Hollywood chamber Business Advocacy annual State agenda - 2007
Hollywood chamber Business Advocacy annual Federal agenda - 2007

2007 State Agenda

Hollywood Freeway Central Park
As the Hollywood community continues to grow with an estimated 80,000 residents per square-mile, rising land acquisition costs, and over 4,000 additional housing units slated for construction, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce has proposed Hollywood Freeway Central Park as a way to create a much-needed street-level public park in one of the lowest resident to park space communities in California.

The concept is to construct a cap over the U.S. 101 Freeway between Hollywood and Sunset boulevards as the freeway travels below grade through the heart of Hollywood. The project committee has already raised more than $160,000 from public and private funding sources in its first year of planning. The Chamber respectfully requests federal funding to begin a project that will undoubtedly serve as a national model for the creation of new green space in a dense, urban environment.

Transportation
The Hollywood community continues to increasingly become a great urban center for business and entertainment. Hollywood is also home to the busiest intersection in the City of Los Angeles at Highland & Franklin Avenues. Consistent, sustained sources of funding are needed to improve public transit, the flow of auto and truck traffic and the condition of area roads.

Exposition Light Rail (Support) The Chamber respectfully requests the federal government continue a meaningful dialogue to fully fund phase two of the Exposition Line. The Los Angeles Metro Transit Authority has made a significant commitment of funds for the construction of the Exposition Light rail line that would create a real public transit option for those who commute on the heavily congested I-10 Freeway. This commitment should qualify as a match against federal dollars that could be invested in this important project in the future.

Metro Red Line Subway to the Sea (Support) Passage of H.R 238 and S.497 would allow Los Angeles to expand its transit system to address the needs of the most congested and densely populated corridor in California. We strongly encourage that this Westside subway extension be funded so that Los Angeles can finally begin to realize what so many other major metropolitan areas across America already enjoy—a comprehensive transit system that effectively connects people with commerce.

Piracy and Runaway Production
With piracy costing the United States an estimated $5.2 billion and 100,000 jobs, the federal government should continue to dedicate resources to enforce anti-piracy laws, especially at points of entry into the United States.

Every year piracy of intellectual property generally and entertainment content specifically is a continuing threat to our local jobs base and economic vitality—and often lowers profit margins of U.S. entertainment exports, thus affecting the U.S. economy generally.

Anti-Piracy must be a major component of international trade discussions, and Congress should resist efforts to unravel the copyright protections contained in the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.

Congress also should examine the cost to the US economy of producers taking advantage of tax and other incentives to film outside the US, and explore ways to keep this important aspect of the US economy—one of the few areas in which we have a positive trade balance—here at home. The trickle-down impact of film production is enormous and one we cannot afford to go overseas.

Tourism
Travel and tourism generates $600 billion in the United States. The United States is one of a few countries that spends no money to promote tourism. Consequently, we have suffered a 17 percent decline in tourism in recent years. We must aggressively market the United States and reverse negative perceptions about entering the country.

Furthermore, Congress should encourage tourism by expediting travel visas, mitigating long travel distances to U.S consulates by using new processes and technology; and increase the security of the Visa Waiver Program while expanding the criteria for eligible countries.

Immigration
Increase Number of Visas for Highly Skilled Workers. H-1B, L-1 and EB visas are issued to highly skilled foreign workers to fill specific positions for which comparable domestic workers are not available. Because the demand for these workers far exceeds the number of visas available, the cap needs to increase to meet the demand of our nation’s economy.

Pass Comprehensive immigration Reform. Piecemeal fixes will not solve immigration. Greater border security, fully funding SCAAP, stricter enforcement of employment laws, a realistic guest worker program, and a path to citizenship for residents without proper documentation are all urgently needed.

Pass the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act. Provide a path to legal status for students who were brought to the country as undocumented children but have since stayed in school and have demonstrated their commitment to being productive citizens.

Homelessness
Southern California faces the nation’s most severe housing crisis. Improve the HOME formula to target funding based on need, especially for overcrowded urban areas; reauthorize the McKinney Vento Homelessness Act, and include new homeless housing options connected to intensive support services, especially for veterans; all HUD housing subsidy programs should be allocated to jurisdictions based on a measurement of need. Need should be measured, at least in part, by the gap between resident incomes and prevailing housing costs, both rent and sales price.

Oppose Community Development Block Grant Funding Reductions. CDBG funding helps urban communities provide decent housing and a suitable living environment, and expand economic opportunities, principally for low- and moderate-income persons.

Pass the National Affordable Housing Trust Bill. Create a revenue source for the production of new, affordable and permanent supportive housing, as well as to support the preservation of existing affordable housing. Southern California needs more housing options for teachers, police officers, fire fighters, nurses, non-profit workers and government employees.

2007 Federal Agenda

Hollywood Freeway Central Park
As the Hollywood community continues to grow with an estimated 80,000 residents per square-mile, rising land acquisition costs, and over 4,000 additional housing units slated for construction, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce has proposed Hollywood Freeway Central Park as a way to create a much-needed street-level public park in one of the lowest resident to park space communities in California. 

The concept is to construct a cap over the U.S. 101 Freeway between Hollywood and Sunset boulevards as the freeway travels below grade through the heart of Hollywood.  The project committee has already raised more than $160,000 from public and private funding sources in its first year of planning.  The Chamber respectfully requests federal funding to begin a project that will undoubtedly serve as a national model for the creation of new green space in a dense, urban environment.

