September 28, 2016,
Governor’s Office of Planning and Research
Mr. Ken Alex, Director
P.O. Box 3044
Sacramento, CA 95812
RE: Comments on “Vibrant Communities and Landscapes” Draft Policies.
Dear Director Alex,
On behalf of the Los Angeles County Business Federation (BizFed) – representing more than163 top business groups with 325,000 employers and over 3 million employees across Los Angeles County – we are writing to express our concern and dismay over the draft “Vibrant Communities” document released by The Governor’s Office of Planning and Research and seven other state agencies, especially the brief and seemingly rushed period to provide comments and feedback.
The draft “Vibrant Communities” document was released two weeks ago and we strongly object to this inadequate amount of time to process a piece of policy this large and its potential impacts on the business community across not only LA County but the entire state. Additionally, the actual policy that is laid out in the document bears no precedent in the state of California and requires considerable work to understand the affects across the board.
Time and time again we see governmental agencies rush to the table with ill-fitting and poorly thought out policies with little to no input from stakeholders, ultimately rendering them helpless in a process that should be inclusive and not exclusive. The invitation-only input that was permitted is definitely not open and transparent and it creates even more animosity between stakeholders and government.
Our organization meets twice a month to review, analyze, debate, and ultimately take positions on any number of policy matters. The two week, rushed deadline for public comments effectively takes that away from our organization and others like us. This behemoth of a proposed policy needs more time for stakeholders to review and offer constructive feedback. We believe that is a hallmark of a transparent and open process and urge you to consider our concerns and re-open the draft “Vibrant Communities” document for a lengthier public comment period so that those impacted most by its policies have time to process and deliver meaningful input.
