Consensus Inc. is Presenting Sponsor of Los Angeles-area Elected Official Q&A

Consensus Inc., a longtime member of the San Fernando Valley business advocacy organization Valley Industry & Commerce Association, was the presenting sponsor at the 2009 annual Local Officeholder Luncheon on Aug. 6, 2009. Consensus President Josh Gertler, who is a member of VICA’s executive committee and co-chair of the Land Use Committee, emceed the question-and-answer event featuring elected officials from Los Angeles County.

The elected officials who attended and who were asked questions, included: Los Angeles County Supervisors Zev Yaroslavsky and Michael Antonovich; Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca; Los Angeles City Controller Wendy Greuel; Los Angeles City Councilmembers Richard Alarcon, Eric Garcetti, Tony Cardenas, Janice Hahn, Tom Labonge, and Jan Perry; Los Angeles Community College District Trustees Mona Field and Miguel Santiago; Los Angeles Unified School District Board Member Tamar Galatzan and Nury Martinez, Glendale Councilman and Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) Board Chairman Ara Najarian; Glendale Mayor Frank Quintero; and Agoura Hills Mayor Pro Tem Bill Koehler.

Councilwoman Hahn said for the city of Los Angeles to incentivize businesses to move and stay in the city, it would have to create its own stimulus package by moving forward with construction projects, including the modernization of Los Angeles International Airport and the Port of Los Angeles. Metro Board Chairman Najarian said Measure R – the half-cent sales tax that went into effect in July to pay for mass transit and highway improvements, would provide needed funding for construction but he was going to Washington, D.C., to lobby for $10 billion in loans to get projects moving sooner than scheduled. Consensus also assisted VICA by tweeting the Q&A session live on Twitter.

ConsensusLive also tweeted from the event. The event recap is posted on http://twitter.com/ConsensusLive.