2023 San Pedro Chamber of Commerce Legislative & Policy Platform 

The San Pedro Chamber of Commerce is a nonprofit 501 (c) (6) membership organization.  The mission of the San Pedro Chamber of Commerce is to promote, support, and advocate the interests of the business community. Our vision is to make San Pedro a better place to live, work, and visit.  

 

Arts and Cultural Tourism 

The SPCC supports a vibrant arts community to increase economic activity through the promotion of arts and culture tourism.  

• Advocate for arts funding to ensure San Pedro remains a robust and thriving arts community. 
• Support the growth of San Pedro as a tourist destination by encouraging investment in visitor serving businesses and assets; including but not limited to USS Iowa, and Cabrillo Marine Aquarium. 
• Support the restoration of the Warner Grand Theater as a cornerstone of arts and cultural tourism in San Pedro. 
• Support a parking valet system in downtown to address potential parking shortages during special events.  
• Continue to support and promote the State of CA established San Pedro Arts & Cultural District, and advocate for additional funding to support the district.   
• Grow the San Pedro Ambassador Program to increase the visitor experience in San Pedro. 
• Advocate for additional resources for local artists to support a thriving arts community. 

 

Economic & Workforce Development 

The SPCC supports high quality, sustainable development that will drive economic growth and create future job growth. 

• Support the redevelopment of the Rancho San Pedro housing site as a mixed income community with a commercial component along Harbor Boulevard.  
• Support AltaSea at the Port of Los Angeles and similar initiatives to encourage blue technology and job diversification in San Pedro, and opportunities for workforce development for our youth. 
• Work to attract blue tech and ocean related businesses to the area. 
• Support the $150 million – Goods Movement Workforce Training Center - Supply chain workers are essential workers. Ensuring an adequate supply of trained workers across the goods movement system is fundamental to system resiliency. The Center will be the first training campus in the U.S. dedicated to the goods movement industry. It will attract new workers, address skill shortages, and provide opportunities for workforce up-skilling or re-skilling to avoid future workforce shortages and address the rapidly changing needs of the industry. Importantly, the Center will also facilitate workforce transition towards a greener future and will be a state resource for workers to train on zero emission (ZE) technologies.  

  

Energy Reliability 

SPCC supports reliable sources of affordable and diverse energy supplies.  

• Advocate for reliable energy policy that is economically and environmentally responsible.    
• Support various forms of energy production to meet the needs of California, including electricity, green hydrogen, clean natural gas, and oil production to provide flexibility and affordability for the consumer.   
• Support projects that develop and deploy clean energy innovation.     
• Support legislative and regulatory solutions that bring new businesses to California and help employers and the state reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the most cost-effective, technologically feasible manner while allowing flexibility to ensure a stable energy future. 
• Support for continuing in-state production of transportation fuels (gasoline, diesel, and aviation fuel) to protect and maintain good paying jobs, and provide reliable, affordable fuels to the consumer.   
• Support innovation of new energy products and technologies in San Pedro and the region. 

 

Equity and Inclusion  

SPCC is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion in our business community to ensure we have the talent, resources, and opportunities for inclusive growth in in our economy.    

• Develop and support programming and resources with an emphasis on women and minority owned business, nonprofits, and entrepreneurs to help them survive and grow in recovery.     
• Commit to diversity in recruiting and electing members to the San Pedro Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and Chamber Committees to ensure the Chamber represents the community we serve.  
• Increase outreach to businesses of color.     

  

Housing 

The SPCC supports housing development at a variety of income levels to properly sustain the growing population.  

• Support increased housing at all levels: As demand  continues to outpace supply, driving rents  and housing prices sky high, the Chamber  will push for policies that ease the way for  the construction of housing at all levels:  affordable, workforce and market rate housing. 
• Workforce Housing:  Support a diversified housing stock that will allow middle class workers to afford to live near their places of employment, which in turn will incentivize companies to locate in the Harbor Area.  
• Transit Oriented Development:  Promote affordable and workforce housing near public transportation          nodes to increase the number of users of METRO and create convenience for riders.  
• Advocate for increased housing opportunities for homeless individuals, families, and veterans.  
• Artist Housing:  Support live workspace for local artists to help maintain our arts community in San Pedro. 
• Promote and support programs that create affordable home ownership.  

 

Downtown and LA Waterfront Redevelopment and Major Corridors   

The SPCC supports the redevelopment of the San Pedro Waterfront as a major visitor serving attraction to increase the economic health of San Pedro. 

• Advocate for continued waterfront development. 
• Create a seamless interface between the LA Waterfront and historic downtown San Pedro through signage, programming, and infrastructure. 
• Connectivity:  Create comprehensive signage leading into San Pedro and the LA Waterfront along major thoroughfares to direct visitors to their destination.   
• Advocate for first-class facilities, and clean, well landscaped, roadways and commercial corridors leading to and from San Pedro and the LA Waterfront. 
• Advocate for funding for first-class maintenance of medians and commercial corridors, and support creation of nonprofits for cleaning, maintenance, and beautification of entries and major commercial corridors. 

   

Transportation, Infrastructure, Broadband 

The SPCC supports work to ensure that the State of California and the City of Los Angeles provides a transportation and infrastructure network that keeps our ports, area businesses and community thriving. 