Transportation
The Hollywood community continues to increasingly become a great urban center for business and entertainment.  Hollywood is also home to the busiest intersection in the City of Los Angeles at Highland & Franklin Avenues.  Consistent, sustained sources of funding are needed to improve public transit, the flow of auto and truck traffic and the condition of area roads. 

Exposition Light Rail (Support) The Chamber respectfully requests the federal government continue a meaningful dialogue to fully fund phase two of the Exposition Line. The Los Angeles Metro Transit Authority has made a significant commitment of funds for the construction of the Exposition Light rail line that would create a real public transit option for those who commute on the heavily congested I-10 Freeway. This commitment should qualify as a match against federal dollars that could be invested in this important project in the future.

Metro Red Line Subway to the Sea (Support) Passage of H.R 238 and S.497 would allow Los Angeles to expand its transit system to address the needs of the most congested and densely populated corridor in California.  We strongly encourage that this Westside subway extension be funded so that Los Angeles can finally begin to realize what so many other major metropolitan areas across America already enjoy—a comprehensive transit system that effectively connects people with commerce.

Piracy and Runaway Production
With piracy costing the United States an estimated $5.2 billion and 100,000 jobs, the federal government should continue to dedicate resources to enforce anti-piracy laws, especially at points of entry into the United States. 

Every year  piracy of intellectual property generally and entertainment content specifically is a continuing threat to our local jobs base and economic vitality—and often lowers profit margins of U.S. entertainment exports, thus affecting the U.S. economy generally. 

Anti-Piracy must be a major component of international trade discussions, and Congress should resist efforts to unravel the copyright protections contained in the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.

Congress also should examine the cost to the US economy of producers taking advantage of  tax and other incentives to film outside the US, and explore ways to keep this important aspect of the US economy—one of the few areas in which we have a positive trade balance—here at home.  The trickle-down impact of film production is enormous and one we cannot afford to go overseas.

Tourism
Travel and tourism generates $600 billion in the United States.  The United States is one of a few countries that spends no money to promote tourism. Consequently, we have suffered a 17 percent decline in tourism in recent years. We must aggressively market the United States and reverse negative perceptions about entering the country.

Furthermore, Congress should encourage tourism by expediting travel visas, mitigating long travel distances to U.S consulates by using new processes and technology; and increase the security of the Visa Waiver Program while expanding the criteria for eligible countries.

Immigration
Increase Number of Visas for Highly Skilled Workers. H-1B, L-1 and EB visas are issued to highly skilled foreign workers to fill specific positions for which comparable domestic workers are not available. Because the demand for these workers far exceeds the number of visas available, the cap needs to increase to meet the demand of our nation’s economy.

Pass Comprehensive immigration Reform. Piecemeal fixes will not solve immigration. Greater border security, fully funding SCAAP, stricter enforcement of employment laws, a realistic guest worker program, and a path to citizenship for residents without proper documentation are all urgently needed.

Pass the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act. Provide a path to legal status for students who were brought to the country as undocumented children but have since stayed in school and have demonstrated their commitment to being productive citizens.

Homelessness
Southern California faces the nation’s most severe housing crisis. Improve the HOME formula to target funding based on need, especially for overcrowded urban areas; reauthorize the McKinney Vento Homelessness Act, and include new homeless housing options connected to intensive support services, especially for veterans; all HUD housing subsidy programs should be allocated to jurisdictions based on a measurement of need. Need should be measured, at least in part, by the gap between resident incomes and prevailing housing costs, both rent and sales price.

Oppose Community Development Block Grant Funding Reductions. CDBG funding helps urban communities provide decent housing and a suitable living environment, and expand economic opportunities, principally for low- and moderate-income persons.

Pass the National Affordable Housing Trust Bill. Create a revenue source for the production of new, affordable and permanent supportive housing, as well as to support the preservation of existing affordable housing. Southern California needs more housing options for teachers, police officers, fire fighters, nurses, non-profit workers and government employees.

2007 Hollywood Federal Delegation

Download this summary of the Hollywood Chamber's major advocacy issues on State level:
Hollywood Chamber of Commerce State Advocacy Agenda 2007

AB 588 Signed into Law by the Governor (Goldberg-Koretz)
“The Hollywood Statistical Reporting Area” Bill  This is a district bill sponsored by the Hollywood Chamber, which is similar to AB 2207 (Levine)--signed into law by the Governor last session.  In 2005, the State Assembly and Senate gave its overwhelming bipartisan support to AB 588; the Los Angeles City Council also unanimously endorsed the bill.  Since then, the bill has languished in legislative limbo, neither vetoed nor signed into law by the Governor, in spite of the heroic efforts of the bill’s authors Assemblymembers Jackie Goldberg and Paul Koretz.

Archives:
Hollywood Chamber of Commerce Federal Advocacy Agenda 2007
Hollywood Chamber of Commerce State Advocacy Agenda 2007
Hollywood Chamber of Commerce Federal Advocacy Agenda 2006
Hollywood Chamber of Commerce State Advocacy Agenda 2006

Please feel free to contact me at any time.
Rochelle Silsbee
Vice-President, Public Policy
Hollywood Chamber of Commerce
7018 Hollywood Boulevard
Hollywood, CA 90028
(323) 469-8311 x20