Political Advocacy

The Partnership advocates for public policies that support the region's economy and create jobs by:

Supporting legislation and public policies that advance our mission
Advocating personally with local SGV state and federal legislators for pro-growth policies
Providing forums for the discussion of important regional issues
Communicating information and ideas that enhance the region's understanding of key public policy issues
Coordinating advocating activities with SGV chambers of commerce and business organizations
Working with state and regional business organizations to promote pro-growth policies

The Partnership's Legislative Action Committee makes recommendations regarding what public policies to endorse by following principles established by its members over many years. The committee has developed a policy platform which is updated and published every two years in the San Gabriel Valley Legislative Guide. The Platform details the Partnership's positions on key issues including:

Job Creation, Business Friendliness, and Economic Growth

The Partnership Supports:

Public policies that assist with business retention and private investment.
Projects and legislation that foster job creation and economic growth.
Policies and programs that improve the image of California as a place to do business.
The expedition of the state regulatory and local permitting review processes for businesses and new construction projects.
Funding and programs to retain and assist businesses with their regulatory, permitting, taxation, compensation, or workplace safety issues.
A state requirement for a cost/benefit analysis to be completed for every rule, regulation, tax or fee before it is implemented.
The minimization of frivolous litigation through limited punitive damages and the increased use of mediation or arbitration to resolve disputes.
Flexibility in implementing regulations so business productivity is not hindered.

The Partnership opposes:

Legislation, regulations and policies that will create a competitive disadvantage for San Gabriel Valley businesses and harm the business climate of the state.

Local Economic Development

The Partnership Supports:

Expediting the entitlement and permit approval processes in municipal and county government.
Re-establishing the authority of local governments to use tax increment financing to fund public infrastructure projects and greater flexibility in the creation and use of Infrastructure Finance Districts.
State matching funds for Small Business Development Centers and federal funding to support the Small Business Administration.
Funding for clean-up of contaminated sites when the polluter cannot be identified or no longer exists.
Limited local authority to use eminent domain when a single property owner is preventing the assembly of parcels for development with the exception of a single-owner domicile.

Taxation and Budgetary Policy

The Partnership Supports:

A change in the initiative process requiring all ballot initiatives to identify funding.
Full implementation and ongoing deposits into the state's rainy day fund.
Simplification of state and federal tax codes.
Reduction of state and federal income and corporate tax rates.
Sustainable pension systems for public employees to enable municipal governments, school districts, special districts and the State of California to meet their long-term retirement obligations.

The Partnership opposes:

Any erosion of Proposition 13 protections for commercial property, in particular split roll property taxes.
An extension of the Proposition 30 income and sales tax increases beyond 2017.

Employee-Management Relations

The Partnership Supports:

Legislation that will provide clear, precise and reasonable rules for employee-employer relations and a level playing field for management and labor unions.
Workers compensation laws that balance disability benefits with reasonable employer liability.
Legislative reforms to allow for greater use of arbitration and mediation to resolve labor disputes.
Clarification and greater flexibility in meal and rest period rules, including flexibility as to when those meal and rest periods can be taken as well as clarification on when those periods may be waived by employees.
Clarification of travel-time compensation rules, including a definition of what is an ordinary commute.
Workplace rules written in simple and precise language to ensure that employers know how to comply with the law and that employees are properly informed of their rights.
Legislation that requires a workplace to be the primary cause of an injury before claims are compensable.
Wages that fairly compensate employees without jeopardizing job growth.

The Partnership opposes:

Card-check unionization which removes the option of the private ballot for employees.

Water

The Partnership Supports:

The implementation of sound plans, strategies, programs and projects that ensure a reliable, high quality and affordable water supply for the San Gabriel Valley.
The effective implementation of the Bay Delta Conservation Plan.
Funding for groundwater cleanup, recycled water supplies, and storm water capture and reuse.
Public funding for the San Gabriel Valley Restoration Fund to continue the cleanup of groundwater supplies in the Main San Gabriel Groundwater Basin.
Implementation of effective conservation programs throughout the State of California.

Education and Workforce Development

The Partnership Supports:

Institutional reforms that would not only increase graduation rates but provide a substantive, quality education to California students, thereby assisting schools, colleges, and universities to be more effective in preparing students to enter a dynamic economy.
Improving school counseling and advisement services to help parents and students be aware of the variety of post-secondary education options in both specific job training programs as well as college.
Funding and expansion of local Career Pathway programs that provide focused curriculum, essential people skills and work-based learning experiences for specific high-growth career tracks.
Funding for local Workforce Development Boards and other adult career training institutions such as Adult Schools and ROPs that can effectively help students expand their skills and find employment.
Programs that provide ongoing professional and technical training for teachers as well as performance evaluation and compensation incentives to reward and encourage quality teaching.

The Partnership opposes:

Actions that would disproportionately reduce funding for the state's education system.

Energy Policy

The Partnership Supports:

Tax and fee incentives for energy conservation and cost-effective use of alternative energy resources.
Policies that keep energy costs affordable in order to protect jobs and the economy.
Funding to research and develop a statewide energy strategy plan that would streamline regulatory oversight, eliminate rules duplication and encourage a variety of electrical generation and energy production methods.
The development of new technologies, infrastructure and delivery of alternative energy sources, such as compressed natural gas.
Reasonable and effective regulatory oversight of hydraulic fracturing, better known as fracking, to ensure that the methods employed meet with state standards and that water used in fracking is properly treated.

Environmental Policy

The Partnership Supports:

Modernization of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) to make it consistent with federal and state environmental standards, thereby streamlining the approval process and reducing frivolous, predatory litigation that does not pertain to environmental protection.
Allowing businesses to use the monetary value of purchased carbon offset credits, which they do not plan to use but cannot sell, to their future permitting fees. This will allow businesses to get value for the money they invested in credits while not increasing carbon emissions.
State and federal air quality and other environmental regulations should be technologically feasible, cost-effective, and be implemented only after a thorough economic impact analysis has been completed.

Transportation and Goods Movement

The Partnership Supports:

Funding and timely completion of these major regional projects:
- Alameda Corridor-East grade separations
- I-10 Freeway interchange upgrades
- Completion of the Gold Line Foothill Extension from Azusa to Montclair
- Completion of the Gold Line Foothill Extension from Montclair to Ontario International Airport
- The SR-60 alternative of the Gold Line Eastside Extension
- Completion of the SR 710 North freeway gap
- Restructuring of the 57/60 Confluence
- Completion of the SR71 freeway
Initiatives that reduce traffic congestion and ease movement of people and goods through the region.
Increased funding for maintaining and upgrading the highway and transit systems in the San Gabriel Valley.
Public-private partnerships and design-build strategies to complete transportation projects more quickly and cheaply.
Infrastructure upgrades and improved rail access to the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles.
Local control and effective management that will increase flights and passenger traffic out of Ontario International Airport.
Expansion of the Express Lane tolling system from the 605 freeway east on the I-10 to the county line.
Funding for analysis, testing and pilot programs of mileage-based user fees as a potential funding alternative for the state and federal gas tax.

Partnership members have access to weekly legislative updates and alerts on decisions effecting the region's business development, workforce development, infrastructure and quality of life objectives through the Partnership's members-only weekly newsletter. Members may also present legislative matters of concern to the Legislative Action Committee for review.

The Legislative Action Committee sponsors an annual Legislative Networking Reception that provides local community and business leaders with an opportunity to meet their local, state and federal representatives. The Partnership also hosts an annual San Gabriel Valley delegation reception in Sacramento.

Political Advocacy

Building Business. Building Community.