Here’s what we decided on (November quick reads)

HERE'S WHAT BIZFED BOARD DECIDED IN NOVEMBER Many thanks to our November Board Meeting host Latham & Watkins LLP! Here's what we covered at the meeting:

Fight for Birth Control Campaign

The Board supported Planned Parenthood’s Fight for Birth Control Campaign (fight4birthcontrol.org) to ensure businesses keep birth control covered under their health insurance plans. Before the Affordable Care Act’s birth control provision went into effect, 1 in 3 women struggled to afford prescription birth control. The Affordable Care Act helped to ensure that 62.4 million women had access to birth control by guaranteeing that it was covered by all health insurance plans. This month, the Trump Administration issued a set of rules that allow virtually ANY employer or Issuer to deny contraceptive coverage to employees based on religious or moral objection. Due to California’s own laws, only Self-insured employers are legally able to opt out, which affects 6 million Californians. It is important that these self-insured employers commit to continuing to cover birth control in their insurance plans. The invention of the pill —  which became available to American women as a contraceptive in 1960 —  was one of the top ten most transformative moments in the business sector over the last 85 years, according to Bloomberg BusinessWeek. We must join the fight to keep guaranteed access for all women. Read more HERE (p. 13-17)

Northridge Metrolink Relocation

The Board supported Option 1 of the recent Metrolink Relocation Feasibility Study that proposes the much-needed relocation of Northridge Metrolink station from Parthenia St. and Wilbur Ave. to Parthenia St. and Reseda Blvd. The results of numerous preliminary discussions with diverse cross-section of community stakeholders that include students, staff, faculty and alumni from CSUN, as well as residents from the surrounding area, show nearly unanimous fundamental support for the relocation of the Northridge Metrolink Station. Not only would active transportation connections be improved in the region, it would also allow for better long-term planning for arterial connections when coupled with the successful passage of Measure M and its positive impact for the San Fernando Valley. From an urban planning perspective, Option 1 would greatly contribute to the designated Great Street and other Measure M funded BRT/Arterial improvements for CSUN (that BizFed has endorsed previously) by improving pedestrian access and stronger economic development investments along Resdea Blvd connecting the station to the CSUN Campus. Read more HERE (p. 42-51)

LA County Tenant Protections Framework

The current housing crisis is hurting our region. Employers can’t attract quality employees because of high housing costs as the workforce is leaving the region.  For those that remain in the region, they move further and further away from places of employment thereby impacting their productivity, freeway usage, and air quality as more cars on our roads increase air pollution. The LA County Board of Supervisors formed The LA Coalition for Responsible Housing Solutions to help frame the discussion around the broader solutions of increasing the supply of housing, impediments to the production of housing, and ways tenants can be helped until the time that supply catches up with demand. BizFed has been a strong advocate for affordable housing and will continue to solidify its role in supporting tenants rights by joining The LA Coalition for Responsible Housing Solutions as a standing member. Read more HERE (p. 26-30)

RecycLA

The BizFed Board fully supported RecycLA, an innovative public/private partnership to increase recycling and invest in cleaner waste delivery methods. On July 1st, the City of Los Angeles began its “RecycLA” program, partnering with private franchisers to modernize recycling services for 80,000 customers who were not previously covered under the Los Angeles Department of Sanitation (LASAN) services. One of RecycLA’s goals is that 90% of LA’s customers recycle materials and organics by 2020, which will significantly reduce landfill waste and methane in our air. By consolidating waste hauling companies from 140 to seven franchisers, collectively investing hundreds of millions of dollars in a clean fleet of waste vehicles and new recycling infrastructure, RecycLA will reduce traffic and vehicle emissions and deliver the most efficient services. Each of the new recycling customers is given a waste assessment to determine the costs of their service, with costs of black bin (mixed waste) service as the primary basis of the fees, and blue (recycling) and green (organics) bin service being free. As customers increase their recycling and reduce the black bin waste, their costs go down. In addition, customers can request an updated waste assessment at any time, to immediately reflect recycling improvements on their bills. Read more HERE (p. 31-41)
Equitable Energy Choice for Californians
BizFed will join the Equitable Energy Choice for Californians Coalition to ensure cost equity across Californians’ energy usage. Current law requires that no customer be required to pay for power purchased for other customers. The way people buy energy is changing and more customers are buying power from other sources than their utility such as Community Choice Aggregators. It has been estimated that some customers who now receive power through an alternative energy provider may on average only pay roughly 65% of the cost of clean energy that was purchased on their behalf. The mechanism established to protect current customers, the Power Charge Indifference Adjustment (PCIA) – is not working and some are paying more than they should. Failure to reform the PCIA means a diminishing number of utility customers will be paying increasingly more for the long-term renewable and other resources helping achieve its clean energy and climate goals. That burden will fall on small business owners and other businesses, not just residential customers. The CPUC recognizes that the current cost-allocation mechanism isn’t working so they have opened up a formal proceeding. BizFed will join the coalition and work to create an equitable energy billing system. Read more HERE (p. 18-25) 
Don't forget to check out the Qualified Statewide June 2018 Ballot Measures:

~ ACA 1 (Mayes) - Greenhouse Gas Reduction Reserve Fund

~ ACA 5 (Frazier) - Motor vehicle fees and taxes: restriction on expenditures: appropriations limit. ~ SB 3 (Beall) - Veterans and Affordable Housing Bond Act of 2018

~ ACA 17 (Mullin) - Ballot measures: effective date ~ SB 5 (De León) - California Drought, Water, Parks, Climate, Coastal Protection, and Outdoor Access For All Act of 2018

Read more HERE

Next BizFed Board Meeting - December 19, 2017 Join your fellow BizFed members for our next Board Meeting on Tuesday, December 19 from 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. HOST: Metropolitan Water District (Room 2-456 - 700 Alameda Street, Los Angeles, CA)