News
The Southern California Leadership Council’s Statement on the Vital Necessity of Accelerating and Increasing COVID-19 Vaccinations
October 13th, 2021As the COVID-19 pandemic continues into a second year, the Southern California Leadership Council encourages both the private and public sectors to take bold collective action to protect the health and well-being of our communities by supporting proactive measures to expeditiously vaccinate as many people as possible.
The third surge in the winter of 2020-2021 severely tested Southern California communities, nearly overwhelming our health care system and health care workers, whose continued heroic efforts we recognize with profound gratitude. As the case rates steadily dropped and vaccines became more abundant, optimism rose about getting past this pandemic.
However, the most recent COVID-19 surge (the fourth in 18 months), fueled by the highly transmissible Delta variant, provided a sobering reminder that complacency about vaccination will tragically result in ongoing preventable serious illness, hospitalization, and death.
After 10 months of experience with the COVID-19 vaccines, it is abundantly clear that they are safe and highly effective as the vast majority of people with the worst outcomes from COVID-19 are unvaccinated. If high rates of community transmission continue, there will be further mutation of the virus to possibly more dangerous variants with resulting surges.
Breaking this cycle of recurring COVID-19 surges is critical to public health and safety, to the education of our children, to the social bonds of our communities, to the vibrancy of our economy, and to our Southern California way of life. At this time, vaccinating our communities is the surest path to achieving this goal.
Therefore, the Southern California Leadership Council:
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Supports the actions of federal, state, and local governments to require their employees and contractors to get vaccinated with appropriate medical and religious exemptions. However, we encourage the long-term implementation of such requirements be developed via the legislative process to allow for thoughtful consideration of legitimate interests.
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Encourages private businesses and organizations in California to educate and incentivize their workforce to get vaccinated, allowing for appropriate medical and religious exemptions and testing alternatives for exempted persons, regardless of whether a federal, state, or local mandate applies to them.
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Promotes the idea that if we do not see an acceptable level of vaccination in California by January 2022, then we support Legislative debate on the best approaches for vaccine requirements.
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Encourages federal, state, and local government to partner with private businesses to help provide the tools and other incentives that have been shown to help motivate employees to get vaccinated. In particular, we recommend businesses strongly consider the top three incentives that unvaccinated employees have indicated would motivate them, which are cash incentives or bonuses, time off to get the vaccine, and time off if they experience vaccine side effects.
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Encourages private businesses and organizations to actively help their workforce overcome fear and hesitancy about the vaccine by making publicly available educational materials accessible.
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Encourages local governments to develop reasonable measures for proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test as a condition of entry into certain indoor venues where appropriate, and crowded outdoor settings where there is a higher risk of transmission, allowing for reasonable time frames and technical assistance for implementation.
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Encourages all eligible people to get vaccinated and to continue to follow public health guidance on preventing transmission of COVID-19.
Ultimately, ending the COVID-19 pandemic is a challenge not only for science and medicine. It requires all of us to listen to each other and summon a sense of common purpose and collective responsibility to do what it takes to care for each other.
SCLC is honored to partner with leading California business organizations in the launch of the “Do It For” COVID vaccination PSA.
April 15th, 2021FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
“Do It For” PSA launches as state expands vaccine eligibility to all residents 16 and older
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The unified California business community today released a new public service announcement (PSA), “Do It For,” which will air statewide on TV, radio and social media, reaching millions of California residents in both English and Spanish, encouraging them to get vaccinated when it’s their turn.
“Over the past year, the business community has invested hundreds of millions of dollars to protect employees and customers, while dealing with unpredictable openings and closings, capacity limitations and other economic disruptions. Our efforts helped slow the spread, and now we’re stepping up to be part of the solution in ending this pandemic by encouraging our employees and the general public to get vaccinated and help their local businesses and schools get back to normal,” the coalition said.
Together, the California Chamber of Commerce, California Business Roundtable, Southern California Leadership Council, California Asian Pacific Chamber of Commerce, California African American Chamber of Commerce, and California Hispanic Chambers of Commerce, all representing major employers, small businesses, and women- and minority-owned businesses, recognize the role the safe, effective and life-saving vaccines play in reducing transmission, achieving herd immunity and allowing businesses to re-hire and restart the economy.
