Our inaugural 2021 State of the State Virtual Advocacy Trip was a great success! Thank you for joining us and a special thanks to our sponsors. We are extremely grateful to all of the policy makers who joined us and whose conversations over the last two days gave us insight in to the state’s most pressing issues affecting our community and California at large. The next few years will really show us the impacts of the pandemic, and it is imperative that the voice of business and our community is elevated and heard loud by policymakers.
WATCH NOW: STATE OF THE STATE DAY 1
WATCH NOW: STATE OF THE STATE DAY 2
We will be feeling the impact of the pandemic for years to come as we fully understand the long-term effects on our economy and businesses. It is critical now more than ever to support businesses in their operations to ensure they are able to keep Californians employed and thriving. Our coalition supports efforts that enhance business operations, provide tax incentives for businesses, promote the health and safety of employees and employers, increase workforce development and provide access to capital for small to medium size businesses.
The biggest issue facing our region today is our housing and homelessness crisis. These two issues have been decades in the making and will need to be addressed through strong collaboration among stakeholders, creative and bold solutions, and a unified effort with a long-term lens. We must address issues related to housing affordability, the number of units coming to the market, and CEQA reform. Our delegation supports policies that increases housing supply through permitting and zoning reform, mandates local municipalities to increase their density specifically near high transit corridors, increases funding for mental health and supports local service providers.
The bread and butter of our region is our hospitality and tourism industry, which has taken the hardest hit through this pandemic and will take the longest to recover. In order to bring back thousands of jobs and generate much needed tax revenue for both the State and local municipalities, we must engage with this industry to provide for their immediate recovery. Our delegation supports incentives related to the tourism and hospitality industry, continued support and increased filming tax credits and strong partnerships throughout the State with funding for tourism initiatives.
Day 1: Tuesday, June 22
8:15 – 8:30 am Welcome and Introductions with Rana Ghadban
8:30 – 9:00 am – Jennifer Barrera, Executive Vice President for the California Chamber
9:00 – 9:30 am – Assembly Member Adrin Nazarian, 46th Assembly District
9:30 – 10:00 am – Assembly Member Miguel Santiago, 53rd Assembly District
10:00 – 10:30 am – Assembly Member Laura Friedman, 43rd Assembly District
10:30 – 11:00 am – Assembly Member Suzette Valladares, 38th Assembly District
11:00 – 11:30 am – Assembly Member Mike Gipson, 64th Assembly District
11:30 – 12:00 pm Senator Ben Allen, 26th Senate District
Day 2: Wednesday, June 23
8:15 – 8:30 am Welcome and Introductions with Rana Ghadban
8:30 – 9:30 am – Senator Mike McGuire, Senate District 2
9:00 – 9:30 am – Assembly Member Richard Bloom, 50th Assembly District
9:30 – 10:00 am – Assembly Member Lorena Gonzalez, 80th Assembly District
10:00 – 10:30 am – Senator Scott Wiener, Senate District 11
10:30 – 11:00 am – Senator Robert Hertzberg, Senate District 18
11:00 – 11:30 am – Assembly Member Cottie Petrie-Norris, 74th Assembly District
11:30 – 12:00 pm – Senator Maria Elena Durazo, Senate District 24
Assembly Member Richard Bloom
Assembly District 50, (D-Santa Monica) Chair, Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Resources and Transportation
Assembly Member Richard Bloom
Assembly District 50, (D-Santa Monica) Chair, Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Resources and Transportation
450Richard Bloom was first elected to the 50th District of the California State Assembly in 2012. Assemblymember Bloom's considers his top priorities to be climate change, environmental protection, congestion relief with a focus on public transit, bike, and pedestrian investment, and sub-regional connectivity job creation with a particular focus on the green economy, affordable housing, and homelessness.
Assembly Member Suzette Valladares
Assembly District 38, Vice Chair Committee On Arts, Entertainment, Sports, Tourism, & Internet Media
Assembly Member Suzette Valladares
Assembly District 38, Vice Chair Committee On Arts, Entertainment, Sports, Tourism, & Internet Media
Suzette was elected to the California State Assembly in November 2020. Suzette Martinez Valladares is a Latina businesswoman and educator who specializes in early childhood education and advocacy.
Assembly Member Mike Gipson
Assembly District 64, Chair, Assembly Democratic Caucus
Assembly Member Mike Gipson
Assembly District 64, Chair, Assembly Democratic Caucus
Assemblymember Mike Gipson has co-authored and supported legislation on criminal justice reform, our brothers and sisters of labor, the environment, affordable housing, and expanded healthcare. He also passed comprehensive transportation legislation; spearheaded a historic cap and trade package; combating homelessness and serving as lead assemblymember on curbing gun violence.
