Finally, a Place At the Table

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Suddenly, Los Angeles is business friendly. At least it seems to be trying. Finally.

City Council President Eric Garcetti recently created a standing council committee aimed at addressing the needs and policy issues of businesses. He appointed Greig Smith, a rare pro-business councilman, to chair it. In comments last week, Garcetti also said he supports lower taxes for businesses. (The story is on page 3.)


This is a turnaround. Businesses complain that they get the cold shoulder at City Hall. They don’t know where to go to solve a problem or whom to call to get information. No one seems to know or care.


Indeed, when some business issue does come up, it seems to be an excuse for the council to morph it into an affordable housing matter or make labor unions benefit.


And if you look at the 15 council committees (one for each councilmember), you’d see an Arts, Parks, Health and Aging Committee and such, but nary a business committee, unless you count the Housing, Community and Economic Development Committee and a couple others like that. The message, at least in the past: The City Council doesn’t care much about businesses.


So maybe Garcetti’s decision does represent a true change of attitude. If so, it’s about time.


Businesses aren’t always right, but they do have a legitimate point of view and should be given a place at the table to argue their point.




How big a problem will businesses face when today’s middle-aged baby boomers start retiring?


It’ll just be a huge problem, if you believe the consultants who already are coming out with prescriptions to help businesses cope with the headache. (There must be 1,000 consultants for every problem, including real problems.)


It may seem that baby boomers are a little young to be retiring. After all, the oldest are just now hitting 60. But if you throw in the fact that lots of wealth has been amassed in 401(k)s and other retirement plans in the last 25 years, it will be tempting for lots of folks to walk out of the corner office and onto the golf course well before they hit 65.


At least, that’s the rationale some of the consultants put forth when they try to convince us to hire them now to solve this supposedly big and looming problem.


One such consultant, who just happens to have a new book, put out a press release last week citing one independent survey that he claims shows that 50 percent of companies expect to lose more than half their senior managers in the next three years.


Maybe so. But of the baby boomers I know (I am one), I can’t think of anyone who is actively planning a traditional retirement. Most want to continue working. Some figure they’ll live to be 95 and they want the money. Others had children later in life and they need the money. Some figure they’ll become, yes, consultants.


Beyond that, baby boomers are narcissistic and self important. Most can’t imagine giving up the title, the power or the income. In their hearts, boomers believe they’ve set up a permanent base camp in their workplace.


Hey, here’s a suggestion for consultants: Come up with a book and develop some expensive plans to help businesses figure ways to gracefully expel those boomers who don’t want to retire.



Charles Crumpley is editor of the Business Journal. He can be reached at [email protected].

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