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Serving the San Fernando Valley cities of Los Angeles, Burbank, Glendale, Calabasas, Hidden Hills, San Fernando, and Santa Clarita
Valley Industry & Commerce Association vica.com
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- VICA Hosts After Dark with LA Councilmember Imelda Padilla
- Assemblymember Laura Friedman Joins VICA Government Affairs Committee
- VICA Opposes ACA 10
- Register for VICA's Business Forecast Conference
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Quick Jump - Register to Attend!
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"I worked hard to find a team who will help make my vision come, share my values, and recognize that it is about building coalitions, and is it about making the time to hear everybody out."
LA City Councilmember Imelda Padilla
VICA After Dark
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VICA Hosts After Dark with LA City Councilmember Imelda Padilla | |
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On Wednesday, VICA members gathered at the Airtel Plaza Hotel to hear from LA City Councilmember Imelda Padilla. Padilla is LA's newest Councilmember and was elected to represent Council District 6 in a special election earlier this year.
To start the program, Jennifer Pochedly, from our presenting sponsor and host for the evening, the Airtel Plaza Hotel, provided some opening remarks, welcoming VICA members to the Airtel Plaza Hotel before turning it over to ICON CDC board member Jorge Quezada to introduce the Councilmember.
Councilmember Padilla opened her remarks by thanking everyone in the room for all of the support she received during her campaign. One of the things she prides herself on is being a coalition builder, and during her campaign she remained firm on supporting the interests of all community stakeholders, receiving the support from both the labor and business communities.
Padilla then went on to share some of her main focuses during her first few months in office. She shared that one of her biggest accomplishments so far has been building up her team, and as of about a week ago, her office is fully staffed. She emphasized the need for a team that shares in her vision of building coalitions and engaging with the community to ensure that conversations, complaints, and recommendations from constituents do not fall on deaf ears.
She also shared some of the projects she is excited to continue working on, including the Sepulveda Basin Vision Plan, the future of Van Nuys Airport, and Metro's East San Fernando Valley Light Rail Transit project that will bring light rail to the Valley for the fist time in over 50 years.
Padilla wrapped up by sharing some updates on some of the biggest issues she addressed during her campaign, including homelessness and RV encampments in her district, public safety, and the development of community focused centers like libraries and youth groups.
VICA would like to thank our host and presenting sponsor Airtel Plaza Hotel, presenting sponsor ICON CDC, co-sponsors Metro and Chief Strategies, and our leadership sponsor Southland Regional Association of Realtors.
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From left to right: VICA Chair Victor Berrellez (US Bank), Lillian De Loza-Guitierrez (Metro), Areen Ibranossian (Chief Strategies), Councilmember Imelda Padilla, Jorge Quezada (ICON CDC), Jennifer Pochedly (Airtel Plaza Hotel), Brian Stedge-Stroud (Chief Strategies), Karen Swift (Metro) | |
Assemblymember Laura Friedman Joins VICA's October Government Affairs Committee Meeting | |
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On Wednesday, State Assemblymember Laura Friedman visited VICA's Government Affairs Committee to provide a legislative wrap-up of her high priority bills for the 2023 session.
Friedman gave an overview of nine of her bills that were signed by the Governor, including a bill tackling cosmetic safety, a bill that will implement a speed camera pilot program throughout the state to help tackle traffic violence, and a bill allowing shared parking to be considered under existing parking mandates.
The Assemblymember also shared an update on three of her two-year bills, including a bill to protect consumers from deceptive ticket selling practices and a bill that will prioritize high capacity transit projects over single-occupancy projects, such as like freeway widening projects.
VICA looks forward to working with the Assemblymember in the 2024 session to pass legislation that will benefit and protect California's business community.
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VICA Opposes ACA 10: Making Housing a Human Right | |
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VICA opposes Assembly Constitutional Amendment 10 (Haney) which would amend the California Constitution to establish housing as a fundamental human right.
Although VICA recognizes that addressing the housing crisis is vital, ACA 10's bid to amend the California Constitution and establish housing as a fundamental right raises concerns. Past attempts, like SCA 9, ACA 10, and AB 2405, struggled due to substantial costs. For example, Governor Newsom vetoed AB 2405 due to its $10 billion annual price tag.
Additionally, ACA 10's mandate for local and state governments to ensure housing access may unintentionally lead to market overregulation and fiscal burdens on taxpayers. Instead, we should work towards striking a balance between housing access and fiscal responsibility.
ACA 10's broad approach to housing rights warrants further consideration to ensure its practical feasibility and effectiveness before it is permanently added to the State's constitution.
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LAST CHANCE: Register for VICA's Business Forecast Conference: Flaming Hot Topics | | |
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Friday, October 27 | 7:00 AM
Hilton Universal City
Our Annual Business Forecast Conference continues to attract nationally recognized experts on our region's dynamic economy. This forecast will help our business leaders plan for the challenges facing us in 2023.
