2020 Policy Guide

2020 LEGISLATIVE POLICY GUIDE

THE CHAMBER & ITS GUIDING PRINCIPLES TABLE OF

CONTENTS

Introduction

1

Guiding Principles

2

Policy Priorities

3

Homelessness

5

Land Use and Housing

7

Entertainment

9

Healthcare

11

Business Retention and Expansion

12

Tourism

13

Transportation

15

Environment

16

Other Issues

17

The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce is one of the leading business organizations in Los Angeles County. It is also the premiere business organization for the Hollywood community, representing over 800 businesses – among them the major economic drivers of the entertainment, health care, tourism, real estate development, and hospitality industries.

OUR VISION

HOLLYWOOD: WHERE THE DREAM EXCEEDS EXPECTATIONS

OUR MISSION

TO ADVANCE A DYNAMIC BUSINESS CLIMATE & ELEVATE THE HOLLYWOOD EXPERIENCE FOR ALL

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THE CHAMBER & ITS GUIDING PRINCIPLES To fulfill our vision and accomplish our mission, the Chamber engages government at the local, state, and federal levels to improve Hollywood’s business climate and quality of life and opposes legislative and regulatory actions working against this ideal.

The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce’s Legislative Policy Guide serves as a road map to effectively advocate on issues of interest to the business community at all levels of government.

The Legislative Action Committee, in collaboration with the President & CEO and Chamber staff, implements the Board’s agenda through a governmental affairs program. This includes several committees charged with specific initiatives and led by strong co-chairs, advocacy trips to Washington D.C. and Sacramento, and continuous engagement with City Hall and the County's Hall of Administration.

GUIDING PRINCIPLES The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce’s Legislative Action Committee will utilize the following principles to develop policy recommendations to the Board of Directors and articulate positions on behalf of Chamber membership when meeting with elected officials:

ENGAGE

STIMULATE

Influence and engage in the legislative process for effective pro-business policies for our membership.

Stimulate and advance economic development in the region and throughout the state by encouraging business retention and growth.

IMPROVE

DEVELOP

Demand accountability in all forms of government operations and ensure all government agencies maintain policies that promote an efficient and equitable market-based economy.

Fight for the continued development of Hollywood as an exceptional place to live, work, and play.

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POLICY PRIORITIES HOMELESSNESS The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce has a record of supporting efforts to address the decade-in-the-making epidemic of homelessness, including supporting Ballot Measures H and HHH. The revenue generated from these ballot initiatives must be swiftly and efficiently spent by the city and county to build emergency shelter housing projects and provide the needed social services to those facing homelessness.

LAND USE & HOUSING The Chamber supports building more housing in Hollywood to help address Southern California’s housing crisis and to achieve a balance between local housing and jobs.

Currently, CEQA is not working and must be modernized to reflect its original goal of protecting the environment, rather than being an obstructive tool for development opposition groups. An updated Community Plan is critical to ensure Hollywood is effectively and thoughtfully developed for generations to come. The Chamber must therefore help shape and champion the Hollywood Community Plan Update.

ENTERTAINMENT The entertainment industry, encompassing film & television, live entertainment, hospitality, and new & emerging media, is the cornerstone of our region’s and, in particular, Hollywood's economic engine. We must support the industry by advocating for policies and regulations that protect companies’ intellectual property, reduce runaway production, and make Hollywood a place to both produce and consume entertainment.

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POLICY PRIORITIES HEALTH CARE The Chamber advocates for expanded access to affordable quality healthcare for all Californians through sensible healthcare reform.

BUSINESS RETENTION & EXPANSION The Chamber encourages a streamlined and efficient governmental regulatory framework that allows businesses to open and thrive in Hollywood.

TOURISM The Chamber works with the California Travel & Tourism Commission to market Hollywood in order to maintain the tourism industry locally and support efforts that help Hollywood’s tourism industry remain competitive.

TRANSPORTATION The Chamber advocates for increased city, state, and federal funding to improve transportation infrastructure, reduce traffic congestion, and increase public transportation within Hollywood and the Los Angeles region. The Chamber also works to produce consistent, sustained sources of funding for transportation improvement projects.

ENVIRONMENT In order to counter the growing threat of Climate Change, the Chamber advocates for clean and healthy environmental standards and the adoption of cost-conscious timetables when implementing environmental regulations.

