September 4, 2020

VICA continues to fight for the business community and Valley Residents as we face uncertain times.
In This Issue
"What a remarkable, chaotic, and uncertain year for the Golden State and those who govern it."

John Myers
Sacramento Bureau Chief
LA Times

Members
__________________

VICA Welcomes New Members

(2020)

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VICA Thanks Our Renewing Members 


(2003)

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Gaines & Stacey, LLP
(1997)


Fiona Hutton and Associates
(2004)


San Fernando Valley Rescue Mission
(2012)


Jorgensen HR
(2014)


International School of Los Angeles
(2018)


The Week Ahead

Transportation Committee
Sponsored by The Garland
Tuesday, September 8
9 to 11 a.m.
Online Video Conference
Click here to RSVP

Healthcare Committee
Sponsored by Mission Community Hospital
Thursday, September 10
noon - 1:30 p.m.
Online Video Conference
Click here to RSVP

______________________
Save the Date

Government Affairs Committee
Sponsored by: Dolphin Group & Rodriguez Strategies
Wednesday, September 16
9 to 11 a.m.
Online Video Conference
Click here to RSVP

Local Officeholders Luncheon
Thursday, September 17
11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Online Video Conference
Click here to RSVP

First Sip with VICA
Friday, September 18
9:00 to 10:00 a.m.
Online Video Conference
Click here to RSVP

Ambassador Committee Meeting
Tuesday, September 22
8:30 to 10:00 a.m.
Online Video Conference
Click here to RSVP





Hot Issues 

California Power
California's grid operator has ordered a Flex Alert ahead of the Labor Day weekend heat wave. This weekend, from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m., Californians are asked to restrict usage of power so that demand for power does not become greater than supply.


Public Health
The CDC has alerted states to prepare for a large-scale distribution of the coronavirus vaccine before early November.  Many experts fear that this timeline does not account for adequate testing.


California Wildfires
Three fires burning in California, the SCU Lightning Complex Fire, the LNU Complex Fire, and the August Complex fire, have grown to the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th largest fires in California history, respectively.

Economy
The nation's unemployment rate fell sharply in August to 8.4% from 10.2%, even as hiring slows and employers create the fewest jobs since the pandemic began.

Education
A superior court judge has ruled that the University of California system must immediately suspend SAT and ACT score use in admission and scholarship decisions, as access to testing sites diminished during the pandemic.

Public Health
Governor Gavin Newsom unveiled a 4-tier reopening plan for California. Los Angeles County falls within Tier 1, or the Purple Tier, meaning that non-essential offices are remote work only and reopening will stagnate.

Economy
The United States National Debt will balloon to equal the US Economy this year, amid the surge of government borrowing.  The United States has not been in this position since World War II.


Conclusion to 2020 Legislative Session and VICA Successes

As the California State Legislature concluded the 2020 legislative session, VICA actively engaged with state officials and advocated on behalf of the Business Community. VICA's efforts reaped legislative successes which will positively impact our members and our community.

VICA is proud to have successfully advocated on the following bills, which passed before the  end of the legislative session:
  • AB 323 (Rubio), which will extend AB 5 exemptions for newspapers and news websites to ensure local journalism can continue to be a source of critical information to Valley businesses and residents.
  • AB 3163 (Salas), which will make California's energy cleaner and more secure by expanding the definition of biomethane.
  • AB 1845 (Rivas), which will create a Governor's Office to End Homelessness in order to centralize state efforts to address the housing and homelessness crisis. 
VICA is proud to have successfully advocated against the following bills, which would have had significant negative impacts:
  • SB 54 (Allen), which would require a 75% reduction in single use plastics, which have become a staple of many restaurants struggling to stay open because of COVID-19.
  • SB 977 (Monning), which would have strained access to health care by creating burdensome regulations on health care mergers and affiliations.
  • AB 1436 (Chiu), which would have transferred the burdens of the pandemic from tenants to property owners by creating a moratorium on evictions due to unpaid rent. 
We are disappointed the legislature failed to take action on the following bills, which would have helped begin to address California's ongoing housing crisis:
  • SB 1120 (Atkins), which could have streamlined the process of approving the construction of duplexes or subdividing existing parcels of land, helping California during the housing crisis.
  • SB 995 (Atkins), which could have extended the Jobs and Economic Improvement Through Environmental Leadership Act until 2025, and would have encouraged affordable housing projects.
VICA is disappointed the legislature approved SB 1383 (Jackson), which will require all businesses over 5 employees to provide 12 weeks of mandatory family leave, potentially crippling small businesses.
Board of Supervisors Decision Will Create Unions in Non-Union Workplaces
Leading up to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors hearing on Tuesday, VICA advocated against the Public Health Councils Program proposed by the County. As proposed, the health councils will work with a third party to monitor, document, and report any violations of the County's Health Officer Orders and guidelines. There are no details as to how the third-party organization will be selected, if they are qualified, how they will be trained to identify any potential violations, and how much work time will be required of the employees to monitor, record, and implement changes.

