BizFed backs Measure J for Jobs! & ESTABLISHES an ongoing BUSINESS seat at the TRANSPORTATION table

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                             MEDIA CONTACTS:     Tracy Rafter, 818.429.0862

September 25, 2012                                                           Judi Erickson, 818.984.5080

 

LA COUNTY BIZFED BACKS MEASURE J

to create jobs, fight gridlock

Support Includes Landmark Business Collaboration with Metro

 

LOS ANGELES, CA – BizFed, Los Angeles County Business Federation, announced today it is supporting Measure J on the November ballot and is working with Metro to launch a transformational LA County Transportation Roundtable directly engaging the region’s business community on critical transit needs and implementation of the measure.

 

Measure J – an extension of the current voter-approved Measure R half-cent sales tax for transit projects across LA County – is estimated to accelerate creation of approximately 250,000 new direct, indirect and induced jobs and generate a total of $90 billion for transportation improvements.

 

“It boils down to this: We’re not going to get any help fixing our transportation problems from the state or federal governments, both of which are sinking in their own fiscal quicksand,” said BizFed Founding Chair David Fleming.

 

“LA County voters know we need to drive our own destiny,” Fleming said. “Measure R was the first step. Measure J is the critically needed second step.”

 

BizFed believes Measure J is necessary to achieve acceleration of the transportation projects our region so badly needs because bonds can only be issued against long-term funding streams. Measure J will enable Metro to sell bonds for the purpose of accelerating 7 major transit projects and up to 8 highway projects.

 

Measure J also does not increase current taxes, includes a sunset-provision unlike other Metro taxes, includes components that ensure continued oversight and accountability for spending, and includes more flexibility for regions to shift funds between their own transit and highway projects.

 

“Measure J allows Metro to continue to plan and expand the transportation projects LA County voters clearly have said are needed,” said BizFed Chair John Kelsall, President and CEO of Greater Lakewood Chamber of Commerce. “LA County already has a reputation as home to some of the worst gridlock in the nation. We cannot give up now on our efforts to build the transit infrastructure necessary to sustain a high quality of life and a thriving economy for our region.”

 

As an additional catalyst for driving LA County’s transit improvements under Measure J, BizFed has formed a strategic partnership with Metro for long-term direct engagement with business leaders across the county in a new Los Angeles County Transportation Roundtable.

 

“This is not just about endorsing Measure J, but about the business community rolling up its sleeves and engaging with Metro on the hard work involved in developing sustainable solutions to LA County’s complex transportation needs,” said David Grannis, co-Vice Chair of BizFed’s Transportation Committee and Co-Founder of Point C, LLC.

 

The Los Angeles County Transportation Roundtable will initially focus on key areas including completion of Measure R approved projects; assessment and direct investment toward Measure J projects of greatest community, regional and economic impact; and ensuring infrastructure investments continue to grow our regional economy.

 

“This Roundtable is an extraordinary example of the business community coming together to generate regional solutions for regional problems,” said Hilary Norton, co-Vice Chair of BizFed’s Transportation Committee and Executive Director of FAST (Fixing Angelenos Stuck in Traffic). “It illustrates a continuing, strong business-community relationship with Metro that will energize our transportation infrastructure planning and development.”

 

BizFed’s Board of Directors’ vote to support Measure J – as well as the trailblazing Roundtable with Metro - comes as BizFed members have long ranked LA County transportation issues and gridlock among their top concerns in annual surveys. In 2008, BizFed strongly supported voter-approved Measure R as a significant advancement for needed regional transportation improvements.

 

“BizFed’s Board carefully and thoroughly vetted Measure J, recognizing the important implications of a tax extension as well as the desperate need for transportation improvements,” said BizFed CEO Tracy Rafter, a signer of the Measure R support argument on the 2008 ballot. 

 

“In the end, BizFed’s leadership charted a proactive and visionary course with creation of the LA County Transportation Roundtable - propelling business to get a seat at the table to make sure implementation of Measure J is successful.”

 

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The Los Angeles County Business Federation is a modern-day grassroots alliance of over 100 existing business organizations with more than 185,000 businesses whose goal is to effectively mobilize the collective voice of the Los Angeles County business community.

 

For more information please visit bizfed.org.