California’s economy has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, decimating entire industries and disproportionately affecting small and minority-owned businesses. Over the past year, California has lost 1,253,400 jobs, the most out of any state. New York, which saw the second-highest job loss during the pandemic, lost only half that number, approximately 674,200 jobs. While California saw significant gains in workforce numbers in February, conditions will continue to improve as vaccination rates allow for more aspects of the economy to reopen.
Repeated surveys have shown that business, especially an individual’s employer, is the most trusted resource on information regarding COVID-19. In fact, the 2021 Edelman Trust Barometer now shows that the business community is the most trusted institution regarding information on the pandemic, outpacing NGOs, government and the media. In their survey, business held a 61 percent trust level globally, with 86 percent of respondents encouraging CEOs to get involved in this conversation.
Business leaders across the state offered their perspectives as to why getting vaccinated is so critical:
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“Do it for your family, neighbors, friends and colleagues because the key to opening up California’s economy safely and responsibly is to get every Californian vaccinated.” – Allan Zaremberg, President and CEO of the CalChamber.
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“Do it for our business community, so that our employees and customers are safe, and we can get our kids back to school full-time.” – Rob Lapsley, President of the California Business Roundtable.
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“Do it to keep the momentum moving in the right direction to defeat COVID-19 so we can get our economy back up and running.” – Mike Roos, President and CEO of the Southern California Leadership Council.
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“Do it because vaccination is the fundamental step in getting our businesses back on their feet and turning the page on this pandemic. We can all be part of the solution, part of the cure and keep our families safe and help our businesses thrive.”- Pat Fong Kushida, President and CEO, California Asian Pacific Chamber of Commerce.
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“Do it for the Black business community, which was hit especially hard by the pandemic. Getting vaccinated will get us back to work and get our kids back to school so we can combat the economic and academic loss that has devastated our communities.” – Edwin A. Lombard III, President and CEO, California African American Chamber of Commerce.
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“Do it because the vaccine is safe and effective and critical to reopening the economy and schools. The pandemic disproportionately affected our community and our essential workforce. Getting vaccinated means getting back to normal.” – Julian Cañete, President and CEO, California Hispanic Chambers of Commerce.
Funding for the “Do It For” campaign is provided by a wide cross-section of the state business community.
For more information on the state’s efforts, please visit myturn.ca.gov.
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Media Contact:
Jessica Biller
jessica@lucaspublicaffairs.com/916-761-6035
SCLC is Saddened by the Passing of Board Member and Southern California Edison President Ron Nichols
June 6th, 2019
SCLC is saddened to learn of the passing of our good friend and colleague, Ron Nichols. Please click here to read Southern California Edison’s statement regarding Ron.
Southern California Leadership Council Issues Statement On their Opposition to Proposition 10
November 3rd, 2018
News & Update Contact: (909) 225-0095
Southern California Leadership Council Issues Statement
on their Opposition to Proposition 10
Prop 10 only worsens California housing crisis
LOS ANGELES— November 3, 2018 — Today, the Southern California Leadership Council (SCLC), a group of regional leaders comprised of two former California Governors and three dozen Presidents and CEOs of major Southern California companies and agencies, announced their public opposition to Proposition 10. Although Prop 10 is titled the “Affordable Housing Act”, SCLC has found that this initiative only compounds California’s housing crisis, and will make housing even less affordable.
Economists and housing experts agree that California’s high housing costs are the result of our state’s significant undersupply of housing. “We simply don’t have enough ‘for-sale’ and ‘rental’ housing to accommodate our growing population. Considering this, the only long-term solution to housing affordability in our state and region is through increased housing production and, unfortunately, Prop 10 will have the opposite effect.” said Richard Lambros, Managing Director of SCLC.
Proposition 10 is an initiative that would repeal the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act (Costa-Hawkins), thus allowing local governments to adopt broader and more restrictive forms of rent control. In particular, it allows local rent control ordinances to include “vacancy control” and other severe measures, which are known to have a chilling effect on capital investment in, and the construction of, new rental housing. By passing this proposition, the construction of affordable housing will diminish, only making housing more expensive. Because of this, SCLC believes that Prop 10 is a flawed measure that would worsen California’s housing affordability crisis.
SCLC is also concerned that Prop 10 allows for the application of strict rent control on single-family homes, thus affecting every California homeowner who might one day want to rent out their home. Because of this, Prop 10’s flaws will incentivize homeowners to either sell their homes or use them as short-term rentals, rather than putting them on the rental market. In this way, Prop 10 again has the effect of reducing the supply of long-term rental housing.