Senator Mike McGuire
Senate District 2, Chair, Senate Governance & Finance Committee
Senator Mike McGuire
Senate District 2, Chair, Senate Governance & Finance Committee
Senator Mike McGuire is the third highest ranking member of the Senate and the youngest Assistant Majority Leader in decades. Senator Mike McGuire is motivated to create good jobs, strong schools, affordable health care, better roads, and a clean environment. He has fought for resources to combat homelessness and build affordable housing in rural California.
Senator Scott Wiener
Senate District 11, Chair, Senate Housing Committee
Senator Scott Wiener
Senate District 11, Chair, Senate Housing Committee
In the Senate, Senator Wiener works to make housing more affordable, invest in our transportation systems, increase access to healthcare, support working families, meaningfully address climate change and the impacts of wildfires, reform our criminal justice system, reduce gun violence, reduce California’s high poverty rate, and safeguard and expand the rights of all communities, including immigrants and the LGBTQ community.
Senator Robert Hertzberg
Senate Majority Leader
Senator Robert Hertzberg
Senate Majority Leader
Hertzberg’s areas of public policy interest know no limit. He is characterized as a legislator who fears nothing and takes on everything. From criminal justice to technology related issues. Hertzberg approaches every problem through a lens of governing for the next generation, not the next election.
Assembly Member Miguel Santiago
Chair Assembly Communications and Conveyances
Assembly Member Miguel Santiago
Chair Assembly Communications and Conveyances
Senator Miguel Santiago has worked to provide housing for Californians experiencing homelessness, stimulate the development of more affordable housing, and works to ensure every student can pursue higher education without incurring mountains of debt.450
Assembly Member Cottie Petrie-Norris
Chair Accountability and Administrative Review
Assembly Member Cottie Petrie-Norris
Chair Accountability and Administrative Review
Cottie Petrie-Norris is a businesswoman and community leader who was elected to the State Assembly in 2018. In her first term, Cottie has secured millions of dollars in funding for projects in our district and introduced important legislation to combat sea level rise, improve services for veterans and help small businesses.
Senator Ben Allen
Senate, District 26, (D), Chair Senate Environmental Quality Committee
Senator Ben Allen
Senate, District 26, (D), Chair Senate Environmental Quality Committee
Senator Ben chairs the Senate’s Environmental Quality Committee and co-chairs the Legislature’s Environmental Caucus. Among his efforts to reform California campaign finance and elections laws, Ben authored the landmark Voter’s Choice Act of 2016 to implement more flexibility in how and where to vote, creating the vote center model used in the 2020 elections which resulted in significantly increased voter turnout.
Senator Maria Elena Durazo
Senate District 24
Senator Maria Elena Durazo
Senate District 24
In 2008, María Elena Durazo served as the Vice Chair of the Democratic National Committee and as National Co-Chair of the Barack Obama Presidential Campaign. From 2006 through 2014, she was the first woman Secretary-Treasurer of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO, the second largest labor council in the country and served on the National AFL-CIO Executive Council.
Assembly Member Adrin Nazarian
Assembly District 46, Chair Aging and Long-Term Care Committee
Assembly Member Adrin Nazarian
Assembly District 46, Chair Aging and Long-Term Care Committee
Adrin has passionately advocated for increased mass transit in the San Fernando Valley, smarter management of vital water resources through infrastructure improvements, protecting and expanding the film industry, and much-needed earthquake preparedness.
Assembly Member Laura Friedman
Assembly District 43, Chair of the Transportation Committee
Assembly Member Laura Friedman
Assembly District 43, Chair of the Transportation Committee
Laura’s legislative work is focused in three primary areas: addressing the housing affordability and homelessness crisis, combating climate change, and protecting vulnerable communities.
Jennifer Barrera
Executive Vice President, CalChamber
Jennifer Barrera
Executive Vice President, CalChamber
Jennifer Barrera is the Executive Vice President for the California Chamber of Commerce where she oversees the development and implementation of policy and strategy as executive vice president and represents the California Chamber of Commerce on legal reform issues.
Assembly Member Lorena Gonzalez
Assembly District 80, Chair of Appropriations
Assembly Member Lorena Gonzalez
Assembly District 80, Chair of Appropriations
Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalezrepresents the 80th Assembly District. Lorena has served as Chair of the Assembly Appropriations Committee since 2016 and is the first Latina in California history to hold the position. She is focused on fighting for California's working and middle classes. She co-authored the nation’s toughest rules to close the gender pay gap.
