VICA Weekly
Valley Industry & Commerce Association
Friday, May 14
In This Issue
  • Quote of the Week
  • VICA Two-Day Advocacy Trip
  • VICA Advocacy
  • Government Handbook
  • Members
  • LADWP Mono Basin Restoration
  • Congratulations Kayla!
  • Upcoming Events
  • Committee Recap
  • Hot News
  • Member Spotlight
  • Member Messages
"Small businesses intimately understand the pain and stress of the last year - directly understand it - and the struggle now to reopen with all of the dust settling around us."
California Governor Gavin Newsom
At the CalChamber Virtual Sacramento Host Breakfast
VICA's Two-Day Advocacy Trip
VICA President Stuart Waldman brings up concerns about the effect of new legislation on businesses in a meeting with Assemblymember Laura Friedman.
A delegation of VICA members and staff virtually visited Sacramento this week to speak with lawmakers about how proposed legislation will impact the San Fernando Valley business community.

VICA met with Assemblymembers Thurston Smith, Steve Bennett, Laurie Davies, Lisa Calderon, Heath Flora, Marc Berman, Tom Lackey, Lorena Gonzalez, Laura Friedman, Kevin Mullin, Devon Mathis, James Ramos, and Marc Levine. VICA also met with Senators Steven Bradford, Henry Stern, Shannon Grove, Jim Nielsen, and Bob Archuleta.
While virtually in Sacramento, the VICA Delegation also attended the Virtual Cal Chamber Breakfast with special speaker Governor Gavin Newsom.
Thank you to all of the elected officials for meeting with us, and for all of the members who joined our May Advocacy Days! If you weren't able to join us this month, click the links below to send letters to legislators on important issues impacting the San Fernando Valley and our business community:










VICA Advocacy
VICA Opposes Limitations on Rent Increases That Will Hurt Landlords and Family-Owned Businesses
This week, VICA opposed a measure during this week's Los Angeles City Council Housing Committee meeting, which would bring changes to the annual rent adjustment formula. This could end the City's Rent Stabilization Ordinance to limit allowable rent increases and eliminate the important floor for allowable rent increases.

Due to eviction moratoriums, rent freezes, and state mandated rent deferrals, many rental owners have been asked to go more than a year without compensation for the service of providing housing, while facing severe financial hardship and adversity. This pandemic has made many landlords, many of them family-owned, unable to pay their mortgages. Expenses have risen, and landlords continue to employ local tradespeople, contributing billions to the local economy and creating thousands of jobs. Housing providers need to be able to account for financial realities in order to stay in business.

For these reasons, VICA strongly opposed changes to the Rent Stabilization Ordinance.
The 2021 Government Handbook is here!

VICA continues to send out Government Handbooks to our Members, please keep an eye out for their delivery. If you need to update your mailing address, please email Cathy@vica.com. If you do not receive the delivery by the end of May, please contact Cathy.
Members
VICA Thanks Our Renewing & New Members


Silver Member:
  • Waste Management

Bronze Member:
  • American Chemistry Council
  • Frontier Communications
  • Strategies 360

Members:
  • Daar & Newman
  • Elevate Public Affairs
  • Sony Pictures Entertainment

New Platinum Member:
  • Trophy Automotive Dealer Group
LADWP Continues to Advance Landmark Mono Basin Restoration Project
Last month, the LADWP Board of Commissioners voted to approve the Mitigated Negative Declaration environmental document for the Mono Basin Water Rights Licensing Project. This is yet another step forward in one of the largest environmental restoration projects in the Mono Basin - a region in the eastern sierra Nevada mountains that provides recreation opportunities, as well as water supplies for the City of Los Angeles through the LA Aqueduct.

The project will modify the spillway structure at Grant Lake Reservoir in the Eastern Sierra to deliver higher flows during specific wet years through Rush Creek and into Mono Lake. It represents the capstone to decades of restoration in the region. Support for the project was echoed by regional partners including Mono Lake Committee and Cal Trout, demonstrating LADWP's successful and collaborative approach to balance the city's water supply needs with protecting the natural environment.

Learn more about the project here and learn more about LADWP's restoration work in the Eastern Sierra here.
Congratulations to Kayla!
VICA would like to congratulate Kayla Koerting, who was recently promoted to the position of Legislative Affairs Manager.

When asked about this achievement, Kayla said, "It has been an honor to help VICA continue to be an effective force for positive change during the COVID-19 crisis. I am excited to continue VICA's fight for the Valley business community throughout the recovery process."

Kayla will be managing VICA's legislative affairs efforts alongside Giancarlo Rubio. You can reach her at Kayla@vica.com.
Upcoming Events
Newsmaker Connection with Los Angeles County Assessor Jeffrey Prang
Friday, May 21, 2021
10 to 11:15 a.m.
Monday through Wednesday, May 24-26
Registration Fee $100
The Week Ahead
Government Affairs Committee
Sponsored by: Amazon
Wednesday, May 19
9 to 11 a.m.
Online Video Conference
Newsmaker Connection with
LA County Assessor Jeffrey Prang
Sponsored by: State Farm
Friday, May 21
10 to 11:15 a.m.
Online Video Conference
Save the Date
Access DC Advocacy Trip
Monday through Wednesday, May 24-26
Virtual Event
Leaders Forum with Councilwoman Nithya Raman
Sponsored by: Comcast NBCUniversal, EKA & Southern California Gas Company
Friday, June 11
Noon to 1:30 p.m.
Virtual Remo Event
VICA Advocacy Day
Tuesday, June 15
Virtual Event
First Sip with VICA
Thursday, June 17
9 to 10 a.m.
Virtual Remo Event
San Fernando Valley Business Hall of Fame - Home Edition
Friday, June 18
5:30 to 8 p.m.
Virtual Remo Event
For Sponsorships, contact Shauna@vica.com
Committee Recap
Transportation Committee (5/11)
Sponsored by: The Garland