About Southern California Leadership Council
SCLC is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization formed to provide leadership on major public policies critical to economic vitality, job growth and the quality of life in Southern California. SCLC is led in its work by two former Governors (Wilson and Davis) and its Board is comprised of three dozen Presidents and CEOs of major Southern California companies and agencies.
For more information:
Richard Lambros, Managing Director
909.225.0095
rlambros@southerncaliforniagroup.com
Or visit our website at www.socallc.org
Former California Assembly Speaker Pro Tempore Mike Roos Joins Southern California Leadership Council as President
January 3rd, 2018Mike Roos, Former Assembly Speaker Pro Tempore of the California State Assembly, Joins Southern California Leadership Council
as President
LOS ANGELES, CA – (January 3, 2018) The Southern California Leadership Council (SCLC) announced today the appointment of Former Assembly Speaker Pro Tempore Mike Roos as President of the organization, a non-partisan, non-profit, public policy partnership led by three former Governors and almost three dozen Presidents and CEO’s of top Southern California companies. Roos assumed his responsibilities on January 1, 2018 and will work side-by-side with SCLC’s Managing Director Richard Lambros, who is the other half of the Leadership Council’s Executive Staff Team.
“Mike Roos knows how to get things accomplished from his years of leading the legislative process in Sacramento, and will undoubtedly tap into that experience to advance the positive agenda of the Council,” said former Governor Pete Wilson, Co-Chair of SCLC.
Roos, a resident of Los Angeles, served in the California State Assembly for over 14 years. During his second legislative term, Roos was chosen by his caucus as Majority Floor Leader. He served as Majority Floor Leader for six years until he was elected Speaker Pro Tempore of the California State Assembly. After his career in the Assembly, he founded Mike Roos and Company, a public affairs company with a focus on government relations and ballot measures.
Roos was instrumental in ballot measures such as Prop 10 (early childhood development programs) and Prop 46 (housing and shelters for low-income senior citizens, homeless families and battered women), among others. Roos is also known for facilitating needed infrastructure investment (Mello Roos Community Facilities Act), the first assault weapons ban in the United States (Roberti Roos Weapons Control Act), and Roos also worked to improve LAUSD and its role and responsibilities with its schools and the children it serves (LEARN). Roos holds a Masters of Public Administration from the University of Southern California (USC).
“My excitement in taking on this responsibility stems from my enduring love for California, the diversity and creativity of its citizens and its influence on the rest of our country.” said Mike Roos. “SCLC is the microphone through which Southern California leaders can champion policies that will spur economic growth and opportunity for all Californians. Nothing happens by chance, progress comes from constant stewardship and investment, and reexamination of the structures that foster upward mobility.”
“I think Mike Roos is going to help the Council make huge strides on issues affecting job growth and quality of life, and we are excited that he is here.” said Trey Thornton, Co-Chair of SCLC and Executive Director at Ernst & Young.
Roos will help lead SCLC’s advocacy on important economic development and jobs-related issues in policy areas such as; Workforce Development, Housing Affordability, Water Reliability, Goods Movement, Climate Change Strategies, Regional Planning, Energy Solutions, and Business Retention and Attraction.
SCLC was well served from 2015-2017 by the leadership of departing President Kish Rajan, who will step into a new leadership role at the Center for a Competitive Workforce, a Los Angeles-based partnership that helps align the region’s educational programs with the skills needed for the well-paying occupations of the future, to the benefit of the residents of Greater Los Angeles.
About the Southern California Leadership Council
The Southern California Leadership Council is a non-partisan, non-profit, business-led public policy partnership that exerts strong leadership on issues of regional significance, providing a common voice on major public policies critical to economic vitality, job growth and quality of life in Southern California. Founded in 2005 by Governors Jerry Brown, Gray Davis, Pete Wilson and George Deukmejian, the Council is comprised of almost three dozen Presidents and CEO’s of top Southern California companies and agencies.
Southern California is getting cheated on cap and trade: Guest commentary
June 14th, 2017
With the adoption of Assembly Bill 32 in 2006, California established ambitious greenhouse-gas reduction goals to combat the growing effects of global climate change. For the past decade, the state has implemented a variety of programs to help meet this mandate, including establishing a cap-and-trade auction.
As of last Dec. 31, the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund had collected $3.5 billion in cap-and-trade revenue and awarded $1.7 billion.
Somehow, however, Southern California has become an afterthought in the cap-and-trade process.
