David M. Smith Publishes Wish List for Mayor Karen Bass in the Los Angeles Business Journal

The mayor of Los Angeles operates similarly to a chief executive officer with the City Council, controller, and city attorney acting as a board of directors, writes David M. Smith, Pepperdine Graziadio professor of economics and associate provost for online learning, in the Los Angeles Business Journal. As newly elected mayor Karen Bass begins her tenure, Smith provides five economy-related wishes for Los Angeles:

1. Focus on high-wage areas for job training: Los Angeles needs to focus workforce development on well-paying blue-collar apprenticeships, hybrid learning, and financial help such as securing the required work bonds.
2. Encourage private investment: According to consulting firm PwC, private investment is the best way to enable cities to function properly, and a good way to serve the Los Angeles region
   Further streaming home construction permitting: Scarcity of housing leaves many people on the brink of homelessness. Mayor Bass has promised to “solve homelessness” – that cannot happen without construction permits.
3. Attack traffic congestion: Traffic costs the U.S. economy $179 billion each year and it's no more prevalent than it is in Los Angeles. Mayor Bass needs to take action to reduce daytime traffic across the city.
4. Bolster female business leaders and entrepreneurs: In the San Fernando Valley, where earnings and per worker and median household incomes generally lag the state and country, women earn about 6% less than men. Launching a task force focused on encouraging women entrepreneurs could help close that income gap and result in millions of dollars of revenue.

To read the full article in the Los Angeles Business Journal, click here.