VICA is celebrating two VICA Victories this week, after two major housing bills passed through the Legislature. Senate Bill 9 (Atkins) and Senate Bill 10 (Wiener) faced tough opposition this week, but the Assembly voted to send them to the Governor's desk for approval.

SB 9 will streamline the process of approving construction on urban split lots, while SB 10 will allow cities to zone for up to 10 units per parcel in transit-rich or urban infill site areas. Both of these provisions are critical steps to building more housing in the state. California is facing a severe housing crisis that has only been exacerbated by the COVID-19 crisis. With Governor Newsom stating that 3.5 million new homes are needed to meet the state's population growth, it is critical for the state to approve legislation like Senate Bill 9 and 10 that will help get housing units built. These bills address the housing shortage, preserve control for local jurisdictions, and reduce barriers to increase density in our communities. Doing this, and ensuring our housing supply meets demand, will improve our housing shortfalls and ultimately lower the cost of housing for all Californians.

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.

This week, VICA's legislative team made the business community's voice heard as bills passed through the suspense process. There were a number of bills that we were monitoring, and VICA would like to give our members a status update on the pieces of legislation that could have significant affect on our communities and businesses in the San Fernando Valley. For the bills that have made it out of suspense, click the links below to send letters to your legislators and make the Valley voice heard!

Allows for streamlined CEQA judicial review for Environmental Leadership Transit Projects that meet transportation needs and emissions goals.

Requires the state to look into the acceleration of the use of green hydrogen, a key resource in California's toolkit to fight climate change. While VICA is disappointed with the Assembly Appropriations Committee's decision, we will continue fighting to advance this key energy source.

SB 4 (Gonzalez): California Advanced Services Fund - SUPPORT IF AMENDED: 

Helps deploy broadband infrastructure to households that do not have reliable access to internet, but lacks critical transparency and accountability.

Sets a dangerous precedent of joint liability by imposing a presumption for wage claims for the garment supply chain. VICA is disappointed with the Assembly Appropriations Committee's decision, and we will continue to advocate against this dangerous bill.

AB 14 (Aguiar-Curry): California Advanced Services Fund - SUPPORT IF AMENDED: 

Deploys broadband infrastructure to unserved households, but includes inconsistent and ambiguous provisions.

AB 61 (Gabriel): Business Pandemic Relief - SUPPORT: 

Enhances public oversight by requiring recipients of state homelessness funding to report data through a state information system.

Reduces over-building of parking by prohibiting minimum parking requirements in zones with accessible public transit. The Senate Appropriations Committee's failure to vote on this bill will hinder our goal of transit-friendly and buildable communities.

AB 989 (Gabriel): Office of Housing Appeals - SUPPORT: 

Makes housing a priority in California by creating a dedicated committee to streamline appeals for affordable housing development.

AB 701 (Gonzalez): Warehouse Distribution Centers - OPPOSE: 

Increases cost of living and hurts small businesses by imposing costly regulations on warehouse distribution centers. VICA is disappointed with the Senate Appropriations Committee's decision, and we will continue to advocate against this harmful bill.

VICA is supporting the CEO of the Tierra Del Sol Foundation, Rebecca Lienhard, to complete her doctoral research at USC! She needs VICA's members to fill out a 10 minute survey on employment of people with disabilities.

Employment is an essential element for individuals with intellectual disabilities to feel valued, create work relationships, and ultimately find identity and self-sufficiency (Hall, 2009). Yet, unemployment rates are still high among individuals with intellectual disabilities.

Rebecca's study intends to identify positive experiences of people with developmental or intellectual disabilities employed within various corporate cultures. To create the greatest impact on employment rates for people with disabilities, the study's findings will be presented at local chambers, commerce associations, and businesses.

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.

Thursday, September 2

9 to 10:30 a.m.

Virtual Event

LIVE EVENT: Burbank Marriott

Tuesday, September 14

9 to 11 a.m.

Virtual Meeting

Wednesday, September 15th

9 to 11 a.m.

Virtual Meeting

LIVE EVENT: Hilton Universal

Using district data, a local group has calculated that 1,893 LAUSD students and employees tested positive for COVID-19 during the first week of school.

The L.A. City Council voted to reconvene a previously formed illegal dumping working group after a report found illegal dumping up 450% since 2016.

After the 12th straight month of rising prices, experts say that, to get back to a 'normal' market, an additional 1.1 to 1.5 million homes need to be available.

With more than 1 million acres in the state already burned in 2021, L.A. officials urged residents to clear brush around their homes and be prepared to evacuate.

After weeks of increases, the number of COVID-19 hospitalizations in L.A. County appear to be leveling off, with only a small increase following 4 days of declines.

Federal unemployment benefits are set to end for millions on September 6th, and many states are not stepping in to replace this relief as jobless claims climb.

> 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.