Chamber Sets Ambitious Policy Platform For 2011

The Long Beach Chamber's Annual Policy Platform serves as guiding principles when tracking local and statewide legislation and issues that might impact the Long Beach business community. It also allows the Chamber's Government Affairs Council to take a position on any issue impacting our business community as long as it aligns with the Platform.

2011 Long Beach Chamber Policy Platform

Pro-Jobs Leadership

Provide sound and definitive public policy so that the Long Beach Chamber’s political action committee can support candidates who champion pro-jobs legislation.

Monitor and make recommendations on selection and the filling of vacant key city commission and board appointments. Encourage and support pro-business candidates and members to be involved in local boards and commissions.

Take an active role in working with and educating elected officials regarding proposed business legislation that has an impact on the business community.

Monitor and oppose burdensome regulations on businesses that create a unfriendly job creation environment.

Infrastructure Improvements

Monitor and develop recommendations as necessary regarding the long term improvement efforts to the I-710 Long Beach Freeway. Engage the Chamber membership and leadership in policy discussions with local, state and federal representative as it pertains to options to funding I-710 improvements. Continue to monitor and support infrastructure changes to the Gerald Desmond Bridge.

Encourage and recommend, where appropriate, the application of innovative technologies and financing measures (such as design-build) to improve the movement of goods and people in the city and greater region. Support legislation that enhances business climate.

Support improvements to major Long Beach corridors to enhance economic development and provide a positive image of the city.

Support efforts to maximize potential for job creation and growth at the Long Beach Airport and vicinity within the existing Airport Noise Compatibility Ordinance. Monitor state and federal airline industry legislation.

Monitor federal, state, and local aviation industry legislation that might impact Long Beach Airport and airports within the region.

Support efforts to implement cost effective seawater desalination and support efforts to ensure the reliability of the water supply for Long Beach and Southern California.

Partner with Long Beach Transit and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to ensure a reliable, safe, useful, sustainable and cost effective transportation and regulatory system.

Study and develop modern needs for energy infrastructure and the State water plan and related policy positions as it relates to the business and residential community.

Support development of modern utility infrastructure in the city.

Support efforts to increase funding for seismic infrastructure upgrades.

International Trade

Support projects in the Port of Long Beach that improves efficiency and address tourism and technology for the betterment of the business community.

Monitor environmental issues facing the Port of Long Beach and the Port of Los Angeles and its effect on the Long Beach business community.

Monitor ongoing post-9/11 Port security assessments and recommendations to the Board of Harbor Commissioners.

Monitor and establish positions on local, state, and federal legislation that affect the Port of Long Beach.

Work with the Port of Long Beach to promote trade opportunities with foreign countries.

Support cooperation between the port, government, and the community.

Taxation and Government Finance

Take an active role in preserving and expanding the Enterprise Zone’s benefits to employers and employees within the city.

Support and recommend ways to privatize cost effective government services and public contracts while maintaining or improving standards.

Support alternatives to state and local tax and fee increases and new tax and fee categories affecting the Long Beach business community.

Support alternatives to additional fees on residential rental properties (i.e. inspection fees) or operating costs to businesses and also allow for self certification.

Solicit state and federal programs to secure tax credits for targeted work training programs.

Attract and retain investors to Long Beach by seeking ways to offer tax exemptions.

Employee Relations

Oppose and recommend alternatives to state minimum wage increases and any local or state living wage ordinances.

Monitor and provide recommendations to new workers’ compensation reform measures to reduce costs to businesses.

Monitor and provide recommendations to improve healthcare delivery system without reducing quality for employers and employees.

Support and promote, when appropriate, the preparation of cost/benefit analysis ensuring economic impacts are weighed before the imposition of regulatory statutes.

Monitor new legislative regulatory proposals that regulate employer and employee relations.

Support the development of workforce housing without mandates from housing developers and owners.

Monitor and provide recommended alternatives to payroll taxes and state unemployment taxes.

Support revisions to the state’s restrictive wage/hour laws and regulations.

Education and Diversity

Encourage more charter schools and innovative educational programs in order to improve the quality of Long Beach’s workforce.

Support and promote the welfare-to-work process through legislation that provides for training, tax credits and other incentives that assist local businesses.

Support and promote training programs that provide incentives for local companies to hire vocational students.

Work with the local educational systems and support legislation that provides for a well trained flexible workforce in the Long Beach region, including educational curriculum credit to students for internship experience.

Work with the local educational systems and legislators to reduce unfunded mandatory requirements.

Support programs encouraging or enabling internships for youth.

Support the Pacific Gateway Workforce Investment Board’s plans to meet the needs of local employers and to promote quality jobs and wages.

Support efforts to maintain seamless education between all levels of education.

Support efforts to enrich the lives of all Long Beach residents through increased investments in the arts.

Linking Business with Government

Monitor local and statewide legislation as it pertains to policy priorities and communicate the information to the Chamber membership.

