Valley Industry & Commerce Association | |
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- VICA Opposes SB 809 - Exclusion of Criminal History
- VICA Opposes AB 341 - Reinstatement of Gambling Moratorium
- VICA Advocates for Rexford Project at City Hall
- SoCalGas Announces Resilient Grants for Independent Restaurants
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Quick Jump - Register to Attend!
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“The biggest stars, the leading businesspeople, and the world's best and brightest all want to come to LA. People from all over the world seeking a better life come to LA. And make no mistake, people from all over the country come to LA in search of the American dream, too. I want all of them to experience a New LA. One that is stronger, healthier, happier, and safer. This is the new Los Angeles we will build together." | |
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Mayor Karen Bass
Statement from her first State of the City Address
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VICA Opposes SB 809 - Exclusions of Criminal History in Almost All Cases | |
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VICA opposes Senate Bill 809 (Smallwood-Cuevas), which would eliminate a criminal history from being considered a factor in any employment decision.
Just five years after legislators and various community stakeholders worked together to pass AB 1008 (McCarty), which prohibits employers from inquiring about a conviction history until a conditional offer is made, SB 809 is looking to repeal the California Fair Chance Act in its entirety.
SB 809 would replace this carefully negotiated law with an untenable framework that prevents an employer from inquiring about or relying on conviction history.
Under SB 809, companies would be prohibited from considering conviction history for in-home delivery services, positions with access to sensitive personal information, those working with vulnerable populations, including children and seniors, and those working in hospitality, including hotels that give employees access to rooms.
It is every employer’s goal and responsibility to create a safe work environment for both workers and customers, which includes being able to know who it is that you are hiring.
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VICA Opposes AB 341 - Reinstatement of Local Gambling Moratoriums | |
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The VICA Board opposes Assembly Bill 341 (Ramos), which looks to reinstate a local moratorium ban on new gambling establishments while looking to revoke any processed licenses issued and would restrict local municipalities from expanding gaming services if boundaries weren't established before January 1996.
AB 341 is a collusive effort with a retroactive effective date that strains Constitutional credulity. AB 341 is ultimately aimed at cardrooms that provide revenue streams to their host cities-counties and deliberately try to undermine the expansion of operations and increases in city revenues that provide local services.
AB 341 would undermine the ability of many local municipalities that have chosen to allow gaming providers within their jurisdiction in 2023 and undermine the potential revenues and services that can be provided by cities and counties supplied by the industry's development in their municipality.
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VICA Supports Rexford Industrial Project at PLUM Committee | |
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On Tuesday, VICA made public comment at City Council's PLUM committee in support of Rexford's Industrial Project in the Sylmar area.
The need for light industrial buildings is unquestionable, as demonstrated by the extremely low vacancy rates for space and the benefits to the community, which allow for a healthy and viable economic region.
Rexford has conducted outreach to neighboring residents and community stakeholders, which includes earning support from the Sylmar Neighborhood Council, citing the positive impact on the region with broad economic benefits, and being compatible with the surrounding neighborhood.
A primary purpose of city planning is to assure land use predictability for those currently in the community and those looking to invest in it.
VICA supports development projects that look to benefit the community by increasing economic activity and employment opportunities within the Valley community.
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SoCalGas Announces Resilience Grants Available for California Independent Restaurants | |
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SoCalGas has partnered with the California Restaurant Foundation for the 3rd consecutive year to support the Restaurant Resilience program to provide $5,000 grants to independently-owned restaurants. Applications for the resilience fund opened April 15 and will remain open until May 7.
The grants will go towards technology adoption, equipment upgrades, employee onboarding, retention, or unforeseen hardships.
Grants will be available to all California-based restaurant owners in SoCalGas' service area with less than five units and less than $3 million in revenue. Priority will be given to restaurants that have yet to receive a grant; however, previous recipients are encouraged to re-apply.
To read the full news release, click here. Resilience Fund Applications and additional SoCalGas programs are linked below.
