VICA Reports 74 Percent Legislative Success Rate

The Valley Industry & Commerce Association had a success rate of 74 percent on the bills it advocated for and against during the state legislature’s 2017 session, which ended last week. The Van Nuys business advocacy group issued a statement Monday saying that it backed bills in support of housing, a Valley medical center and protections from cost overruns for the 2028 Olympic games. The housing bills supported by VICA help streamline housing development while others will assist families in need of affordable housing. VICA President Stuart Waldman said the bills sent to Gov. Jerry Brown to be signed into law will help stem the state’s housing crisis. “There is no point throwing money at homelessness and affordable housing without allowing developers to build enough market-rate housing to keep up with demand,” Waldman said in a prepared statement. “I appreciate that the legislature chose to make some tough decisions which are in the long-term interest of all Californians.” The group opposed bills related to increasing the amount of renewable energy generated in the state to 60 percent by 2030 and to prohibit state agencies from being less stringent than federal guidelines when it comes to clean air and water because they presented unaffordable mandates without cost containment mechanisms. Both those bills failed to make it out of the legislature. Also, VICA backed to a bill sponsored by Assemblyman Matt Dababneh, D-Van Nuys, that allows Providence Tarzana Medical Center to invest resources into a new medical center, rather than spend money on seismic retrofits for a building which is about to be torn down.