According to the Air Resources Board, less than 20 percent went to projects within our six-county region, even though we account for 48 percent of the state’s population.
Has Sacramento forgotten that Southern California, on its own, would rank as the 16th largest economy in the world, is the nation’s third-largest manufacturing center and contributes more than $90 billion a year to the gross domestic product? Or that freight and goods movement account for one-third of all jobs and economic activity in our region? Or that the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach rank No. 1 and 2 in the country, taking in 40 percent of the nation’s imports?
All of California benefits from this. Conversely, without our massive economic base, the state would suffer significant hardship.
Gov. Jerry Brown and legislative leaders have agreed to withhold significant, discretionary cap-and-trade expenditures from the approved 2016-17 budget because of disagreements. Our region’s legislators are engaged in negotiations on how to further refine how the state should spend these funds and ensure greater equity.
Greater allocation of cap-and-trade funds to Southern California would enable us to grow our economy while improving the environmental performance of our community development, local transportation and business operations, resulting in better air quality. For years, Southern California has committed itself to striking this critical balance. That should be recognized and bolstered by Sacramento in the way it distributes cap-and-trade funds.
There also needs to be a greater appreciation of the fact that Southern California is fundamentally different than the Bay Area and the rest of the state when it comes to the kinds of projects cap-and-trade is intended to support.
Geographically, we’re much more spread out. Our economies, too, are very different. Southern California’s is heavily reliant on manufacturing and goods movement, requiring a sophisticated freight network of highways and rail lines.
Already, Greater Los Angeles ranks as the most congested metropolitan area in the country. With projected population growth of 4 million people over the next quarter-century, robust investment in our transportation infrastructure is necessary — not optional.
Directing cap-and- trade money our way — in the right kinds of projects — will help reduce congestion, improve individual and region-wide economic opportunity, and lower greenhouse gas emissions. While there is still time in the budget process, legislators must direct a significantly higher portion of those funds to Southern California.
The Southern California Leadership Council and SCAG support the intent of AB 32 and we have been working hard to achieve its objectives ever since it was passed. Now, it’s time for the Legislature to bring greater equity, transparency and accountability to the program to prove that it can work for Southern California and for our entire state.
Kish Rajan is president of the Southern California Leadership Council. Hasan Ikhrata is executive director of the Southern California Association of Governments.
Striking the Right Balance on Air Quality
June 14th, 2017Striking the Right Balance on Air Quality
Friday, March 3rd, 2017
California, long-known for its environmental leadership, also boasts the world’s sixth largest economy. For Southern California, with our large, diverse population, the leadership challenge we face is how to create more good-paying, middle class jobs while improving our quality of life – cleaner air and water, reduced road congestion and increased affordable housing.
Nowhere is this balancing act better illustrated than at the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) – the regional air board responsible for managing air emissions from stationary sources in four counties – Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino.
For the past four years, SCAQMD Board and staff have engaged with stakeholders to develop the latest iteration of the region’s Air Quality Management Plan (AQMP). SCAQMD staff held hundreds of meeting and forums, generated thousands of pages of documents and produced a final draft Plan that is balanced and strong. In fact, SCAQMD staff indicated at the February meeting where the Plan was discussed that this AQMP will set us on course to achieve federal clean air standards (something that the district has struggled with in the past) and does so at a pace that is equal to or faster than prior AQMPs. This AQMP will achieve these standards in a way that also allows for continued economic growth.
It should be no surprise that this Plan is both balanced and strong given the robust stakeholder process that developed it. This point was not lost on SCAQMD’s long-time chair, Dr. William Burke, who commented at the start of the February 3 Board hearing, “There has been more engagement and intellectual exchange on this AQMP than ever before.”
Unfortunately, at that same February SCAQMD Board meeting, several Board members dropped last-minute amendments that would create whole new areas of regulation and, if added to the Plan, would throw its all-important balance out of whack.
What’s problematic about these proposed amendments is that, unlike the rest of the plan, they are neither scientifically nor economically analyzed and therefore their true environmental benefits and economic impacts are yet unknown. As a result, these amendments could potentially wreak economic harm on vast sectors of job producing industries with little corresponding benefit in cleaner air.
One of these amendments seeks to adopt an Indirect Source Rule (ISR) which particularly targets the goods movement sector – ports, airports, truckers, distribution centers and more. Goods movement is the one of the largest sector in the Southern California economy, producing more than 14% of the region’s GDP and employing over 1.4 million people ranging from longshoremen and shippers at the ports to warehouse workers and railroad operators in the Inland Empire. Perhaps more importantly, it is the source of many of our region’s best paying blue collar jobs… jobs that have become more important as other blue collar sectors in our region have declined.