 

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Tracy

Tracy Rafter, CEO

BizFed, Los Angeles County Business Federation

818.429.0862 ~ tracy.rafter@bizfed.org

bizfed.org

A Grass Roots Alliance of 100 Top LA County Business Groups

Mobilizing Over 185,000 Businesses

Action Alert: Move LA urges you to endorse Measure J

About | Donate

Move LA urges you to endorse Measure J to help LA County rebuild its economy and create hundreds of thousands of good new jobs by accelerating completion of transit, highway and local street projects that have already been approved by voters. Measure J does this without increasing taxes.  It simply continues Measure R, a sales tax approved by voters in 2008 to provide traffic relief, for another 30 years. MEASURE J DOES ALL THIS AND MORE: CREATES JOBS NOW: Measure R’s transportation projects will create more than 400,000 jobs over three decades, and  Measure J accelerates creation of 250,000 of these jobs over the next decade. (Jobs estimate from LA County Economic Development Corporation.)  SPEEDS UP CONSTRUCTION: Measure J will accelerate construction of 7 light rail, subway and airport connection projects and 8 highway projects over the next decade instead of over 30 years as provided  by Measure R. RELIEVES TRAFFIC: Measure J provides money for highway improvements that will relieve congestion on all LA County freeways — the 5, 10, 14, 60, 101, 110, 134, 138, 210, 405, 605 and 710! PROVIDES LOCALLY CONTROLLED MONEY: Every city in LA County and every part of unincorporated LA County will get 30 additional years of “local return” money – more than $19 billion overall -- for streets, sidewalks, bike lanes and to fill thousands of potholes every year. NO PORK-BARREL SPENDING! There is an agreed-upon countywide plan to speed up projects in the San Fernando and San Gabriel valleys, the South Bay, Southeast LA County and the North County. PROVIDES OVERSIGHT: Measure J mandates independent oversight by a committee of retired judges to make sure tax dollars are properly spent. KEEPS SENIOR FARES LOW: Measure J will enable Metro to keep bus fares low for seniors, students and the disabled. INVESTS IN THE FUTURE:  Measure J builds the infrastructure now that will benefit both current and future generations. IMPROVES EARTHQUAKE SAFETY: Speeds the earthquake repair of aging bridges, tunnels and overpasses. Yes! We support Measure J and want to endorse it!

 

Distinguished Pediatrician, Epidemiologist and UCLA Professor Receives Prestigious Heinz Award

SEPTEMBER 12, 2012

Contacts: Jeff Krakoff (412) 394-6653 Kim O’Dell (412) 497-5775

Distinguished Pediatrician, Epidemiologist and UCLA Professor Receives Prestigious Heinz Award

Dr. Richard Jackson demonstrates how poor community design and urban planning have led to an epic rise in health problems such as asthma and obesity

PITTSBURGH, September 12, 2012 – Teresa Heinz and the Heinz Family Foundation today announced Dr. Richard Joseph Jackson, a pediatrician and public health physician, as a recipient of one of five prestigious Heinz Awards. Following a distinguished career calling attention to the health risks of environmental contaminants, Dr. Jackson has sparked a national conversation about the relationship between the physical design of our communities and rising health risks. As the award winner in the Environment category, Dr. Jackson will receive an unrestricted cash prize of $250,000.

“Dr. Jackson is changing how our society thinks about urban sprawl and the design of our communities by reframing them as public health challenges. That took immense courage and conviction at first, when many ridiculed him for seeing a link between how our neighborhoods are designed and the rise in obesity, diabetes and other health problems,” Teresa Heinz, chairman of the Heinz Family Foundation, said today. “But study after study has proven him correct, and like any good physician he has gone beyond diagnosing the problem to suggesting the cure by actively promoting the design of healthier communities, which by their nature are better for people and better for the environment.”

His interest in health stemmed from the loss of his young fighter-pilot father to polio when Dr. Jackson was just three years old. The experience eventually drew him to a career as a pediatrician and epidemiologist and created a deep interest in how the environment affects the health of children.

Dr. Jackson became convinced that the poor design of our communities was having the dual effects of exposing children to harmful contaminants and discouraging physical activity, contributing to higher rates of asthma, cancer, obesity and diabetes. His warnings, once considered controversial, have been borne out repeatedly by studies documenting airborne particulates from trucks and traffic congestion, the marked reduction in physical fitness in children of all ages and rising rates of obesity and diabetes in the U.S. population.

“We have the opportunity to re-think the design of our communities for the health of our children, our grandchildren and ourselves. It is a moral imperative, not just an environmental one,” said Dr. Richard Jackson. “Families shouldn’t have to get in their car just to buy a carton of milk, and our kids should be able to walk or bike to school. In so many ways, we have engineered walking and health out of our daily lives.”