• Advocate aggressively for increased federal funding for the modernizing the region’s goods movement network.  
• Support funding of transportation infrastructure projects which increase mobility on the region’s roadways, light rail, and overall transportation system.  
• Support the continuation of the Silver Line between San Pedro and downtown Los Angeles and continue to advocate for additional opportunities for additional public transportation options. 
• Advocate for first/last mile projects and funding in San Pedro. 
• Improve public transportation options between LAX and the Port of Los Angeles. Advocate for the prioritization of public transportation projects between LAX and the Port of Los Angeles. 
• Support a strategic transportation plan to support the 2028 Olympic Games to encourage mobility across the region. 
• Advocate for the acceleration of broadband infrastructure.  
• Support a long-term comprehensive state water plan to promote a reliable and safe water supply that includes conservation, new supply, reclamation, storage, and conveyance that is equitable for all of California.    
• Advocate for increased METRO funding to study the Vermont Corridor be extended to San Pedro to connect the community to public transportation.   
• Advocate for an increase in funding to restore and increase DASH services and routes. 

  

Quality of Life 

The SPCC represents the business community’s interest in improving the conditions of local poverty, joblessness, shelter, preventable illness (both physical and mental), and the related harms that they cause, with a focus on assessing and addressing homelessness and its impacts on the San Pedro community. 

• Work to identify the assets and tools available to the community to address homelessness, both governmental and private/non-profit. 
• Coordinate regularly with law enforcement on the prevention of crime.   
• Investigate and communicate all options for the delivery of services, paying particular attention to those programs that can lead to being housed. 
• Coordinate with business, government at all levels, and private, non-profit actors and benefactors in the provision of programs and services that can lead to being housed. 
• Investigate all new or existing legislative, administrative, and legal tools to prevent homelessness, and to address the causes and effects of homelessness. 
• Advocate for increased state and federal dollars for mental health services, and mobile mental health response. 
• Research and advocate for legislative programs that increase conservatorship options for mentally ill. 
• Work with our businesses and government to advocate for the highest level of expenditures on new housing and enhanced services to reduce and prevent homelessness. 
• Advocate for beds and resources for domestic violence services, and beds.  
• Define a role for individual Chamber members, their families, customers, and their business to participate in the prevention of homelessness.    
• Strengthen vaccine distribution and improve vaccine and testing outreach efforts.    
• Recognize non-profits as vital contributors to our local economy.   
• Advocate for improved commercial facades and facilities.    

2023 POLICY 

Aerospace: SPCC supports programs that capitalize on our region’s innovative aerospace industry and attract new and growing companies.  

Ballot Initiatives: SPCC supports fiscally sound ballot measures that address critical needs and have realistically considered the possible impacts on our economy. 

Budgeting: SPCC supports transparent budget decisions that are based on realistic projections with long-term goals in mind. 

Education: SPCC supports educational training, workforce development and skilled labor programs to assists San Pedro businesses to meet future workforce demands. 

Energy: SPCC supports reliable sources of affordable and diverse energy supplies, including but not limited to renewable sources and conservation.  

Environmental Regulations: SPCC supports responsible, reasonable, regulatory reforms that fully consider environmental impacts but do not overburden development projects.      

Goods Movement: SPCC supports projects that improve the delivery of goods throughout our region to allow imports and exports to flow through our region affordably and efficiently.    

Healthcare: SPCC supports a sound and affordable healthcare system that addresses cost containment and excessive regulations that ultimately harm the delivery of health services.  

Homelessness:  SPCC will advocate for the highest level of expenditures on new housing and enhanced services to reduce and prevent homelessness.  

International Trade: SPCC supports trade and tourism initiatives to spur commerce and strengthen the region’s leading position in the global economy.  

Labor Costs: SPCC supports striking a balance between employees’ expectations to be treated fairly with employers’ ability to stay in business.  

Land Use: SPCC supports a balanced approach to addressing workforce housing demands, creating new jobs, protecting industrial and commercial zones as well as preserving open space and our unique quality of life.  

Los Angeles Air Force Base: SPCC strongly supports the LA Air Force Base remaining in the South Bay and supports the Air Force housing in San Pedro.  

Litigation: SPCC supports reforms to California’s litigious environment, so employers and public agencies are protected against costly, frivolous lawsuits.  

Pensions: SPCC supports reducing the public’s tax liability on unrealistic, unfunded pension plans and encourages long term remedies to ensure fiscal health.  

Taxation: SPCC supports reducing the high tax burden on businesses as well as a tax/fee structure that does not put San Pedro businesses at a competitive disadvantage.  

Transportation: SPCC supports innovative funding solutions to accommodate increased mobility on the region’s roadways and overall transportation system.  

Waste Management: SPCC supports realistic and fair consistent water discharge requirements as well as policies on solid waste management so that the collection, transport, processing, and disposal of solid waste is conducted with minimal impacts to our beaches and businesses.  

Water: SPCC supports a long-term comprehensive state water plan that is reliable and includes conservation, new supply, reclamation, storage, and conveyance that is equitable for all Californians. The Chamber also supports sustainable policies that protect our ocean waters.   

Workplace Standards: SPCC supports efforts to make California’s workplace standards more competitive with the rest of the nation.