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Move LA's "What's Next, LA?" Event on May 1st | |
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Move LA is bringing it back “live” to engage in person on our most pressing challenges—affordable housing, homelessness, climate change, clean air, and abundant and reliable public transportation.
There are $4 billion reasons to celebrate our victories, but how do we ensure equitable funding distribution? Join thought leaders, government officials, labor leaders, and more for Move LA’s May Day Conference at the historic Biltmore Hotel.
VICA Members can register under the non-profit discount rate of only $75 (a 50% discount!), and join Move LA for lunch, workshops, and engaging conversations. You can register at the link below.
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VICA Thanks our New and Renewing Members! | | |
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Platinum Member:
Other Renewing Members:
New Members:
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VICA University: New Campaign Finance Laws and How They Impact Business
April 25 | 10:00 - 11:15 am
Zoom
VICA invites you to join us for this informative 75-minute program (including a Q&A session) that will cover new campaign finance and lobbying laws with Bradley Hertz and Matthew Alvarez from The Sutton Law Firm. Click the button below to register!
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VICA After Dark: Supervisor Lindsey Horvath
May 3 | 5:30 PM
Burbank Airport Marriott
Supervisor Lindsey Horvath was elected to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors in the fall of 2022 . She previously served as a City Councilmember and Mayor for the City of West Hollywood. Horvath’s career has been defined by tackling the hardest problems, building diverse coalitions, and delivering results for her community.
VICA thanks our host and Presenting Sponsor Burbank Airport Marriott and presenting sponsor EKA.
If you are interested in sponsoring this event, please contact yoko@vica.com as soon as possible to secure your sponsorship.
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San Fernando Valley Business Hall of Fame
June 8 | 5:30 PM
The Garland
Join VICA members, business leaders and officeholders as we honor members of our community during a garden reception, program, dinner and dessert.
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If you are interested in attending and want to register, email Cathy at cathy@vica.com or click the button below. | |
If you are interested in sponsoring this event, please email Yoko at yoko@vica.com. For more information on sponsorships, click the button below. | |
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Labor & Employment Committee
Wednesday, May 3
8:30 AM - 10:00 AM
Hosted by Sun Hill Properties/
Hilton Universal City
RSVP
Transportation Committee
Tuesday, May 9
8:30 - 10:30 AM
Hosted by The Garland
RSVP
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Education Committee
Thursday, May 4
8:30 - 10:00 AM
Hosted by LA Valley College
RSVP
Not-for-Profit Committee
Wednesday, May 10
8:30 - 10:00 AM
At the VICA Office
RSVP
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Foreclosures Rise in California
U.S. foreclosures jumped 22% in the first quarter compared to a year ago. While still below pre-pandemic levels, foreclosure activity has increased annually for 23 months. The uptrend reflects higher jobless rates, ongoing economic challenges, and backlogged foreclosures working through the pipeline after the lifting of government interventions to help struggling homeowners during the pandemic.
Higher Salaries, Smaller Class Sizes
The Los Angeles school district and the teachers union have reached a tentative agreement that provides a 21% wage increase over three years, raising the average teacher salary to $106,000 while averting the potential of a second strike. If approved by United Teachers Los Angeles members, the salary for teachers would range from $69,000 to $122,000, with extra work resulting in extra pay.
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SpaceX Rocket Explodes, Called a Win
On its first test flight Thursday morning, SpacX's massive, uncrewed Starship rocket roared off the launch pad and soared into the south Texas sky for a few minutes but ultimately exploded into a trial of smoke. The explosive end to the test beat SpaceX's publicly-broadcast goals. "Success today is anything that we learn that helps improve the future builds of Starship. If we lift off and clear the pad, we're going to have a win", said Kate Tice, SpaceX systems engineering manager.
LA-Long Beach Rank as Most Polluted
The Los Angeles-Long Beach metropolitan area was again the most ozone-polluted region in the nation - with Western states also continuing to outpace the East regarding poor air quality. The region has been ranked the nation's worst ozone-polluted area in 23 of the 24 years the association has produced its "state of the Air" report.
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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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