Knowing this makes it easier to understand why many of those who track the region’s economy are concerned when an eleventh hour ISR amendment is introduced with no information as to the mechanics of how it would work. The risks of adopting such a potentially job killing amendment without analysis just doesn’t seem to make sense, especially given that the proposed AQMP will already achieve identified clean air goals for the region.
The ISR amendment is just one of several last minute unanalyzed proposals that could collectively, if adopted, create significant imbalance and unintended consequences in the region.
Instead, the better course of action is for the SCAQMD Board to adopt the proposed AQMP on March 3rd without amendment. This approach would honor the robust four-year stakeholder process and maintain the all-important balance of jobs and the environment which is carefully crafted into the Plan.
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Richard Lambros is the executive director of the Southern California Leadership Council, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization formed to provide leadership on major public policies critical to economic vitality, job growth and the quality of life in Southern California led by three former Governors – Gray Davis, Pete Wilson and George Deukmejian – and over two dozen President/CEOs of major companies and agencies.
Op-Ed How to fix California’s economy: Regulation, legislation and education
January 7th, 2015Op-Ed How to fix California’s economy: Regulation, legislation and education
By: GEORGE DEUKMEJIAN, PETE WILSON AND GRAY DAVIS
Publication: Los Angeles Times
Date: 1/6/15
Demystifying Southern California’s Leadership Council: A Non-Partisan, Regional Public Policy Champion
June 3rd, 2013Viewpoints: Preserve CEQA’s Goals, End its Abuse
February 12th, 2013Butch Cassidy, the Sundance Kid, Congress & California
February 12th, 2013CEQA Modernization – The End or Just The Beginning?
February 12th, 2013CEQA Modernization – The End or Just The Beginning?
Date: 8/28/12
Keep California Green and Golden with CEQA Reforms
July 16th, 2012Keep California Green and Golden with CEQA Reforms
Date: 7/12/12
Evidence is In: Tax Credits Work for CA Film Biz
July 6th, 2012Evidence is In: Tax Credits Work for CA Film Biz
Date: 6/18/12
Incentives Sharpen State’s Competitive Edge
July 6th, 2012Incentives Sharpen State’s Competitive Edge
Date: 5/08/12
Fox & Hounds: Putting Water Wars at Rest … And All Californians Win!
November 29th, 2011Jack Kyser’s Legacy is State Plan for Recovery
January 11th, 2011Press Release: Fight pollution Without Causing More Business and Job Flight: Southern California Leadership Council Advises CARB on AB 32 Implementation
October 1st, 2010Reuters: Climate Change Accelerates Water Hunt in U.S. West
March 9th, 2009New York Times: Economic Crisis Complicates California’s Goals on Climate
February 25th, 2009California Governors Decry Red Tape, Environmental Review Process Stalls Stimulus Action
February 2nd, 2009Invest Now in Trade Corridors or Remain Congested in Traffic
January 18th, 2009Invest Now in Trade Corridors or Remain Congested in Traffic
Op-ed by Governors Pete Wilson, Gray Davis and George Deukmejian.
Newswire Today: Economic Stimulus Key to Solving State’s Budget Crisis
August 22nd, 2008Press Release: Economic Stimulus Key to Solving State’s Budget Crisis
August 21st, 2008Southern California Leadership Council Says Millions of Jobs, Billions of Dollars Are At Stake with AB 32
July 26th, 2008Los Angeles Times: A New Water Strategy: Without One, Entire California Economy is at Risk.
May 5th, 2008Los Angeles Times: A New Water Strategy: Without One, the Entire California Economy is at Risk. Op-ed by Governors George Deukemejian, Pete Wilson and Gray Davis.
The Urgent Need for a New Water Strategy
May 2nd, 2008The Urgent Need for a New Water Strategy
Op-ed by Governors George Deukemejian, Pete Wilson and Gray Davis.
VerdeXchange: Southern California Leadership Council/LAEDC Report Lists Implementation Options For Business Leaders.
February 1st, 2008San Diego Union Tribune: A Plan B for Funding California’s Future
November 16th, 2007San Diego Union Tribune: A Plan B for Funding California’s Future Op-ed by George Argyros, John Hawkins, Gray Davis, Pete Wilson and George Deukmejian.