On Wednesday, VICA successfully advocated in support of the Los Angeles City Anti-Camping Ordinance at the City Council meeting. VICA was a staunch supporter of Measure H and HHH, and we have advocated for the construction of reasonable supportive housing, affordable housing, and market rate housing.

We have worked diligently with our non-profit and business partners to help those experiencing homelessness, but this situation has become a crisis. No one should be living on the streets of Los Angeles. Families should be able to safely walk down any street, our parks should be clean and usable for recreation, and businesses should not have their storefronts blocked by personal belongings. This crisis has gone too far for far too long, and the anti-camping ordinance is the first step to ensure a safe environment for our unhoused neighbors and for our community.

The homelessness crisis has gotten worse, not better, and there is no confidence that solutions are coming. Economic recovery and COVID-19 relief will not happen for our communities and small businesses until we take major steps in ensuring that our housing and homelessness crisis is fixed. This is an equity issue for all Angelenos, and we were excited to see that the City decided to move forward with this critical ordinance.

Yesterday, VICA hosted a Special Briefing with Dr. Barbara Ferrer, Director of Los Angeles County Public Health in conjunction with the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, BizFed, Central City Association of LA, and the LA Area Chamber of Commerce. Dr. Ferrer shared her insight on the recent surge of COVID-19 cases as the Delta variant continues to spread, and explained what the surge means for residents and the business community.

She explained that communities are seeing an increase in transmission as a result of homelessness, public gatherings, and unvaccinated groups, but confirmed that the vaccine is still the best defense against the virus. Still, she stated that vaccinated individuals are at a higher risk for infection due to decreased effectiveness of the vaccine against the Delta variant and increased community transmission and exposure. Thank you to Dr. Ferrer for sharing your insight, and we look forward to continued collaborations between our businesses and the County.

VICA's 2022 Board of Directors nomination and selection process is underway and we want your nominations!

Board members must be able to attend regular board meetings and be prepared to vote on a wide variety of public policy issues. Board members must also attend regular committee meetings and VICA events. Additional responsibilities may include calling or writing lawmakers, attending press conferences, testifying, authoring editorials, interacting with top opinion leaders, and more.

If you or someone you know is interested in participating on the VICA Board in 2022, please don't hesitate to click on the nomination form below and submit via email at Jessica@vica.com or via fax at 818-907-7934 no later than Friday, September 3, 2021.

Renewals:

New Members:

VICA's Harmon Ballin Community Service Award annually honors an active VICA member who has made an outstanding contribution to our community through their long-term community service activities. A nominee is someone who:

All nominee forms must be submitted via email to Cathy@vica.com by Friday, September 3, 2021.

This week, VICA continued to advocate against antitrust bills targeting the technology sector in Congress. Each of five bills introduced directly hurts businesses within the technology sector that have served as the lifelines for our economy both before and during the pandemic. While open discussion regarding the regulation of businesses needs to be encouraged, the proposals within these antitrust bills will have far-reaching and devastating effects on our economy, businesses, and communities.

Technology has been a longstanding economic pillar for California, supporting millions of jobs, contributing billions to the economy, and playing a critical role during the COVID-19 crisis. California has comfortably positioned itself as a global leader in innovation, and the recent proposals in Congress have the power to disrupt the very tech ecosystem that has allowed us to grow exponentially and rise as global leaders.

Rather than passing this detrimental legislation that will hinder our recovery efforts and place unnecessary burdens on our businesses, the country needs to support the industries that remain the backbone of our local economies. VICA will continue to advocate for policies that benefit California's tech sector and sternly oppose damaging antitrust bills that threaten it.

Thursday, August 5

9 to 10:30 a.m.

Virtual Event

Wednesday, August 11

12 to 1:30 p.m.

Virtual Event

Wednesday, August 18

5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

LIVE EVENT: Burbank Marriott

American consumers increased their spending by 1% in June, but a key inflation indicator surged 3.5% last month, the largest 12 month change since 1991.

Driven by a shortage of workers, salaries rose by 1% in the last quarter and 3.5% in the last 12 months for private sector workers, the largest increase in 14 years.

Pending home sales fell 1.9% last month and sales were also down 1.9% from June 2020, according to the National Association of Realtors.

All students and employees of the Los Angeles Unified School District will be required to take weekly COVID-19 tests regardless of vaccination status.

California unemployment claims jumped last week to their highest levels since the state's reopening of the economy, with workers filing 67,400 claims last week.

The County approved a pilot program to provide a guaranteed income of $1,204 per month for three years to 150 residents ages 18 to 24.

> 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?

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.