  • Thu Nguyen and Brent Kerr from the Metro Office of Management and Budget gave a briefing on the FY22 Proposed Budget.
  • David Mieger and Scott Hartwell from Metro gave updates on Metro Bus Rapid Transit Projects.
  • The committee recommended that VICA support Assembly Bill 43 (Friedman).
  • The committee recommended that VICA table Senate Bill 66 (Allen) until the committee can hear from Senator Allen's office.
Energy, Environment, Manufacturing & Utilities Committee (5/12)
Sponsored by Metropolitan Water District of Southern California

  • David Meza, Public Affairs Manager of the Southern California Gas Company gave an overview of the SoCalGas 2045 Commitment Announcement.
  • The committee recommended that VICA take a Support and Work with Author position on Senate Bill 582 (Stern).
  • The committee recommended that VICA support Senate Bill 662 (Archuleta).
VICA In the News
Businesses Approach Yellow Tier With Caution
NBC 4 | May 5
Hot News
COVID-19 Relief
Governor Newsom proposed adding $1.5 million to the already $2.5 million allocated to a program providing small business grants of up to $25,000.

Education
Governor Newsom has proposed a multi-billion dollar education initiative, including pre-k education for all 4-year-olds and programs for low income students.

Economy
Inflation picked up in April, according to federal data released this week, with consumer prices jumping by 4.2% - the biggest increase since 2008.
CDC Guidelines
The CDC now advises that those who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 may stop wearing masks and social distancing at most indoor and outdoor events.

Homelessness
A panel of judges from the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals temporarily froze the federal order to offer shelter to everyone on Los Angeles' skid row by October.

Vaccine
The FDA has authorized Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine for use for children ages 12-15. Now, every American 12 and over can get vaccinated against COVID-19.
Member Spotlight
Carmen Zambrano is Assistant Director of Community and Local Government Relations at UCLA. As the liaison between UCLA and local policymakers, Carmen ensures that UCLA’s world renowned research is informing policy throughout greater Los Angeles. Carmen grew up in Los Angeles and studied American Literature and Culture at UCLA and minored in Chicano & Chicana Studies. She enjoys reading, hiking, and bike riding with family. She currently lives in the San Gabriel Valley with her husband, Edgar, and is the proud aunt of her two-year-old nephew, Lucas. Carmen is also renowned for her artisanal gelatin desserts.  


When VICA asked a few additional questions, these responses were shared:

Tell us about your belief in VICA, how has VICA been most valuable for you?  
UCLA strives to be a resource to all greater Los Angeles elected officials and the community. Through our community programs and UCLA Health clinics we reach a large portion of Los Angeles County and beyond. VICA membership provides a great opportunity to amplify our efforts in the San Fernando Valley. VICA keeps us informed about San Fernando Valley priorities and connects us to constituents who benefit from our top tier research and public service programs. The association has also been a strong partner in advocating on public policy issues that are important to UCLA

If you were to share an experience about VICA, what would it be? 
This past year, VICA hosted an Extraordinary Women in Leadership Summit. The event featured amazing women from fields that ranged from banking to education. It was wonderful to hear from such high-achieving women and to understand the difficulties that they face and how they overcame obstacles to attain their career goals. The event was inspirational and I look forward to continuing to participate in this annual event.  

What do you believe to be the greatest accomplishment VICA has achieved? 
This past year has forced all industries to reinvent themselves and VICA did it superbly. Turning to virtual platforms they were able to continue to offer the events and committee meetings that kept everyone connected and informed. Their ability to continue their annual programming with such fluidity was truly impressive and appreciated. 

What was your organizations greatest accomplishment in 2020? 
The transition to remote school and work is probably one of the greatest feats that the University has undertaken. The efficiency and swiftness in which the transition happened is a point of pride. UCLA is a leading research and educational institution and continuing to offer our students a world class experience was a priority. Our campus, which normally has a population of approximately 80,000 people, transitioned to a remote campus, while still offering our students the support they needed. As we return to normal life, we will also take great care to ensure that the campus is ready to welcome our students, faculty, and staff.  

Share what VICA has meant to your business during COVID? 
VICA has helped the University continue to serve as a resource to residents of the San Fernando Valley. UCLA Extension Dean Eric Bullard participated in the VICA Business Forecast Conference, where he was able to discuss Extension courses while staff answered questions at the virtual information booth. One of our major priorities currently is ensuring that the Metro Sepulveda Transit Corridor project includes a station on the UCLA campus. Such a station would provide those in the Valley traffic-free access to the UCLA campus and health system and would be the busiest non-transfer station in the entire Metro Rail system. VICA’s support of this effort has been instrumental, as the association is a strong and compelling voice of the San Fernando Valley.  
MUST BE A CURRENT VICA MEMBER TO BE FEATURED!

> Please share a brief biography and a fun fact about yourself that people would love to learn, ie: you love skydiving, you have run a marathon, you started your own business at a young age, etc. (2-3 sentences) 

> Tell us about your belief in VICA, how has VICA been most valuable for you? 

> If you were to share an experience with someone about VICA, what would that be? 
 
> Share with us what you believe to be the greatest accomplishment VICA has achieved?

> What was your organizations and/or your greatest accomplishment in 2020?

> Can you share what VICA has meant for you and your business during COVID?

Send responses and headshot to Shauna Carter
shauna@vica.com
Member Messages
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.
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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