Dr. Jackson in his lectures, books and recently-released PBS documentary, Designing Healthy Communities, has become a leading national voice for reinserting health considerations into decisions about urban, suburban and transportation design projects. In the PBS series, Dr. Jackson examines the link between urban sprawl and the national epidemic of obesity and Type 2 diabetes, intensified by our dependence on cars.

Early in his career, Dr. Jackson recognized the importance of tracking, collecting and analyzing data to identify health hazards. This work led to groundbreaking initiatives to monitor agricultural chemical levels that were causing birth defects. He served as director of the National Center for Environmental Health for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and later as head of public health in California. At the CDC, Dr. Jackson instituted the current federal effort to monitor chemical levels in the U.S. population to serve as a basis for responding to serious environmental threats to the health of the American public.

Dr. Jackson has served on numerous scientific committees including the National Academy of Sciences’ committee that produced the seminal 1993 report Pesticides in the Diets of Infants and Children, which helped build support for the passage of the landmark Food Quality Protection Act in 1996. Dr. Jackson was the first pediatrician to serve on the board of directors of the American Institute of Architects and is an honorary member of the American Society of Landscape Architects. He is an elected member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences.

His dedication to public health has led him to posts at the University of California, Berkeley and the University of Michigan as well as his current position at UCLA, where he teaches and mentors the next generation of public health professionals.

In addition to Dr. Jackson, the 18th Heinz Awards honor the following individuals:

 Arts and Humanities: Mason Bates, Ph.D., Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, (San Francisco, Calif.), for dissolving the traditional boundaries of classical music and moving orchestral music into the digital age

 Human Condition: Freeman Hrabowski, III, Ph.D., University of Maryland, Baltimore County, (Baltimore, Md.), for inspiring minority students to the highest levels of excellence in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM)

 Public Policy: KC Golden, Climate Solutions, (Seattle, Wash.), for his role in bringing the Pacific Northwest to the forefront of communities taking action to curb climate pollution and promote sustainable prosperity

 Technology, the Economy and Employment: Jay Keasling, Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley; Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory; Joint BioEnergy Institute, (Berkeley, Calif.), for his innovations in the emerging field of synthetic biology impacting medicine, chemistry and clean energy

About the Heinz Awards

Established by Teresa Heinz in 1993 to honor the memory of her late husband, U.S. Senator John Heinz, the Heinz Awards celebrate the accomplishments and spirit of the Senator by recognizing the extraordinary achievements of individuals in the areas of greatest importance to him.

The awards, administered by the Heinz Family Foundation, annually recognize individuals for their contributions in the areas of: Arts and Humanities; Environment; Human Condition; Public Policy; and Technology, the Economy and Employment.

Nominations are submitted by invited experts, who serve anonymously, and are reviewed by jurors appointed by the Heinz Family Foundation. Award recipients are ultimately selected by the Board of Directors.

In addition to the monetary award, recipients are presented with a medallion inscribed with the image of Senator Heinz on one side and a rendering of a globe passing between two hands on the other. The Heinz Awards will be presented at a ceremony in Pittsburgh, Pa. on October 11. For more information about the Heinz Awards or the recipients, including photographs, visit www.heinzawards.net.

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Richard Jackson Release 2012.pdf Download this file

Last 3 Design Competition Presentations- See the Models, Share your thoughts!

