When one has their own business, one of the start-up costs and actions is getting everything set up legally. Thus having business law attorneys working for you – focusing on business law and litigation – is crucial.
In this video Amity Law Group explain their role in your business; protecting against litigation, disputes, etc., and navigating the most viable contracts and partnership agreements.
Not that this is the first year for the city of Angels to have made it to the list but still, it is impressive and positive that LA has taken second place in America in Resonance Consultancy’s study. With its perfect climate and revitalized downtown area, Los Angeles is the place to be.
So what makes LA such a great place to live? There is the cuisine, which Donal Skehan is trying to move away from the reputation the nation has earned over the years of being fast food and unhealthy. In his latest cookbook ‘Eat. Live. Go. – Fresh Food Fast,’ he transforms the buttery, cholesterol-building popcorn into a superfood with a sprinkling of turmeric, spirulina powder, cayenne pepper and smoked paprika. But it’s not all health-focused. His main idea is balance: go for the green shake but don’t forget your lemon tart seems to be his philosophy.
And then there is the environment. The city is most committed to setting and reaching sustainability goals. One example of this is its electric car-sharing pilot program it has set up in disadvantaged neighborhoods. It is trying to decrease the carbon footprint of the its more cumbersome, older buildings. In this venture, the Mayor put in place two acts which were recently passed by the City Council.
Of course when we talk about LA we cannot omit the culture of the city. In particular, Art Los Angeles Contemporary (ALAC) is, in 2017, welcoming a whole slew of new galleries from throughout Latin America and Asia. It is anticipated that this will be its most varied fair yet. It has already garnered substantial global interest and simultaneously will remain with a unique LA flavor since 27 out of the 62 participants are from the West Coast metropolis, with director Tim Fleming saying it represents a snapshot of LA artistic production.
So LA has a lot to offer. It isn’t perfect but it certainly seems to have something for almost everyone.
All people of employable age/capacity need to be in work. Irrespective of their demographic this is essential for fiscal stability as well as emotional wellbeing, among other factors. Now, a focus in LA is on black people who need work. In conjunction with Black Lives Matter, J. Walter Thompson, a few days before Christmas the BackingBlackBusiness.com initiative was set up. Through this, there is a map which identifies any businesses owned by blacks nationwide (as well as in LA). According to one of the Black Lives Matter co-founders, Patrisse Cullors, “Black-owned business have long been a staple in the Black community providing jobs, economic security and a somewhere for us to go and feel seen and safe. In these uncertain times, we need these places more than ever.”
Meanwhile, according to a recent article in The LAist, LA is continuing its three year streak of adding new jobs to the area. Figures show that just in the last three years, a staggering 135,000 jobs have been added, slashing LA’s unemployment in half (from ten to five percent).
And, as one Wells Fargo senior economist, Mark Vitner explained, “California’s economy is running hot right now,” a sentiment that was echoed by Garcetti who said that jobs were being created for Angelenos while new business and investment opportunities were arising. This ultimately means that those in LA are being privy to “greater access to economic opportunity.”
Actually when looking at the numbers it seems that the amount of jobs available for those in the region has overtaken pre-1992 levels which shows a true investment in the city’s people, developing prosperity for the future.
A $10 million initiative – the LA Justice Fund – has been created by local officials in an attempt to significantly reduce illegal immigration. Around half of the funds are being received from city and county governments; half from private foundations.
The move is indicative of the state of California’s Democratic politician’s commitment to offer protection for those immigrants without documents who would otherwise face deportation. With the creation of this fund, it is hoped the issue will be more treatable.
Indeed, as Eric Garcetti, the city’s Mayor said that the fund was LA’s way of showing readiness to “support people who can’t afford or don’t realize they might need a lawyer.”
Another initiative being taken to help those in LA was the recent Fair Chance Hiring Fair the city hosted. This was geared toward parolees who need to find work but face difficulties due to their historic criminal records. As some people who have been helped in the past noted, basically options are extremely limited…often to warehouse positions and with this fair it was hoped that at least some of the barriers would be lowered. The fair brought in employers who were hilling to hire someone who served time, such as Uber, a company that is prepared to consider parolees who did not serve time for violent crime.
Street vending is not legal in Los Angeles. Despite the fact that Angelenos want to make an honest salary, the city does not permit it. The Los Angeles Street Vendor Campaign recently organized a news conference, at which discussion was held on how to “wake up City Hall” to the importance of legalizing street vending.
Now, a proposal is under review to implement a permit system which would be enforceable by law via property confiscation and fines. However, the Public Works Committee has been stalling this issue for over a year now. Councilman Jose Huizar is calling for the Committee to act immediately as it’s something they’ve all been awaiting for a long time and ultimately it will be beneficial for everyone.
Today, LA is the only major US state where street vending of all types is prohibited. And, while the vendors are penalized, those that buy from them are not. There are also no regulations/ban on food trucks which use the same sidewalks to sell their wares.
Such illegalization is incredibly hard on those who rely on street vending for their income. And it’s often the poorer parts of the community which, due to this ban, continue to get poorer. Right now, LA only has a very few areas such as Venice Beach which permit the activity. Hopefully soon this will change and street vendors will finally be able to break the poverty cycle.
