Garcetti Addresses LA Chamber at City Hall

Every year the L.A. Area Chamber of Commerce organizes an "Access City Hall" event that brings a large contingent of businesspersons to meet with policymakers. Before they fanned out throughout City Hall, I had a chance to address the group and make sure they were aware of my priorities in terms of jobs and economic development. Some of the policy actions that I shared with them were my plan for a jobs tax credit to encourage hiring and help existing businesses grow during these tough times; my reconvening of the Business Tax Advisory Committee to develop comprehensive business tax reform and other ways to cut red tape that could delay or even block new businesses and job growth; and my plan for DWP reform to ensure fair rates for every ratepayer, including businesses, who are large consumers of water and power. I also thanked the Chamber for its work on "Cash for College," an initiative that I have been a proud partner in. Cash for College has helped 100,000 Los Angeles students with college counseling and financial aid guidance. It is refreshing that Los Angeles has a business community that understands that helping our youth is in all of our best interest, as we are only as competitive as our workforce it.