David W. Fleming, an attorney with Latham & Watkins, was the instigator of the successful charter reform movement in the City of Los Angeles. In 1997, he and then LA Mayor Richard Riordan co-chaired a voters' initiative to reform LA City government, culminating in creation of an elected citizens' Charter Reform Commission that drafted a new charter adopted by voters in 1999. He currently serves on the board of the Southern California Metropolitan Water District, covering all of Southern California, representing the City of Los Angeles. In 2003 he was appointed by President George W. Bush as a trustee of the James Madison Foundation, which bestows scholarships on high school teachers to promote teaching the founding of our nation. In 2005, he was appointed by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa to represent the city of Los Angeles as a director of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transit Authority (the “MTA”). Fleming chaired the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce in 2007 and in 2008 and was the creator and founding chair of the Los Angeles County Business Federation (BizFed), an organization of 72 chambers of commerce and trade groups with well over 100,000 business members, employing 2 million workers throughout LA County. In 2009, he, along with former California Governor Pete Wilson, served as co-chairs of the Southern California Leadership Council. In 2005-07, he served as the Chairman of the California Regional Leadership Foundation, a statewide organization of civic entrepreneurs addressing regional problems. He is the current Chair of L.A. Project Grad, an intensive K-12 educational program helping minority public school students achieve excellence.Daymond Rice-Chair of the Valley Industry and Commerce Association
I am both excited and honored to serve as Chairman of the Valley Industry & Commerce Association (VICA), especially as we celebrate 60 years of advocacy on behalf of the business community. Since its creation in 1949, VICA has given Valley businesses a voice at all levels of government.My position as the public policy director for a large corporation and husband of a small business owner, has given me a unique perspective of the business climate in California. VICA’s aggressive, but balanced, advocacy efforts on behalf of the business community help make the environment better for businesses of all sizes.
VICA’s consistent and strong presence at the State Capitol, L.A. City Hall, on Capitol Hill ensures that the concerns of businesses across the region are heard by officeholders.
We hope you will work with us as we fight for job creation, responsible regulation, lower business taxes and the San Fernando Valley’s fair share of services and resources. VICA plans to tackle pressing business issues in the upcoming year, and the current economic climate will make the battle even harder.
The more businesses that invest in VICA the stronger our advocacy efforts can be. Please share your policy concerns and business needs with VICA so that we can carry your message to lawmakers at all levels of government.