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HOMELESSNESS

A Bridge Home shelter on Schrader Boulevard

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HOMELESSNESS The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce supports efforts to tackle homelessness across the country with an emphasis on eliminating homelessness in Southern California and Hollywood. To rectify this situation, the Chamber supports legislative policies that: Increase the US Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) funding for homeless assistance programs; Coordinate federal and state funding for permanent supportive housing; Change the HUD allocation formula to a proportional distribution based on actual need that only considers key factors shown to be related to homelessness; Support national, state and local affordable housing programs and initiatives; Increase funding for transitional and permanent housing programs and support services; Support a fair distribution of Measure H & HHH funding and subsequent resources for Hollywood; Support the successful implementation of the Trieste Pilot Program in Hollywood as a model for the state;

The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce was proud to support the construction of A Bridge Home shelter on Schrader Boulevard, which provides 72 beds and case management as well as wellness services for individuals experiencing homelessness.

Encourage the construction of additional bridge housing and other emergency shelter projects.

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LAND USE & HOUSING Hollywood’s urban environment creates the need for careful land use and planning in order to protect its historical significance, while ensuring a jobs/housing balanced development within the community. Additionally, the urban environment highlights the housing needs of Hollywood’s residents. Because of the diversity of purposes which Hollywood serves, the Chamber is directly involved in legislative actions affecting infrastructure investments and zoning regulations, urban greening projects, and housing the unhoused.

INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENTS & ZONING REGULATIONS The Chamber encourages the state legislature to be more engaged in ensuring that city and state zoning laws do not inappropriately restrict or prohibit housing and business development on public and private land.

Along Hollywood’s commercial boulevards and in its industrial zones, the Chamber supports land use and zoning policies that: Ensure a healthy business climate and jobs base; Spur private and public investment in Hollywood’s physical infrastructure; Provide an adequate supply of market-rate, workforce housing and housing targeted to low-income residents without the imposition of excessive government regulations, taxes, or fees; Advocate for the preservation and continued use of Hollywood’s entertainment-related industrial zones; Encourages mixed-use development and commercial development to enlarge Hollywood’s job base; Support the modernization of the California Environmental Quality Act and prevent its abuse to halt development; Promote the construction of high-density housing near transit-oriented corridors.

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LAND USE & HOUSING URBAN GREENING PROJECTS Hollywood’s urban environment limits the amount of public space available to each person.

Currently, the Hollywood community only offers approximately .005 acres of open space to residents. In order to fix this problem of scarcity, the Chamber supports new project proposals that make use of new technologies to create more open land and improve the quality of life for all community members without significant government intervention and tax increases. In its evaluation of project proposals, the Chamber endorses those that: Promote equity; Demonstrate exemplary efficiency innovative alternative land use solutions;

and

Create economic stimuli; Promote ecological benefits including improved air quality and reduce the impacts of climate change; Improves the infrastructure.

already

existing

OPPORTUNITY ZONES

physical Photo Courtesy of Kilroy Realty

Kilroy Realty's On Vine mixed-use project is expected to be completed in 2020 and incorporates an extensive public plaza.

The Chamber encourages the state and federal legislatures to maintain and expand Opportunity Zones. This investment tool provides tax incentives for investment in designated communities, which can include the construction of affordable housing, clean energy, infrastructure, small businesses, and so on. The Chamber will continue to educate the Hollywood business community on Opportunity Zones and pursue policies that expand these efforts.

BY

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ENTERTAINMENT The Chamber recognizes the entertainment industry as a critical component to the economic strength of the Hollywood Community, the greater Los Angeles region, and to the State of California. The Chamber supports policies that make Hollywood and Los Angeles competitive places to operate entertainment-related business. To enhance the friendliness of the Hollywood Community towards the entertainment industry, the Chamber supports legislative policies that encourage growth in motion picture & television, new media production and distribution, as well as protecting intellectual property rights, and funding for the Arts and related education.

PRODUCTION Keeping content production in California is essential to the regional economy. As other nations and states use tax-incentives to entice film production elsewhere, the California economic base is weakened while also pulling qualified workers and their families to other areas. In order to preserve the entertainment industry within the Hollywood and Los Angeles areas, the Chamber supports programs and legislation that provide targeted tax credits and other benefits to the entertainment industries. Additionally, the Chamber recognizes the need to create additional production infrastructure, such as sound stages and post-production facilities.

Photo Courtesy of Getty Images

Photo Courtesy of Andrew Cooper

The first four fiscal years of the California Film & Television Tax Credit Program 2.0 generated nearly $8.4 billion of direct in-state spending, which included $3 billion in qualified wages, according to the California Film Commission.

