Seemingly, the most popular elected official at the Los Angeles County Business Federation’s (BizFed) annual Freshman Policymakers Reception was someone who has been in political office for nearly 42 years. Measured by the number of members of the business organization who asked for a picture with her, Congresswoman Maxine Waters was the star of the show. Waters has been in the news lately. She was also called a star–in a negative way–by President Trump yesterday. Star treatment is par for the course in Hollywood.

In Tinseltown, everything is a show. In fact, some attendees of the meeting, held close to the famous intersection of Hollywood & Vine, had to pass by the shooting of a disaster movie; Hollywood Boulevard chock full of fire trucks and police vehicles and what appeared to be concrete rubble and debris piled next to buildings.

BizFed hopes to avoid disaster when it comes to working with elected officials to improve the economy.

State Controller Betty Yee told the audience at a Hollywood nightclub used for the occasion that BizFed is a great presence in growing the Los Angeles County economy. She predicted that strategies that tackle the big problems that face California would come from this area of the state with business working with elected officials.

The meeting also serves as a networking opportunity for the business members. There was a constant hum of conversation during the introduction of the freshman lawmakers, so clearly the networking was in full swing.

BizFed, consisting of 170 member organizations, which represent 390,000 employees, attempts to build bridges with the elected officials on issues that affect business in Los Angeles County. The annual meeting to celebrate freshmen elected officials and other policymakers is intended to encourage the policymakers to maintain a focus on economic prosperity and job growth in the county.