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Chamber Endorses
Referendum to Block City Control of Business
Personnel Decisions
 The
Hollywood Chamber of Commerce went on record
this week in support of a petition drive to
force a referendum on a recent action by the Los
Angeles City Council that would tell 12 hotels
on Century Blvd. near Los Angeles International
Airport how much to pay their employees, how to
distribute service charges and tips, and when
they can replace employees if a hotel is sold.
“The Council action sets a
dangerous
precedent that
could eventually be applied to businesses
throughout the City if it stands,” said Chamber
President & CEO Leron Gubler. “The City has
worked in recent years to put on a more
business-friendly face. This action sends the
wrong message to the business community and
damages the City’s previous efforts.” The
Council action is an extension of a living wage
ordinance passed nine years ago that was to
apply only to businesses that were contractors
with the City or leased land from the City.
None of the 12 hotels fits those criteria. The
Council justified its recent action on the basis
of the hotels deriving benefit from the
City-owned airport. If such a line of reasoning
were to prevail, it would not be difficult for
the City to eventually find justification to
apply their control of wages on a much broader
scale. Both the L.A. Times and the Daily News
have condemned the Council action in editorials,
as have numerous business organizations
More than 49,000
registered voters in the City of L.A. must sign
petitions by Friday, December 29th,
to force a vote on the issue. We are asking all
of our members to help in getting signatures.
Petitions are available at the Chamber office,
or by going to:
www.savelajobs.com.
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Retail Attraction Subcommittee Announced
Chamber Chairman
Jeff Briggs has approved the formation of a
subcommittee of the Economic Development
Committee to work on retail attraction. Laurie
Goldman of GO! Goldman Organization will
 chair
the subcommittee. The task assigned to the
group is to investigate what is needed to make
retail work at the various mixed-use projects in
various states of development in Hollywood.
They will research such things as the proper
amount of parking needed to attract retail
tenants. The Chamber wants to be sure that the
large amount of retail space coming online will
be able to be leased. Concern has been
expressed that the retail space in many
mixed-use projects in Downtown Los Angeles
remains vacant. The Chamber does not want to
see a similar situation occur in Hollywood.
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Scoping Meeting Held with SCAG
for
Hollywood Central Park
Chamber,
Community Redevelopment Agency and City
representatives met this week with officials of
the Southern California Association of
Governments (SCAG) to discuss their contribution
to planning for a Hollywood Central Park to be
built over the Hollywood Freeway. SCAG recently
selected Hollywood to be one of their Compass
Blueprint designees for the coming year, as
a result of an application submitted by the
Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. It was agreed
that SCAG’s expertise would be very helpful in
community outreach and marketing, providing a
visualization component for the park, doing
in-fill analysis, and providing internet
services. Don Scott of First Financial Bancorp
is chairing the Chamber effort. City approval
to provide $100,000 towards a feasibility study
is expected next month, which is an important
step toward demonstrating that the park can be
built.
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Chamber Testifies in Support of Madame Tussauds
Chamber
President Leron Gubler testified this week at a
hearing in support of a project to erect a
building to house Madame Tussauds on a parking
lot adjacent to the Chinese Theatre. Gubler
noted that Madame Tussauds will enhance
Hollywood’s tourism credentials, and help to
maintain the community as the top tourist draw
in Los Angeles County for the foreseeable
future. He also noted that the location
adjacent to the Chinese Theatre is a natural
since that is the central area for tourists
coming to the movie capital. At the same time,
Gubler stressed the importance of Madame
Tussauds and the City working with the Hollywood
Wax Museum, a longtime Hollywood landmark so
that it can be repositioned to remain
successful.
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Chamber Welcomes
Mr. Electric and LA Fitness
Javier Corona recently celebrated the opening of
his Mr. Electric Los Angeles franchise.
Pictured with Javier are: Jim Foltz, Sr.
Service Professional –Corporate Offices, staff
members Javier Corona Jr., Enrique Corona, and
Jamie Vasquez, as well as Chamber President
Leron Gubler and Membership Vice President Bette
Jean French.
Established in 1994, Mr. Electric is a
global franchise organization providing
electrical installation and repair services.
Recognized by Entrepreneur magazine among
its “Franchise 500,” Mr. Electric
franchisees provide these services to both
residential and commercial customers at more
than 160 locations worldwide. Mr. Electric
is a subsidiary of The Dwyer Group, Inc. For
further information please cal (323) 465-448 or
to find the location nearest you, visit
www.mrelectric.com.
LA Fitness recently celebrated the grand opening
of its new location on Hollywood Boulevard.
Pictured with District Vice President Nick
Hamden, Manager Mike Bashian, and LA Fitness
crew members are: Chamber Chairman Jeff Briggs,
Chamber President Leron Gubler, Vice President
of Public Policy Rochelle Silsbee and Vice
President of Membership Bette Jean French.
Chamber members will receive a free three-day
pass or $50 off any regular membership by
calling Nick Hamden at (323) 462-5199. LA
Fitness Hollywood is located at 7021 Hollywood
Blvd., upstairs. For more information please go
to
www.lafitness.com
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 State
of Hollywood Luncheon Scheduled for January 25th
Los Angeles City
Council President Eric Garcetti will address the
Chamber and community on Thursday, January 25th
at the annual State of Hollywood Luncheon.
The always-popular event is organized by the
Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. The
luncheon will be held this year in the Blossom
Room of the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, 7000
Hollywood Blvd. Admission is $75 for
Chamber members or $800 for a table of ten.
Two levels of sponsorship are also available:
Presenters at $2,500 or sponsors at $1,600. If
you would like to be a sponsor, contact
Elizabeth McDonald at the Chamber office,
(323)469-8311.
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