Members of LA-area Chamber of Commerce meet with Washington, DC power brokers

March 16, 2010 | By Kitty Felde | KPCC

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Capitol Hill has been invaded by more than 200 members of the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce. They're here for the Chamber's annual lobbying trip - and they're already seeing results.

When you represent a region larger than many states, it's easy to get Washington's attention. The L.A. Chamber of Commerce attracted big names like Senator John McCain, R-Ariz., to speak at Tuesday's Chamber lunch on Capitol Hill.

Chamber members scored appointments with Washington power brokers all over town - like the United States Treasurer Rosie Rios.

Attorney Daphne Anneet, with the National Association of Women Business Owners, says she talked with Rios about one issue: access to capital.

Anneet says the small business community has been identified as "the key engine for driving us out of the recession. But the fact of the matter is, on the ground, the money is not flowing."

Anneet wants more federal money to flow to community banks for small business loans.

For Tracy Rafter, with the L.A. County Business Federation, the issue is different.

She says she's focused on transportation.

Rafter is looking for a lot of federal money - nearly $9 billion - to jumpstart L.A. County's transit projects.

As a sign of the region's clout, Rafter says one U.S. Department of Transportation official gave her group twice the time allotted.

The good news from that meeting, she says, is that Washington knows California took last year's stimulus money, put up matching funds and got projects moving.

"They feel good when they give us the money that something positive - quickly and quality - will come about," Rafter said.

That good will could come in handy when Congress tackles the transportation bill.

Renee Fraser came to talk about homelessness with Congresswoman Maxine Waters, D-Los Angeles.

Fraser is the co-chair of the L.A. Chamber of Commerce's Homeless Task Force.

She asked for more money and more housing vouchers for homeless veterans.

Fraser also asked for a change in the formula used to divvy up federal housing money.

She says it's based "on the age of the buildings, which is an outdated formula which favors older cities, East Coast cities.

And in fact, it should look at poverty and it should also look at homelessness, if in fact it's supposed to be affordable housing and housing for the homeless."

Fraser says the L.A. Chamber of Commerce's pilgrimage to Washington for face-to-face meetings is invaluable.

Anneet says it's a matter of geography.

"Because California's 3,000 miles away and there's not a lot of Californians in DC," she says, "I think it's really important to be here. Just as a group, it helps make an impression."

Fraser says Congress needs to hear more from Main Street.

"They hear from lobbyists and large corporations and to some extent, non-profit organizations," Fraser says. "But when a business person understands the factors and is passionate about an issue, it makes a big difference."

How big?

Rafter of the L.A. County Business Federation met with Congressman Brad Sherman, D-Sherman Oaks, to talk about his proposal for government-backed transportation bonds.

"So by his meeting with us yesterday," she says, "he was well-informed and ignited around this that he said, 'maybe I will go ahead and introduce that bill.' He had been sitting on it, hadn't done it. He said maybe this is the impetus to do it."

"Maybe" is the key word.

But if nothing happens, Congressman Sherman - and the rest of Washington - will have a posse of Southern California business leaders knocking on their doors next year.

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