Politics

Business unveils another lobbying arm

Former Daily News publisher Tracy Rafter is chief executive of the new Los Angeles County Business Federation scheduled to be formally announced today with 44 member organizations representing more than 70,000 businesses. Lawyer and city commissioner David Fleming — who has worked closely with the Daily News, shall we say — is chairman. Fleming talked it up to the papers ahead of time and couched the group as a counter-force to labor's clout in Los Angeles.

The federation formed "to organize businesses, the collective chambers, trade groups and business organizations so that we can put together the numbers and get the attention of the political leaders" as a way to boost economic vitality, said Fleming, who is also the outgoing chairman of the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce.

[skip]

Maria Elena Durazo, executive secretary-treasurer of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor AFL-CIO, found it curious that business would present an image of itself as unorganized and lacking clout.

"Business has a very strong and active presence with regard to the political decisions made in the city and county of Los Angeles, and it always has," she said.

They're calling it BizFed for short. LAT, DN


More by Kevin Roderick:
Standing up to Harvey Weinstein
The Media
LA Times gets a top editor with nothing but questions
LA Observed Notes: Harvey Weinstein stripped bare
LA Observed Notes: Photos of the homeless, photos that found homes
Recent Politics stories on LA Observed:
David Ryu and candidate Mike Fong
Tronc buys (NY) Daily News, La Tuna fire aftermath and more
Helping in Houston, new lion cubs, Garcetti's back
Garcetti has weekend date in the Hamptons
Garcetti hitting the road to New Hampshire
LA Confederate monument coming down
LA Observed Notes: Back from vacation and into the fray
Rendon fights for neglected Southeast


 

LA Observed on Twitter