LAHq is a very special organization. We are a volunteer group and have been successful in attracting active members who make time to help improve our wonderful city. During the past two years we have provided leadership and support for development reform, a new sports arena, Charter Reform, the Figueroa Corridor, upgrading our public schools, venture capital attracting new business to Los Angeles, economic development and many other causes.
As LAHq concludes its 39th year, I feel honored to have been elected for a third term. The people inside LAHq love the City of Los Angeles. Our dedicated officers, board members, committee chairs and general membership have been wonderful to work with and we have accomplished many of our goals.
As promised we have completed and improved our website which features our newsletters and our upcoming events. We will continue to make our website more informative and user-friendly.
Our monthly membership programs under the leadership of Tom Freiberg, Jr. and Fritz Kastner have been very dynamic. The Business Networking Committee which we formalized under co-chairs Carole Linn and Bob Taylor has been very successful. Our Government Relations Committee led by Sandy Paris and its ad hoc committee on Charter Reform chaired by Craig Lawson and Larry Kosmont achieved their goals. Membership Chair Teresa Powell and her committee deserve recognition for their hard work; the Economic Development and Environmental Committee headed by Ed Casey, Marion Harvey and Allen Walz have arranged excellent and timely sessions on local issues.
We continue to applaud the success of our Education Committee's efforts and the progress of the third and fourth grade students at the Utah Street
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School. We continue to have our Christmas Luncheon for the students every year along with our spring adventures guided by Mary Miyata and Carol
Burle.
Special thanks are due to Past President Marilyn Pepper, who edits and publishes our newsletter Focus.
We also owe our appreciation to Sue Reeves, the Association's terrific Executive Director.
As in past years, Special Events Chair Barbara Trister has exceeded all of our expectations with the program and planning of our Awards Luncheon.
We are in a very interesting segment of time for the City of Los Angeles. In the last 24 months we have seen technology, media, entertainment, biotechnology and various types of dotcom companies growing and taking large amounts of office space all over our city. Rents have risen from 2.75 a square foot per month to 4.00 in specific properties on the Westside. Entire buildings have leased prior to completion and full floor spaces are next to impossible to find on the Westside.
The Downtown market has positioned itself for the current and future growth of a portion of the new economy. New residential development is currently underway in Downtown and the demand appears to be strong.
Southern California is attracting many new companies and Los Angeles, with its great climate, universities, cultural amenities, new sports entertainment arena, beaches, restaurants, museums and creative people is right in the heart of' this new growth.
The changes in business due to the Internet are sweeping through the business sector. The value of online "B2B" transactions will grow to 2.7 trillion by 2004, up from 27 billion in 1998, according to Forrester Research.
Be a part of this dynamic future - join LAHq today.
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Los Angeles Council President John Ferraro, has made significant contributions to the City of Los Angeles, and provided key leadership in a variety of citywide issues. He was instrumental in the achievement of dramatic improvements at the Los Angeles Zoo and played a key role in the addition of Staples Center to the downtown skyline, the selection of Los Angeles as site of the Democratic National Convention 2000 and in bringing the 1984 Olympics to Los Angeles, an event which highlighted the City's international prominence.
Currently John actively serves on several City Council committees including Chair of Rules and Elections, Vice Chair of Intergovernmental Relations, and a member of Commerce Energy and Natural Resources.
John's service or, the Los Angeles City Council began in 1966 and he has been elected to serve nine consecutive terms, representing the district through June 2003. His Fourth District includes portions of North Hollywood and Toluca Lake as well as Griffith Park, Los Feliz, Silver Lake, the Hollywood Hills, Hollywood, Studio City, Larchmont Village, Windsor Square, Hancock Park, Park La Brea and the Miracle Mile area.
A native of Los Angeles, John was an All-American tackle for the University of Southern California, which he attended on athletic scholarship, Ferraro played with the Trojans in three Rose Bowls.
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He was named to the National Football Foundation Hall of Fame in 1974, the USC Hall of Fame in 1995 and the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame in 1996.
During World War 11, John interrupted his studies at USC to join the United States Navy and was commissioned an Ensign, serving in the South Pacific aboard the USS Tomahawk and LST 237. Following his honorable discharge from the Navy, he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from
USC.
John has been honored with numerous distinguished awards including the USC General Alumni Association's Asa V. Call Achievement Award, 1996; Los Angeles Marathon's 1996 Citizen of the Year Award; All City Employees Benefits Service Association 1995 Employee of the Year; Spirit of Los Angeles Award, 1992; and an Honorary Doctor of Law Degree from Southwestern University, 1981; and the GTE State Forum Award for community service.
Recognized as a leader in the community, John serves on the board of a broad range of' civic and cultural organizations including the National League of Cities, Museum of Contemporary Art, Autry Museum of Western Heritage and the Hollywood-Wilshire YMCA. He is also a member of the Southern California Association of Governments, Los Angeles County Sanitation District, Interagency AQMD Implementation Committee and Southern California Water Committee. In addition, he is president of the League of' California Cities and a past president of Independent Cities Association. |