VICA called for amendments to the proposal and explained how the program would create unions within non-union workplaces and encumber business recovery efforts. While the Board of Supervisors moved forward with creating an ordinance for the establishment of the program at its meeting on Tuesday, VICA will continue advocating and pushing for changes to this policy. 
Senator Bob Hertzberg inducts the 2020 Board of Directors

VICA's 2021 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. 

For more information on the 2021 Board of Directors guidelines, click here.

If you or someone you know is interested in participating on the board in 2021, please click on the nomination form below and submit to Jessica@vica.com. If you don't want to serve on the board, but are interested in serving as a committee chair, please let us know that on the nomination form. Applications are due by Friday, September 18.

VICA supports Proposition 25, which would replace the pre-trial cash bail system currently in place with a risk-assessment based system.

The average bail amount in California is currently $50,000, forcing many individuals to be stuck in jail despite never having been convicted of a crime. Bail bond companies take advantage of these situations by offering to pay the full bail amount in return for a non-refundable 10% fee, which on average equals $5,000. After these individuals gather enough money to pay the fee, often placing their families in financial hardship, they are usually unable to get back the bail amount if their charges are dropped or if they are exonerated in court.

Proposition 25 would end this practice and save taxpayer money from being used to keep non-convicted individuals in jail.


VICA opposes Proposition 24, which would create the Privacy Protection agency, expanding the provisions of the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and removing the ability of businesses to fix violations before being penalized.

Proposition 24 would expand on the already confusing set of CCPA privacy regulations, the complicated nature of which makes it easy to violate based on reasonable misunderstandings.  

Proposition 24 would add heightened regulations on small businesses that rely on digital marketing, especially now that COVID-19 has forced many businesses to adapt to remote and online operations. It is estimated that compliance with Proposition 24 provisions will cost $55 billion and will cost every small business about $50,000.

Businesses need to focus their resources towards responding to the COVID-19 outbreak and avoid closing down. Adding more regulations with Proposition 24 would be inappropriate and would increase challenges for businesses to continue operating in California.

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 VICA member and is actively engaged in the organization currently.

2. Has significant and long-term involvement in philanthropic and community/public serve organizations or a significant record in that area.

3. Is a role model as a community leader.


All Nominee forms must be submitted via email to Cathy@vica.com by Friday, September 18, 2020.
Aviation Committee (09/02)
Sponsored by Aeroplex/Aerolease
  • Samantha Bricker, Chief Environmental and Sustainability Officer for Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA), presented on the Sustainability Action Plan (SAP) and future LAWA projects.
  • Keith Owens, Director of Program Management for Ontario Airport, updated the committee on construction, development and rehabilitation projects at Ontario Airport.
  • Christian Moreno, Chief of Airport Operations for Van Nuys Airport, reported information about jet operations, air traffic control, and improvement projects.

Sports, Entertainment, Tourism, and Hospitality Committee (09/03)
Sponsored by History for Hire
  • City of Los Angeles Board of Public Works President Greg Good offered a Q&A session on the future of the entertainment industry.
  • Philip Sokoloski, Vice President of Communications for FilmLA, spoke on the impact COVID-19 has had on the film, TV, and commercial production industry.

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.