Getting Right in the Middle of Some Important Issues FROM THE NEWSROOM By Jason Schaff It’s half-time, folks. It’s the midway point in 2004, believe it or not. Time to sit back for awhile as the summer season intensifies and take a look at the first six months of the year. Personally, what we’ve done, where we’re headed. And for us here at the Business Journal, take a look at our local economy the issues, the accomplishments, the failures. And it would also be good to set some goals for the rest of the year. There are a few major issues that have emerged in the first half of the year that are worth keeping track of in the future. They are: -Business Tax Reform: This by far is the biggest issue the Valley business community and its peers in the rest of Los Angeles face. The outdated and unfair business tax system looks like its going to be fixed. The Business Tax Advisory Committee has turned its proposals over to the city council. There are several complicated elements to this but the main thing that city leaders and the BTAC members who will be prodding them to finish the job need to keep in mind get it fixed quickly. BTAC is pushing for city decisions by Oct. 31. That seems fair. Business owners must get the feeling that tax reform is a priority at city hall and getting it done swiftly will go a long way toward showing that. Reform can’t get mired in the typical long, drawn-out processes often found in city government. -The Mayor’s Race: It’s going to be a wild one. James Hahn is vulnerable. He’s considered competent but a weak leader who has alienated certain segments of the community such as African Americans and the Valley. But don’t count him out. He has money. The declared candidates, Valleyites Robert Hertzberg and Richard Alarcon both have solid bases of support but their name recognition throughout the city as a whole is a problem. Bernard Parks is seen by some as merely a spoiler. If Antonio Villaraigosa runs, this could merely result in a rematch of the 2001 election when he and Hahn faced off. The bottom line on the mayor’s race overall. We need to see some vision from someone. We need to see clear and detailed goals for the immediate and distant future. World-class goals for a world-class city, not just stopgap measures that help us just get by. And the whole city must be considered in equal parts. That includes the Valley. Retaining Businesses: Creating a climate that will keep companies from fleeing the area has been talked to death with few solutions. No one seems to know the answers to this one. But we can’t let go of it or our economy will become a shell of its former self. Business tax reform should help, but state issues such as still high workers’ comp and ridiculously high residential real estate prices are still bogging down any real movement. Local manufacturers say there’s a lack of properly trained workers to take jobs at their firms. Local community colleges are addressing this with some success but continued commitment toward this is needed within private business and the education system. Other issues? Affordable housing, economic development in the Valley’s underserved areas and the general growth of the jobs sector. Stay tuned for the second half. Business Journal Editor Jason Schaff can be reached at (818) 316-3125.