VICA thanks our Presenting Sponsors Amazon and SoCalGas.
See below for more information on two of this year's panels!
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Fireproofing the Market: How has Return to Work Changed? - Workforce
Is California blazing a new trail of workplace expectations for the nation to follow, or setting the stage for a flamin’ hot disaster?
Moderator: Barry Cohn, Principal, JorgensenHR
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Panelists:
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Jeffrey Cole, Research Professor/Director of the Center for Digital Future, USC
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Gary Saenger, President, Saenger Associates
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Selina Thomas, CEO/Founder, 6 Degrees HR Consulting
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Healthcare: Scorching Stigmas on Mental Health
Are we on a path of scorching the stigmas associated with mental health, or will barriers continue to hinder essential treatment and care?
Moderator: Ajit Dodani, CEO and Founder, EmpathifyU
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Panelists:
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David W. Bond, LCSW, Director of Enterprise Behavioral health – Government Business
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Megan Chirarelli, South Division Medical Director, Providence
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Dr. Sandrine Pirard, West Region CMO, Carleon Behavioral Health
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Chante Rogers, L.M.F.T., L.E.P.
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To see a full list of this year's confirmed speakers, click the button! | | | |
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Local Officeholders Luncheon
November 9 | 11:30 AM
Skirball Cultural Center
Local Officeholders representing Los Angeles County, the City of Los Angeles, and other Valley cities join VICA and its members to discuss the pertinent issues facing businesses during the annual Local Officeholders event. Attendees have the opportunity to formally ask questions on a wide range of topics.
Thank you to our Presenting Sponsors Amazon, JPMorgan Chase, Comcast NBCUniversal, Los Angeles Department of Water & Power, SoCalGas, and Wells Fargo.
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Labor & Employment Committee
Wednesday, November 1
8:30 - 10:00 AM
Hosted by the Hilton Universal City
RSVP
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Education Committee
Thursday, November 2
8:30 - 10:00 AM
Hosted by LA Valley College
RSVP
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Non-Profit Committee
Thursday, November 8
8:30 - 10:00 AM
Sponsored by Pacific Federal
RSVP
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VICA Thanks Our New and Renewing Members! | | |
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Bronze Members:
Renewing Member:
New Member:
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Laphonza Butler Won't Run in 2024
Labor leader and prominent Democratic activist Laphonza Butler, who was appointed to fill Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s term after the veteran politician died, announced Thursday that she would not run for a full Senate term in 2024. Despite her successful career steeped in politics, Butler had never held public office and appeared to be relatively unknown to most voters in the state.
California Students Still Falling Short
After California invested billions to help students rebound from the pandemic, K-12 math and English language arts scores remained mostly stagnant last year and still well below pre-COVID levels.
The annual Smarter Balanced scores, released today, showed that English language arts scores dropped slightly and math scores inched upwards a bit from 2022, although both scores lagged behind pre-pandemic numbers. Science scores were also up slightly.
Tax Deadline Postponed Again
In January, citing the winter storms that led to federal emergency and disaster declarations, the IRS postponed the due date for most Californians’ 2022 returns from April 17 to May 15. Then in March, the agency pushed the deadline to Oct. 16. The relief later was extended to taxpayers in 55 of the state’s 58 counties and applied to state and federal returns. But when the due date arrived Monday, the IRS offered yet another postponement — to Nov. 16. The agency offered no reason for granting the extra time.
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Jordan Loses Third Speaker Vote
House Republicans have officially rejected Rep. Jim Jordan for speaker. The conference dropped Jordan as their nominee in a secret ballot vote behind closed doors on Friday afternoon after his speakership bid failed for a third time on the House floor. The move leaves the party without a nominee or clear path forward more than two weeks after the historic removal of Kevin McCarthy.
Newsom is Going to China
As rising fossil fuel emissions continue to push global temperatures to record highs, California Gov. Gavin Newsom will head to China next week to meet with officials on such environmental imperatives as offshore wind power, air pollution reduction and the transition to fully electric vehicles, according to the governor’s staff. The visit, which is likely to boost Newsom’s reputation as a national leader in climate policy, comes at a time of increasing economic and military tension between Washington and Beijing.
Earthquake Hits Northern CA
A magnitude 4.2 earthquake hit the southwest Sacramento County area Wednesday morning, close to Contra Costa, Solano and San Joaquin counties, the U.S. Geological Survey said. The earthquake was reported at 9:29 a.m. and prompted an early warning, which was sent widely to cellphones across Northern California.
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The Western Los Angeles County Council, Boy Scouts of America’s Americanism Award is given to outstanding citizens who have distinguished themselves in their careers, in public life, and in service to humankind. Please join our partners in celebrating the achievements of Jaime Jarrín and Paul Krekorian as they honor their dedication and commitment to building a stronger and more compassionate community. | |
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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.
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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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