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ENTERTAINMENT PIRACY & INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS With piracy costing the United States an estimated $47.5 billion to $115.3 billion in reduced gross domestic product (GDP) and between 230,000 and 560,000 jobs each year, the Chamber strongly supports state and federal government programs and initiatives that dedicate resources to enforcing anti-piracy laws. The Chamber supports efforts to maintain current copyright laws and increase funding to the FBI and federal prosecutors dedicated to fighting for content protections. The Chamber will work with members, legislators, enforcement, and 1 policy organizations to limit the misuse and distribution of unauthorized content through various methods.

Photo Courtesy of Tero Vesalainen

1.David Blackburn, Ph.D. Jeffrey A. Eisenach, Ph.D. David Harrison Jr., Ph.D. (2019). Impacts of Digital Video Piracy On The U.S. Economy.

NERA Economic Consulting, Global Innovation Policy Center, The U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Photo Courtesy of Donald Tong

Based on a broad range of estimates, a study on Impacts of Digital Video Piracy On The U.S. Economy found that digital video piracy conservatively causes lost domestic revenues of at least $29.2 billion and as much as $71.0 billion annually, representing a revenue reduction between 11% and 24%

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HEALTH CARE Access to healthcare is essential for all Californians. It is critical that our workforce be provided access to affordable quality healthcare through the business community. The Chamber supports any reforms that include regional flexibility and promote integrated delivery systems which control costs, increase efficiency, and maintain quality such as those policies that emphasize prevention. Funding for healthcare should be equitably based and avoid any undue burden on business. Health care systems should incorporate a simple process for enrollment, administration, and payment. Plans should allow for reasonable copayments and deductibles and they should provide for, when possible, a selection of qualified providers.

In line with these ideals, the Chamber supports reforms that: Support public and private policies programs that expand coverage;

and

Call for the improvement of healthcare delivery and increased training of the healthcare workforce without unfairly regulating or taxing employers to fund these activities;

Photo Courtesy of Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical CenterÂ

Provide universal coverage for all Americans; Guarantee Issue/ No Pre-Existing Conditions; Provide premium subsidies based on need; Allow Medicare to negotiate Rx prices; Photo Courtesy of CHA Hollywood Pressbyterian Medical Center

Ban direct to consumer advertising for Rx; Provide for tax equity for individual health premiums; Support transforming Medi-Cal into a more cost-effective, coordinated and healthoutcome focused program; and increase Southern California’s share of hospital funding.

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Hollywood is home to three major worldrenowned hospitals: Children's Hospital Medical Center, Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center, and CHA Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center.

BUSINESS RETENTION & EXPANSION Business retention and expansion is a top priority for the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce.

To improve business vitality, the Chamber supports policies that: Encourage economic development within the region; Reduce inefficient and unnecessary government regulations and limit the creation of new regulations to encourage a streamlined governmental policy; Promote the expansion of free and fair trade whenever possible; Help unfreeze community bank lending and other sources of financing to small businesses; Expand and modernize the California Department of Business and Economic Development to provide greater incentives for small businesses; Provide more federal funding for programs that support California’s small businesses without excessive government regulations; Include the analysis of economic impact of any newly proposed regulations.

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TOURISM

Actress Mandy Moore receiving her Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

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TOURISM Hollywood is the premier tourist destination in the world and a key driver for Southern California’s tourism industry. Travel and tourism generate more than $100 billion annually in California, which provide over a million jobs and billions in state and local tax revenues. The Chamber supports policies that: Promote the expansion and maintenance of the travel and tourism industry; Provide a world-class experience for all on Hollywood’s sidewalk, specifically as it relates to the Hollywood Walk of Fame; Increase funding from the California Travel & Tourism Commission towards Hollywood and the Los Angeles region; Eliminate aggressive solicitation of tourists and visitors to the Hollywood community; Aim towards improving and adding Hollywood tourism attractions, including but not limited to the Hollywood Walk of Fame; Promote improved public transportation options for tourists, including the proposed Crenshaw Line Northern Extension, which would create a direct route from Hollywood to LAX.

Photo Courtesy of Sean Pavone

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TRANSPORTATION The Los Angeles region, including the Hollywood area, has reached traffic gridlock during rush hours and experiences serious congestion at many other times of the day and night along its major highways and through-fares. Traffic gridlock and congestion negatively impact existing businesses, future economic development, and the quality of life of neighborhoods. The Chamber advocates for funding to improve transportation infrastructure, reduce traffic congestion and increase public transportation within Hollywood and the Los Angeles region.

