations with Silver Airways. Niall has also held various leadership roles within Signature Flight Support balancing his airline and executive aviation repertoire. He currently oversees one of the country's largest private aviation bases with Signature in Van Nuys.

How is VICA valuable to you or your business?
VICA has given our business an important voice on a state and national level. The interests of our business could not be better represented, especially due to the fact that legislative issues and the political environment are in a state of constant change.

Why should members consider becoming more involved with the Aviation Committee?
Stakeholder representation at our committee spans an immense amount of expertise and territory. With Aviation being such a huge part of the Southern California's economic impact and general infrastructure, there are a lot of important initiatives to collaborate on. The Aviation Committee also serves a great function in bringing businesses involved in Aviation together to prioritize the needs of this fast paced and ever so important industry.


The Aviation Committee's next meeting is on March 6.
Click here to RSVP to the next Aviation Committee Meeting.
 
Learn more about VICA committees by clicking here.


Sacramento Advocacy Day

Wednesday, February 13
Tuesday, March 19
Wednesday, April 10

VICA's regular advocacy  trips to the state capitol are crucial to ensuring the voice of the business community is heard by legislators. Join us for our second trip of 2019.

These member-only trips allow direct interaction with state elected officials and create the freedom for discussion on issues that are vital to our members. Don't miss this opportunity to be heard on how legislation affects your business.

Click here to RSVP
Support Increased Access to Computer Science Education
VICA supports Assembly Bills 20 & 52 (Berman), which would strengthen and increase access to computer science education across California. Currently, California is not meeting the demand for computer science jobs. Despite there being thousands of available jobs in this crucial sector of our economy, only 32 percent of California high schools offer computer science courses. In response to this education gap, the state has developed a computer science strategic implementation plan. AB 52 would ensure that this plan is consistently updated to keep up with technological changes and AB 20 would guarantee that a coordinator is in place to oversee the implementation of this critical plan and ensure its success. 



Los Angeles County Supervisor 
Sheila Kuehl
3rd Supervisorial District

Friday, March 22, 2019
11:30 - 1:30 p.m. 
Sportsmen's Lodge 
Starlight Room
12833 Ventura Blvd., 
Studio City

Leaders Forums give attendees the opportunity to converse with leaders in an intimate setting. On March 22, Los Angeles County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl will discuss the Woosley Fire and its aftermath. Supervisor Kuehl will take time to answer members' questions and give members an overview of what to expect in 2019.

Co-sponsored by  Metro .

Sponsorships are available - email Helene@vica.com or call (818) 817 0545.

VICA Staff Honored by Western Association of Chamber Executives 
 
This week, VICA staff attended the Western Association of Chamber Executives (WACE) annual conference in Anaheim to meet and network with business leaders from eighteen western states and Canada. VICA President Stuart Waldman and Membership Director Helene Chemel were honored by WACE for their combined fifteen years of service. Helene also graduated from the WACE Academy, a three year professional development program.

Committee Report
Labor & Employment Committee (2/6)
Hosted by Sun Hill Properties - Hilton Universal City
  • Matthew A. Tobias (Sheppard Mullin) presented to the committee on new laws for employers to be aware of in 2019. 
  • The committee then heard from Richard J. Frey (Epstein, Becker and Green) and Tom Manzo (CABIA) about their lawsuit against PAGA.
  • Finally, the committee voted to approve guiding principles for municipal and state parental leave policies.
Education Committee (2/7)
  • Robert Samples, Interim Director of Labor Relations, and Jeff Dunn, Director of Government Relations, at LAUSD presented to the committee on the details of the deal to end the teacher strike.
  • The committee then heard from Keith Dell'Aquila (California Charter Schools Association) on what's next for charter schools in Los Angeles and in California. 
  • Co-Chair Elsa Jacobsen (Child360) gave a presentation on the implications of Governor Newsom's budget on early childhood education.
  • Co-Chair Rafael De La Rosa (California State University, Northridge) presented to the committee on the implications of the governor's budget on higher education.

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 Helene@vica.com  or 
call (818) 817-0545.