LA will be getting more jobs thanks to Boeing. The multinational transport corporation is currently working toward an increase in job creation in the area through its Defense, Space & Security businesses in both LA and Alabama. It is anticipated that consumer products companies will bolster their advertising efforts for these jobs.
According to a report released at the end of last month, an additional 475,000 have been added to Los Angeles County since the depths of the Great Recession with a further 334,200 expected by 2020. While they will not be the most high-paying positions, the good news is that very little education will be required for these positions. In fact, not even a high school diploma (or, perhaps more important, any work experience) will be required. This accounts for more than a third of the jobs.
Then, another third of the jobs will be good for those with a high school diploma (or equivalent) and the remaining third will be good for graduates who have a BA (10.5 percent), Associate degree (4.5 percent) and high school plus education (5.6 percent).
Emerging industries in the region seem to be biosciences along with advanced transportation and fuels.
Morale among SME proprietors in LA is improving. Their attitude – and hope – for both their own economies and the economic outlook of the nation as a whole is substantially better than it was half a year ago. Despite this, according to findings from the fall 2016 Bank of America Small Business Owner Report, there are still real concerns over increasing healthcare costs, elevated interest rates, the strength of the U.S. dollar and credit availability.
Indeed, while nationwide 37 percent feel that their local economy is set to improve within the next year, in LA, that number is 47 percent. In general though, confidence in the national economy is rising (just not as much as that of LA in particular). As Small Business Banker Manager at Bank of America Troy Bosch said, finally SME proprietors have been able to “shake off some of the uncertainty” about economic conditions that they encountered earlier in 2016.
COO of VEDC (Valley Economic Development Center), Robert Lopez, explained this phenomenon. He said: “Small businesses create economic opportunities that extend well beyond the business owner by providing job opportunities and commercial growth in their communities. Wells Fargo and VEDC have a strong history of supporting small business owners and we look forward to continuing our partnership by helping entrepreneurs start and build their businesses.”
Or can you? When it comes to LA, despite the fact that the city works hard to keep up with environmentally high standards, no one seems to be prepared to give up their own automobile vehicles. Indeed, ever since the late 1940s and the economic boom that ensued following the Second World War, LA has been car crazy. And hence traffic has been the result…along with the environmental footprint.
Thanks to Tesla and Google though, there is hope, although LA proper has a long way in getting up to the standards that are already in process in Silicon Valley. So given all of this, what is happening at this year’s LA Auto Show? Intel is planning to launch a $250 million autonomous car program while Argus Cyber Security is focused on hacking prevention. ReachNow – the car-sharing service created by BMW will be expanding and there is a planned automated future by Ford. CEO of NextEv discussed her vision for the future in which cars will be tackling both software and hardware and Lucid Motors presented its electric sports car prototype.
Still, one of the issues LA has to face is the real fact that it has to respond to celebrity culture and that means status and speed. As Tamar Warren concluded in her article in The Verge, “In a car town, a visit to the Los Angeles Auto Show is an opportunity to see an industry caught in a crossroads.”
LA County voters approved an increase in sales tax. With this, tens of billions of dollars will be raised to put toward rail and road enhancement projects, known as Measure M. It is hoped that the amount will raised will be approximately $860 million per annum for the Sepulveda Pass and extensions spanning the San Fernando and San Gabriel valleys.
Measure M – the expansion of the more recent half-cent sales tax hike Measure R – garnered overall support as it is hoped that it will result in the creation of construction jobs, while substantially reducing congestion.
In addition, last week, Virgina Grebbin, Chief of Staff spoke at the 28th edition of CityAge. Entitled Build the Future, it focused on the current state of LA and how to maximize the city’s development via design, economy, business, government and research. Grebbien honed in on the California infrastructure part, figuring out project priorities, private partnership influence and how LA compares to other US states vis-à-vis airports, bridges, public areas and roads.
Frank Gehry recently designed a project comprising a 234 foot tall tower for the eastern edge of the Sunset Strip. This was just unanimously accepted by the LA City Council, which means following its completion, the area will be privy to two residential towers, a shopping center and terraced gardens.
In 2019 a Park Hyatt hotel will open in downtown LA as part of the Oceanwide Plaza project. Comprising 184 rooms, it will be located right by L.A. Live and the Staples Center. Developed by Oceanwide Holdings, the plan for the area is also over 500 luxury residences and a 166,000 sq. ft. open-air retail and entertainment galleria.
The good news with all of this construction is that the environment will not necessarily be negatively impacted. In fact, over the last 10 years or so, the region has developed a reputation for becoming a “hub of green building activity.” One example of this was back in 2002 when LA became the first US city to request LEED certification for practically all of its new municipal buildings. Seven years later this requirement escalated from a mere certification to LEED Silver which renders an even greater commitment to establish sustainability from each new municipal building that appears in the skyline.
These green efforts are continuing as by 2020 all new residential construction statewide is being ordered by the California Energy Commission to be zero net energy by 2020 and by 2030, new commercial construction to follow suit.