GETTING DOWN TO BUSINESS. More than 400 business, labor and community leaders convened today at L.A. City Hall to hear from Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and city elected officials on key issues facing the city. "We've got to stop being job killers in this town and start being job generators," said Mayor Villaraigosa (above). Throughout the day, the Chamber highlighted 16 policy recommendations to city officials at Access L.A. City Hall to create jobs, streamline city government and accelerate economic recovery. Six breakout sessions featured business, community and elected leaders. View photo gallery. Contact Samuel Garrison, 213.580.7568 or sgarrison@lachamber.com.

Building a New Alliance: Business & Labor Collaborating for L.A.'s Future
L.A./O.C. Building, Construction and Trades Council Executive-Secretary Richard Slawson joined Controller Wendy Greuel, Chamber President & CEO Gary Toebben and others to discuss building a new alliance between business and labor. “You can be business-friendly and labor-friendly at the same time,” said Greuel. "I want to be able to stand up here next year and check off each one of these 16 policy priorities of the L.A. Area Chamber."

Growing the Grassroots: How Neighborhood and Business Leaders Can Work Together
Former Los Angeles City Councilmember Cindy Miscikowski moderated a panel discussion featuring community and business leaders. "A neighborhood council can be the eyes and ears on the ground for a developer or business," said Daymond Rice, Director of Public Affairs & Government Relations for Vons, a Safeway Company. "We must work together to build great neighborhoods that include business and jobs."

Doing Business in Los Angeles: Next Steps to Improve the Business Climate
Councilmember Richard Alarcon, Deputy Mayor for Economic Development Bud Ovrom, Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation President & CEO Bill Allen and others discussed the need for tax reform, enhanced customer service and a continued focus on the green economy during a session on improving the city’s business climate. "We need to use this slow time to invest in infrastructure and be ready when the economy turns around,” said Ovrom.

The City Budget: How Can L.A. Prevent a Fiscal Meltdown?
Councilmember Bernard Parks, Chair of the Budget and Finance Committee, Chief Administrative Officer Miguel Santana and others discussed the city budget and what can be done to stop the downward spiral. "Our expenditures have fast outpaced our revenues," Santana said. "Our workforce is too big, and the only way to reduce our expenditures is to reduce the size of our workforce."

Contact Samuel Garrison, 213.580.7568 or sgarrison@lachamber.com.

Majestic Realty Co. Clears Major Hurdle on NFL Stadium Majestic Realty, Co. is one major step closer to building its 75,000-seat football stadium and entertainment complex in the City of Industry with the approved exemption from California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requirements that would have added years to the projects development and cost the region thousands of jobs. Privately financed and developed by Majestic Realty, Co., the project is estimated to create more than 6,000 jobs and add more than $762 million to the regional economy every year. Read more. Port of Long Beach settles Clean Trucks Lawsuit with the ATA The Port of Long Beach and the American Trucking Association (ATA) settled a lawsuit on Monday over the Port's year-old Clean Trucks Program. Under the new agreement, trucking companies will comply with environmental, safety and security requirements, in exchange for registration to perform drayage services and equipping trucks with radio frequency identification (RFID) tags. Trucking companies already working under the concession will need to sign and submit the new agreement to continue to work at the Port. Read more. Read more news from Chamber members. Want your good news featured here? Click here to learn more.