On a day when temperatures in the San Fernando Valley hit triple digits again, Los Angeles City Councilmember Bob Blumenfield did not hesitate in declaring that the state of the Valley was “hot.”
Blumenfield’s declaration was intended to be taken both literally and figuratively.
“It’s hot because the Valley is the hot place to be,” he said.
Other councilmembers described the Valley as “promising” and “powerful.”
So began a roughly 50-minute discussion with four members of the L.A. City Council during the Greater San Fernando Valley Chamber of Commerce’s annual State of the Valley luncheon at the Hilton Los Angeles/Universal City hotel on Thursday, Sept. 5. The discussion, which focused much on businesses and the economy, was moderated by Spectrum News 1’s Alex Cohen.
The four councilmembers – Paul Krekorian, Monica Rodriguez, John Lee and Blumenfield – represent different parts of the Valley. Though they all spoke of the Valley in optimistic terms, they also acknowledged that the area faces challenges – from aging infrastructure and criminal activities to the chronic housing and homelessness crises affecting all of California.
With the World Cup coming in 2026 and the Olympics and Paralympics in 2028, the elected officials expressed hope that the city will use the next few years to turn around L.A.’s image, which some described as having lost its luster.
“I remember backpacking, you know, after college,” Lee said. “I would tell people I was from Los Angeles and it was like … ‘Oh my gosh. … We have a movie star in our presence.’ … And now when I tell people that, (they react with) ‘hmm’ … because they are aware of the challenges that we face.”
Lee noted that the city went on a massive hiring spree of police officers ahead of the 1984 Olympics – the last time the city hosted the Summer Games. Improving public safety and the region’s mass transportation systems will be important leading up to 2028 not just for the tourists traveling here but for local residents as well, Lee said.
Rodriguez said what most excites her about the upcoming Olympics is the chance to help local businesses secure contracts related to these large sporting events.
“I want to make sure that local businesses in the San Fernando Valley, local businesses from Los Angeles are the ones providing services – from the reproduction of T-shirts or food services or food maintenance. There’s a lot of opportunities,” she said.
Asked what city leaders can do to keep major companies from leaving L.A., Rodriguez said the city needs to leverage state and federal resources to keep the film industry here.
“Los Angeles can’t afford to lose that fundamental part of who we are as a city. That industry has been a huge boon for all of us,” she said.
In Council District 3, Blumenfield said, they adopted a comprehensive plan for the development of the Warner Center, which expedited the approval of a number of projects because only one environmental impact report was needed for the whole area instead of requiring each project applicant to submit their own report.
As a result, the community is seeing major investments in the Warner Center, including the relocation of the Los Angeles Rams’ headquarters – a move that will come with billions of dollars of investments, Blumenfield said. Members of the audience applauded when the councilmember mentioned that the Rams had its first practice in Woodland Hills last week.
Blumenfield said he sees positive growth happening in the Valley, but said the challenge will be managing that growth in a “smart” way.
On the issue of al fresco dining, Krekorian addressed some of the complaints from restaurant owners that the process to apply for a permanent permit is too cumbersome.
Krekorian called the al fresco dining program, which began during the COVID-19 pandemic, a “tremendous success” but acknowledged that the city could do more to cut out the red tape and simplify the process for business owners seeking permits. After all, he said, the city wants to encourage more sit-down restaurants to set up shop.
“Sit-down restaurants kind of help define neighborhoods,” he said. “They are not only significant contributors to jobs and the economy, but they really build neighborhoods.”
Thursday’s State of the Valley luncheon was Krekorian’s last one as a member of the City Council. He’ll be leaving office at the end of the year when his term is up.
“The state of the Valley is promising,” Krekorian said.
“We of course face immense challenges,” he continued, “but as we … hear of people … like those who are here in this room, who are entrepreneurs, who have to make decisions with their own money and they’re investing in the Valley, and they’re looking forward to a positive future in the Valley, I think that gives me great hope for the future of the Valley.”
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