Is there strength in numbers? I guess we’ll find out when the newly formed Los Angeles County Business Federation kicks into high gear. This organization, which Staff Reporter Nadra Kareem writes about in this edition of the Business Journal, was unveiled last week as a savior for L.A. businesses in countering very well-funded and organized efforts of labor. The group, chaired by Valley business leader David Fleming and which has former Daily News Publisher Tracy Rafter as CEO, has 44 organizations as members representing 70,000 businesses employing more than 1.2 million. Those are large numbers. But the group must show right from the beginning that these numbers matter. What I mean by this is that the group needs to be constantly providing pressure on elected officials to be more pro-business hounding them everyday like labor does and mobilizing votes for or against them like labor does. It must be a unified force for business and not just another business organization, even though it’s a big one. It must be nimble and quick to protect business interests without any bureaucracy. Like labor, it actually needs to be feared by lawmakers. Because the lawmakers need to know that within a moment’s notice, like labor, it can mobilize thousands of people. That may take awhile to kick in. But this won’t be easy. Businesspeople have other things to think about, like meeting labor payroll. Their mind isn’t first and foremost on city hall, Sacramento or Washington. The federation needs to hook them in to show that there is strength in numbers. And this takes a lot of publicity. The Business Journal will publish any newsworthy item concerning the federation just as it covers the Valley Industry and Commerce Association, an effective organization in advocating for business over the years. I hope that this new federation supplements VICA’s efforts in a strong and unified way. Business needs all the help it can get.es. It must be a unified force for business and not just another business organization, even though it’s a big one. It must be nimble and quick to protect business interests without any bureaucracy. The Valley Industry and Commerce Association has been an effective organization in advocating for business over the years. I hope that this new federation supplements VICA’s efforts in a strong and unified way. Business needs all the help it can get.