Will -- You are invited Tonight and next Monday and Tuesday to be present at the Design Competition Public Presentations for the Sixth Street Viaduct Replacement Project.  The three design firms that have been selected as finalists in the Design Competition will present their designs to the public over the course of 3 upcoming public meetings.  The four meetings will all be located near the Sixth Street Viaduct for your convenience.  The presentations by the firms are the same at each meeting.   We encourage you to come see the designs and models and provide your feedback.  Your thoughts, suggestions and feedback are essential! Please see the flyer below for more information and feel free to forward the email and flyer to other interested individuals and groups.  You are also welcome to RSVP below (not required). Following the design competition, scale models of the proposed designs will be on display in the lobby of the Public Works Building at 1149 S. Broadway from 9/20/12 to 10/5/12.  The Lobby is open to the public Monday thru Friday from 6 AM to 6 PM and is closed on weekends. Please visit our new website at  http://sixthstreetviaductreplacement.org for more information on the project, upcoming meetings, and key dates.  You can also give your feedback, questions, and thoughts on our site or simply click here. To stay connected, please follow us on Twitter @6thStViaduct and "Like" our Facebook page "6th Street Viaduct Replacement Project."  Also check out our Facebook event page for the Public Meetings here. We hope to see you at any of the following meeting dates: Public Presentation by Design Teams - Thurs. Sept. 13th Thursday, September 13, 2012 at 06:30 PM Para Los Ninos (Cafetorium) 1617 East 7th Street Los Angeles, CA 90021 (near the corner of Alameda)   *Limited Parking, carpool and public transportation is suggested. **Additional Free parking is located at: Metropolitan High School (a couple of blocks east of Para Los Ninos on 7th Street) at 727 Wilson St. (at E. 7th St.), Los Angeles, CA 90021  -Bus lines 18, 60 and 720  rsvp Public Presentation by Design Teams - Mon. Sept. 17th Monday, September 17, 2012 at 06:30 PM SCI-Arc (Keck Hall)   350 S. Merrick Street Los Angeles, CA 90013 Please be aware that there are various campuses of SCI-Arc very close to each other.  Keck Hall is located at the free parking lot area at the 350 Merrick entrance (just North of the Fourth Street Bridge at the corner of 4th and Merrick. -Metro Gold Line to Little Tokyo/Arts District Station; Bus line 18   rsvp Public Presentation by Design Teams - Tues. Sept. 18th Tuesday, September 18, 2012 at 06:30 PM Boyle Heights Technology Youth Center (Room 128) 1600 E. Fourth Street Los Angeles, CA 90033 *Limited parking.  Parking also available along surrounding streets.   - Metro Goldline "Mariachi Plaza" Stop OR "1st and Mission" Stop  and Bus lines 18, 62 and 30/330  rsvp Please see www.metro.net for more detailed routes on public transportation to the meeting locations Thank you and hope to see you! Sixth Street Viaduct Replacement Project http://6stbrp.nationbuilder.com/ 6th Street Bridge Replacement Project · United States This email was sent to Will@aialosangeles.org. To stop receiving emails, click here. You can also keep up with Sixth Street Viaduct Replacement Project on Twitter or Facebook. Created with NationBuilder, the essential toolkit for leaders.

Real estate developers on the business of smart growth

“The beauty of smart growth is that it’s actually happening everywhere,” says Point C Managing Partner and LOCUS Steering Committee member David Grannis. “Downtown [Los Angeles] is much more economically viable than it was twenty years ago. It is a destination. It is a place to be, a place to live. I believe—and this to me is what LOCUS is really all about—that good policy follows good practice.”

"Creating new transportation options and other ways to move around is critical to creating good urban places,” says Michael Lander, President of the Lander Group and LOCUS Steering Committee member. “Our urban residents are looking for green spaces, certainly, open space, transportation connections, and ways to move around in their life to work and to services without using their car.”

Growth that benefits all residents on Greenville, SC’s West Side Greenville, South Carolina’s West Side is growing rapidly, and planners in the city are using a comprehensive plan to make sure that growth creates better neighborhoods for all area residents. “The West Side is adjacent to downtown so it has a lot of potential,” says Greenville planner Wayne Leftwich. “Growth is heading this way, with a lot of interest from potential developers in this area, and we want to make sure that when these things happen, they’re not disconnected from current residents.” Don’t call it a comeback: the rebirth of downtown Roanoke, VA Located along the Roanoke River in a valley between the Blue Ridge and Allegheny mountains, Roanoke, VA in many ways embodies the idyllic beauty of southern Virginia. Now, new investments and redevelopment of former brownfields are part of a robust revitalization effort in downtown Roanoke. Roanoke is changing and people are noticing.

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Stop Sequestration Cuts and Save California Jobs

Dear California State Senators, Assembly Members, and Interested Stakeholders,

Please find the attached letter, Stop Sequestration Cuts and Save California Jobs, addressed to United States Senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, urging their leadership to pass legislation to avert the fiscal year 2013 sequestration cuts and find a balanced, bipartisan and long-term budget compromise that protects California and the nation going forward

To find out more about the impact of looming sequestration cuts on our local, regional, and statewide economy, visit www.lajobsdefensecouncil.com. Please do not hesitate to contact me directly with any questions you might have about this critical issue. 

 

 

Colin Maynard

Public Relations Director, LAEDC

Phone: (213) 236-4845

Email: colin.maynard@laedc.org

Stop Sequestration Cuts and Save California Jobs.pdf Download this file