By CHRIS COATES Staff Reporter Facing globalization and threats of a possible recession, Los Angeles City Councilman Greig Smith last week made his pitch to area business leaders about forming a business growth roundtable to discuss ways to bring more industries to the San Fernando Valley. “We want local government to be a resource, not a burden,” the 12th district councilman said at a June 1 gathering of 250 business leaders in Granada Hills. The panel would be comprised of business owners and executives from the city and Valley that would meet frequently with city leaders to talk about ways to retain existing companies while attracting new ones. The panel would work with the Mayor’s office and other municipal agencies to help guide employers to city resources such as tax breaks, reduced utilities costs and other incentives. “All the industries we have here in the San Fernando Valley, we want to help maintain those jobs. We want to help maintain that economic viability,” said Smith, who convened the meeting with 3rd district City Councilman Dennis Zine. The summit at the Odyssey Restaurant also included business workshops and a presentation from Bruce Ackerman, president and CEO of the Economic Alliance of the San Fernando Valley, and Brendan Huffman, president and CEO of the Valley Industry and Commerce Association. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa gave the keynote address for the meeting. Smith also talked about the importance of maintaining and expanding the Valley’s industrial base, especially in the area around Chatsworth. A city study of industrial land use shows that nearly 42 percent or 585 acres of Chatsworth, located in Smith’s district, is devoted to light industrial manufacturing. About 3,000 businesses are in the 12th district and 40,000 industrial jobs are currently in the northwestern Valley. While Smith said there are worries about losing industrial companies to other areas, he also pointed to a recent positive development for the Valley: The news that European aircraft manufacturer Airbus planned to expand the supply base in the Valley for the production of its A380 aircraft. Airbus currently uses about 100 area vendors and contributes $500 million annually to the Southern California economy, said Allan McArtor, chairman of Airbus North America. “We’re continually proud of our suppliers and hopefully we can recruit more,” said McArtor, who added that he supports efforts to create a dialogue between businesses and the city. “It’s an area in which we plan to stay and prosper and grow and show off our airplanes at your magnificent airport,” he said.