August 4, 2023

• VICA Opposes SB 770 - Protect California's Healthcare System
• VICA Opposes AB 7 - Protect California Transit
• Harmon Ballin Nominations are Now Open
• Nominate a Future VICA Board Member

Quick Jump - Register to Attend!

• Local Officeholders Luncheon 8/10
• VICA After Dark with LA City Councilmember John Lee 9/26

“I’ve been talking a lot on my campaign trail about how I’m not a fan of policy being done in a very zero-sum way. I told my (constituents) that I was going to come, be here and be intentional with what I do"

Councilmember Imelda Padilla

Statement at her Swearing In

VICA Opposes SB 770 - Protect Quality Healthcare

VICA opposes Senate Bill 770 (Wiener), which would attempt to establish a universal healthcare system in California through the use of federal waivers and a process involving negotiation efforts.

This bill would force all Californians out of their existing health coverage and into a new, untested government-run system. Many Californians have expressed that they like their current, private healthcare coverage and strongly support protecting their right to maintaining this option.

If this bill were enacted, California would see a massive disruption to patients' health care coverage. The state would be required to raise taxes by roughly $300 billion a year or $3 trillion in the first decade alone just to cover the costs of the proposed program.

Instead of working to establish an untested government run healthcare system that would overhaul our current system, we should focus on building upon the progress that has already been made and is continue to be made to cover more Californians.

VICA Opposes AB 7 - Protect All Forms of Transit in California

VICA opposes Assembly Bill 7 (Friedman), which would require the California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA), California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), and the California Transportation Commission (CTC), on or after, January 1, 2025, to incorporate the Climate Action Plan for Transportation Infrastructure (CAPTI) principles into their existing program guidelines and planning processes.

The transportation sector is the state's largest source of greenhouse gas emissions. Although this bill attempts to tackle this issue, the lack of clarity and scope within AB 7 will likely exacerbate our congested transportation systems and result in far-reaching, negative economic impacts.

This bill continues to add state mandated layers to local issues and proposes a very narrow approach to transportation funding guidelines, which would leave many regions and communities behind and local sales tax dollars unmatched. This could result in halting or even canceling many voter-approved local transportation projects.

The consequences and implications of this bill are too great and unknown and will have significant impacts on transportation and mobility for businesses, workforce, supply chain, goods movement and more.

Nominations Are Open: Harmon Ballin Community Service Award

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:

1. Has been an active member of VICA and is actively engaged in the organization.
2. Has significant and long-term involvement in philanthropic, community, or public service organizations or a significant record in this area.
3. Is a role model and community leader.

All nominee forms must be submitted via email to Daniel@vica.com by Friday, September 1, 2023.

Some past honorees include: Stu Solomon, Walt Mosher, Fred Gaines, Jim Garrison, Kevin Tamaki, Greg Lippe, Brad Rosenheim, Francine Oschin, Pegi Matsuda, Ross Pendergraft, Jane Skeeter, Lee Alpert, Darnell Tyler, Mark Davis and Scott Mills. 

Nominations for 2024 VICA Board Being Accepted Now

City of Calabasas Mayor David Shapiro swears in 2023 Board of Directors

VICA's 2024 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 various 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 2024, please don't hesitate to click on the nomination form below and submit via email to Jessica@vica.com no later than Friday, September 1, 2023.

Events

Local Officeholders Luncheon

August 10 | 11:00 AM

Sheraton Universal Hotel

Our confirmed Local Officeholders are:

City of Agoura Hills

Councilmember Jeremy Wolf

City of Burbank

Mayor Konstantine Anthony

Vice Mayor Nick Schultz

City of Calabasas

Mayor David Shapiro

Councilmember Peter Kraut

City of Glendale

Mayor Daniel Brotman

Councilmember Ara Najarian

City of Pasadena

Vice Mayor Felicia Williams

City of San Fernando

Mayor Celeste Rodriguez

Councilmember Mary Solorio

County of Los Angeles

District Attorney George Gascón

Supervisor Kathryn Barger

City of Los Angeles

Mayor Karen Bass

City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto

Councilmember Bob Blumenfield

Councilmember Marqueece Harris-Dawson

Councilmember John Lee

Councilmember Traci Park

Councilmember Nithya Raman

Councilmember Monica Rodriguez

Councilmember Imelda Padilla

Los Angeles Community College District Board of Trustees

Trustee Steven Veres

Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education

Vice President Scott Schmerelson

Board Member Kelly Gonez

VICA After Dark: LA City Councilmember John Lee

September 26 | 5:30 PM

Anheuser-Busch

John Lee was first elected to the Los Angeles City Council during a special election in August 2019, and re-elected to his first full term in March 2020. John's extensive understanding of the City’s legislative and budget processes and day-to-day operations gives him tremendous insight into what works and what doesn’t at City Hall. With an agenda focused on public safety, supporting local businesses, and providing core city services, John is committed to putting the neighborhoods of the Twelfth District first.

VICA thanks our host and presenting sponsor Anheuser-Busch and presenting sponsor SoCalGas.

Save the Date 

Land Use Committee

Tuesday, August 8

8:30 - 10:30 AM

Hosted by The Garland

RSVP

Government Affairs Committee

Wednesday, August 16

Noon - 2:00 PM

At the VICA Office

RSVP

Not-For-Profit Committee

Wednesday, August 9

8:30 -10:30 AM

At the VICA Office

Sponsored by: PacFed

RSVP

VICA In the News

Welcome to the Hotel California: LA Union Backs Effort to Turn City Hotels into Homeless Housing

Hot Air | July 24

Tesla to Turn Closed Pacific Theatres in Chatsworth into Delivery Hub, Service Center

Los Angeles Daily News | August 1

Hot News

Imelda Padilla Officially Sworn In

Imelda Padilla, the newest member of the Los Angeles City Council, was sworn in as an officially elected councilmember on Tuesday, Aug. 1, after her win in the June special election for Council District 6 was certified by the council. Padilla had been appointed to the council on July 5, about a week after a runoff election to fill the vacant seat in the district showed her well ahead of her competitor. But the council could only recognize Padilla as an appointed councilmember, while it waited for the election results to be formally certified by the county registrar’s office.

Taylor Swift Hits LA

“Swift Mania” is officially taking over Los Angeles as Taylor Swift’s “The Eras Tour” kicks off at Sofi Stadium this week. Diehard fans, dubbed “Swifties,” will be enjoying the 33-year-old singer’s sold-out six-night stay at the Inglewood venue starting Aug. 3. In anticipation of the pop superstar’s concert, L.A. Metro has added additional service to shuttle the massive crowds. Trains will be running until 2 a.m. on concert nights with free bus shuttles from the C Line and K Line to SoFi Stadium.

Fire Burns Joshua Tree

As firefighters battle a massive wildfire in the eastern Mojave Desert, national park officials and ecologists are preparing for habitat losses that are likely to alter the landscape forever. “We’ve lost a huge area of native vegetation,” said Debra Hughson, deputy superintendent for the Mojave National Preserve. California's largest wildfire of the year has grown to over 80,000 acres in the desert around the southern Nevada border, burning primarily in the national preserve, located in southeastern California.

LA Police Department Pay Increases

Mayor Karen Bass and the city’s negotiators have struck a deal to provide an extensive package of raises and bonuses to about 9,000 officers, part of her larger effort to rebuild the ranks of the Los Angeles Police Department. The four-year contract, which cannot go into effect without a ratification vote from members of the Los Angeles Police Protective League, would hike the starting pay for new recruits by nearly 13%, while also providing four year-to-year increases of 3% to each officer’s base wage, said City Administrative Officer Matt Szabo, the high-level budget official who reports to Bass and the City Council.

Member Messages

Join our partners at #UNITELA on Sept. 29! Don’t miss out as they bring together the most influential leaders to advance economic mobility and well-being for all Angelenos! Celebrate the next #25YearOfImpact and beyond! RSVP today 👉 unitela.com/25. Will we see you there? #UNITELA25

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