Propelling all of LA County through partner collaboration!

Center for Competitive Workforce

In July 2017, Los Angeles County’s 19 community colleges, in partnership with the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC), the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, and the Center of Excellence for Labor Market Research at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, launched the Center for a Competitive Workforce.

The Center, which is housed at the LAEDC, is dedicated to training students for today’s highly skilled and technical jobs. Almost immediately, the Center conducted analysis of labor supply and demand in specific occupations and skill sets, distributed through its Powering Economic Opportunity report. Some key findings were:

The region’s community colleges are uniquely suited to train, educate,
and upskill the LA Basin’s workforce of the future.

Industry Cluster Development Efforts Continue to Gain Momentum

LAEDC continues to activate business, labor, education and public sector leaders to protect and grow LA County’s leading export-oriented industry clusters. Accomplishments in 2017 include:

• Convening 11 industry council meetings to develop policies and initiatives to grow capacity in the Advanced Transportation and Aerospace and Defense industry sectors.
• Launching the Digital Media and Entertainment Industry Council.
• Collaborating with over 19 community colleges to activate innovative models for business engagement in Career Technical Education Programs.
• Providing support for the development of a new ocean-related research, education and business hub at the Port of Los Angeles in San Pedro.

LA County Assessor: Business Friendly One Stop Shop

By Robert Kalonian, LA County Assessor’s Office

Los Angeles County Assessor Jeffrey Prang’s commitment to integrity, transparency, and innovation in government has revolutionized what is the largest local assessment agency in the state.

Two achievements in particular have a business friendly impact on the Los Angeles County business community: the Low-Value Ordinance and the One-Stop Public Service Counter. Aside from identifying and appraising real estate, the Assessor is responsible for the valuation of business personal property (office equipment, furniture, etc.). To ease the burden on an estimated 50,000 small business owners across the County while simultaneously improving internal efficiencies, the Assessor’s Office worked with the Board of Supervisors to raise the minimum reporting threshold from $2,000 to $5,000. Supervisors unanimously approved the request, providing approximately $3.4 million in tax relief each year for small business owners.

In the spirit of providing the best possible service to taxpayers, a One-Stop Public Service Counter was opened at the Hall of Administration. Staff from the Office of the Assessor, the Department of the Auditor-Controller, and the Office of the Treasurer and Tax Collector were cross-trained to assist taxpayers with a range of issues pertaining to the property tax system, assisting over 50,000 people thus far.

In 2017, the Certificate of Excellence in Assessment Administration (CEAA) was awarded to the Los Angeles County Office of the Assessor, making it the first and only jurisdiction in California to have earned this prestigious honor – the highest honor that a public assessment agency can attain.

Foreign Direct Investment

The 2nd annual FDI study to obtain an understanding of the impact of international investment to the regional economy was conducted in 2017. In LA County, Foreign Owned Enterprises (FOEs) accounted for:

To engage foreign investors and encourage more investments:

2017 Select LA Summit

To continue marketing the LA region’s cultural diversity and investment opportunities, the Select LA Summit was held in June 2017, with the highest participation rate to date. The Summit attracted attendees from 27 countries, with a keynote by LA Mayor Eric Garcetti, one of the Select LA’s creators. The event received a Silver Award from the International Economic Development Council for excellence in the Special Event category.

L.A. Kitchen: Support and Service to Build the Community

Founded by Robert Egger, L.A. Kitchen is using the ingenuity of a social enterprise, the compassion of a strong volunteer base, and the business sense of an entrepreneur to make a difference in the lives of Transitional Age Youth (TAY) and ex-offenders.

L.A. Kitchen’s Empower LA program provides free 14-week training to TAY youth and justice-involved adults, with training in food prep, culinary skills, and self-empowerment programs. The strength of the program is the older participants who are transitioning out of incarceration and homelessness can impart valuable life lessons to the younger participants of Empower.

The Impact LA program proliferates the fight against food waste by utilizing good but less-than-pretty produce and partnerships with charitable organizations serving vulnerable populations. In 2017, Impact LA launched an initiative to feed low income elders healthy meals, called the Super Seniors Sites. The program aims to deliver an average of 15,000 meals a month to retirees in LA County.

Addressing Homelessness

Housing: Measure H Funding Recommendations

On June 13, 2017, the Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a spending package to deploy more than $1 billion of Measure H funds into local communities over the next three years, all part of a plan developed by a multi-sector group of 50 community leaders. This marks a key milestone in the county’s ambitious commitment to combat homelessness. Implementation began on July 1.