In order to do so, the Chamber supports policies that: Fast-track street, traffic signal, and signage improvements along the main through-fares; Promote improved public transportation including the proposed Crenshaw Line Northern Extension, which would create a direct route from Hollywood to LAX; Improve parking by making use of already existing structures and promoting the development of advanced parking systems;

Photo Courtesy of Pexels

Work to produce consistent, sustained sources of funding for transportation improvements; Seek to increase funding towards expanding existing federal transportation investments; Provide consideration for emerging technologies, including ride sharing, bike sharing, parking sharing, scooters, and autonomous vehicles; Encourage city officials to implement scooter regulations that provide alternatives to parking and riding on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

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Photo Courtesy of Tom Bonner

Residents and visitors utilize the various modes of transportation that Hollywood has to offer, including the Metro Red Line, which runs under Hollywood Blvd.

ENVIRONMENT The Chamber understands the growing threat of Climate Change, the urgent need to reduce greenhouse emissions, and the importance of a healthy environment for the Hollywood community. The Chamber advocates for policies that: Ensure healthy air quality for the Los Angeles region without placing an undue burden upon any industry or the business community; Promote the adoption of reasonable costconscious timetables when implementing new environmental regulations or programs. Small businesses, those with fewer than fifty employees, should be provided with special consideration or partial or complete exemption if such a policy would place an undue burden to the business;

Photo Courtesy of Green Plaque

Promote research and development that will lead to more fuel efficient and lower polluting vehicles and market attractive alternative fuel vehicles; Promote the construction of LEED certified development; Support fuel-neutral options for residents.

Photo Courtesy of Kilroy Realty

Completed in 2014, Kilroy Realty's Columbia Square mixed-use project earned LEED Gold certification for its office buildings.

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OTHER ISSUES PUBLIC SAFETY The Chamber believes that a safe and inviting atmosphere for businesses, their employees, and clients/customers, and their families is imperative to promoting and enhancing economic development in the Hollywood community. In order to improve public safety, the Chamber supports: Strong, consistent and effective enforcement against criminals; Permanent supportive housing to end homelessness in Hollywood; No tolerance for human trafficking, drug trafficking, or aggressive panhandling; Backing for Business Improvement Districts that provide extra security measures for the business community; Fair and equitable funding sources for adequate law enforcement in the Hollywood community and City of Los Angeles and the assignment of adequate public safety personnel to protect Hollywood.

EDUCATION & WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce believes that a well-educated and well-trained workforce is essential to long-term business success for Hollywood and the Los Angeles area.

Employers must be assured that the region’s educational infrastructure will supply them with an appropriately qualified and trained employee base for the jobs of today and in the future.

The Chamber supports innovative efforts to improve the educational system, both public and private, through initiatives like charter schools. The Chamber specifically supports the following: The maintenance and expansion of year-round federal student financial aid; Tax credits for small businesses and individuals for continuing education and vocational training;Â Encouraging additional research grant funding on economic development issues, including business incubators, enterprise zones, and empowerment zones.

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OTHER ISSUES TAXATION Fiscally responsible policies regarding the collection and distribution of state and local tax revenues are critical to the economic vitality of the state and Hollywood. This involves limitations and reforms within the state and local budgets to reduce the amount individual tax payers must contribute and the redistribution of funds to key areas that would promote economic development. The Chamber opposes policies that would attempt to balance the State and/or City budget on the backs of businesses.

The Hollywood Chamber strongly oppose legislation seeking to impose a tax on business services performed in California. This unnecessary tax increase would not solve California’s budget volatility problem. Instead, it would result in higher prices for consumers and would increase the cost of doing business in this already expensive state, hitting small businesses the hardest.

LEGAL REFORM California businesses are currently confronted with an excessive and expensive litigation system. Businesses are overly burdened with surges in liability insurance costs, extensive legal obligations, and hefty settlements. Costly legal bills for California businesses results in high consumer prices, fewer jobs, and less investment in California. The Hollywood Chamber supports tort reform that will result in: A legal system which is based on fairness and discourages frivolous lawsuits, including “loser pays� laws; The use of arbitration and mediation to settle disputes; The reform of our Federal and State product liability laws; A limit on punitive damages.

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2020 LEGISLATIVE POLICY GUIDE For more information, please contact: Jacob Jauregui, Director of Public Policy & Economic Development 323.468.1380 | jacob@hollywoodchamber.net