Monitor and oppose misclassification statewide legislation that harms independent contractor status for Long Beach businesses.

Support programs that identify the issues facing our community neighborhoods, integrate government resources, and work with community leadership to improve the quality of work life for the residents of Long Beach.

Monitor and oppose Long Beach’s prevailing wage policy for city funded projects.

Continue the service for members to email their federal, state, and local representatives to provide support or opposition letters to legislative issues.

Continue to improve the working relationship with local, state and federal representatives.

Simplify advocacy efforts with the city council by providing concise position papers on various issues impacting the business community.

Continue with periodic breakfast and lunch events linking the business community with local elected leaders and city hall staff.

Participate in the city budget process as it pertains to business, resource issues and finding alternatives to increases in fines, penalties and fees for businesses. Work to ensure that preferences for city contracts are awarded to Long Beach businesses. Limit government from shifting program costs from the city general fund to businesses.

Partner with local chambers when appropriate to develop and coordinate a yearly lobbying trip to Sacramento and Washington DC for chamber members.

Communicate with individual City Council districts and business associations to identify areas of concern and develop partnerships.

Coordinate opportunities when appropriate for the Chamber membership to attend city council meetings to offer advice on business related agenda items.

Seek opportunities to partner with local, state and federal representatives to highlight the City of Long Beach as a friendly place to do business.

Economic Development

Partner with Long Beach Community College 10,000 Small Business Program to encourage program participation in order to create job creation.

Support private enterprise and development projects within Long Beach and the region to enhance economic development.

Champion business attraction.

Support business retention and growth.

Support small and/or disadvantaged business assistance programs (grants, loans, workshops, etc.)

Support efforts to reform tort/frivolous lawsuits related to businesses.

Monitor and be involved in the general plan update (land use, planning, housing and zoning) issues that affect the business community.

Monitor and focus on targeted industry clusters: healthcare, energy, education, trade, aerospace, transportation and professional services.

Encourage city policy to support tourism and enhance the city’s image by partnering with the Long Beach Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Assist efforts in Long Beach to mitigate, end and prevent homelessness by:

Supporting job development, mentoring/job-shadowing, as well as other programs to assist with the transition from homelessness to workplace.

Joining with the City of Long Beach and other organizations working to alleviate the human and economic conditions that contribute to homelessness in Long Beach.

Promoting appropriate workforce housing developments to suit the needs of the community and support housing policies, specifically, from a business perspective.

Supporting and promoting efforts to implement the City of Long Beach’s plan to end homelessness.

Seek ways to provide mental health options for those individuals who may require such attention.

Support job development mentoring as well as other programs to assist returning veterans from war and to help transition from military to workplace.

Healthcare

Oppose attempts to create government run healthcare insurance programs and instead support efforts to ease the regulatory burdens on business that discourage participation in employer sponsored healthcare plans.

Support initiatives which streamline government regulations to increase efficiency and reduce overall administrative burdens.

Support a moratorium on further attempts by the state to place unfunded mandates on hospitals, for example, nurse ratios

Support and promote the reduction of paperwork and administrative cost.

Support malpractice and tort reform legislation.

Support federal and state reforms that allow small businesses to obtain group coverage and increased advantages from tax deductible medical care saving accounts and association plans.

Encourage tax advantages for individual healthcare polices in order to improve the state’s underwritten high risk pool.

Environment

Oversee environmental issues and recommend support for policies (such as the “Green Port Policy”) that protect human health and the environment, and ensure fair and financially responsible implementation of environmental policy through reasoned cost/benefit analysis.

Encourage the creation of environmentally sound policies that reward – such as business tax exempts - responsible business practices.

Oppose onerous, over-lapping and conflicting regulations by state, county, city and special agencies.

Oppose regulations that change frequently which make it difficult for business to obtain a return on investment.

Support programs that provide businesses with energy saving advice and instruction and do not target California industries with unreasonable mandates.

Support efforts that help businesses develop and transfer new technology.

Seek ways to define realistic environmental goals and support development of incentives for industries to reduce overall greenhouse gas emissions.

Encourage the cost-effective utilization of recycled water where it complies with local health department guidelines and regulations.

Oppose attempts to pass policies and programs that would eliminate job creation and/or business expansion and sustainability by way of unsound policies that do not have fact based or data driven benefit analysis.

Encourage more detailed assessment of impacts on business, jobs and consumers when environmental legislation is proposed.

Propose alternatives to “green” changes mandated on the housing industry or provide funding for such changes that are consistent with existing regulatory policies in Long Beach.

Public Pension Reform

Seek ways to balance the current pension obligations with future new hire public sector employees at all levels of government..

Find solutions to the ongoing increases of public pension systems in order to prevent bankruptcy.

Educate the business community and Long Beach residents on the potential hazards of an out of control pension system and what it means to the State of California, City of Long Beach and the business community in the future.