OpEd: Who is going to fix the Chamber?

Businesses are closing left and right. Developments are stalled. The UNITE HERE Local 11 union and has taken control of the worker policy governing the entire city. The runaway train of rising wages is now built into the West Hollywood economy.   

The collective voice of the business community is the West Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. Chamber CEO and President Genevieve Morrill has announced her retirement. The past few years have not been kind to the Chamber or the business community. How will West Hollywood rebuild? What is the purpose of a Chamber of Commerce? Who does the Chamber represent in a world of competing interests?   These are the questions the board will address at the annual retreat this friday.  

We can recite the past, so much good, but everything changed.   Now marks the spot where we hit bottom and start to rebound. Change and new fresh energy will move us from today to tomorrow.   The new CEO of the Chamber has the opportunity to reshape the role and its relationship to the business community, the city council, and the residents.  

The problems are many and the opportunities are great.   Look around.   The economic engine at the heart of West Hollywood has produced surpluses in revenue for the city coffers despite the empty storefronts, or stalled development projects.   The potential for the future of West Hollywood is astounding.   We have to attract and build, create and develop the West Hollywood of tomorrow.  

So what is the chamber of commerce?   It’s a welcome wagon for new businesses.  It’s an advocacy group for business interests.   It’s a networking opportunity for its members.   It’s a liason to the business community on issues that affect them.   In short the chamber is a resource for information.  In the real world what is good for local business is good for the community it serves.   Real Estate 101 teaches that proximately to community serving businesses increases property values.  The job of the chamber is to promote business friendly policies.

The West Hollywood Chamber of Commerce has become a complicated institution.   There is the Chamber, and its sister WEHO PAC, the political action committee of the Chamber, and its brother WEHO FOR THE PEOPLE, another arm of the chamber that is separate and distinct.   This past election cycle there was a mixing of these roles and their legal responsibilities.   One candidate was caught with WEHO PAC consultant coordinating something.   This is illegal.   WEHO PAC Chair had to disclose sex with two candidates.  One he asked to run.   The other who he called after the candidate interview to cajole.   This is illegal.   There was one candidates treasurer that was the Chair of WEHO FOR THE PEOPLE, a gross violation of favoritism and insider dealing.   There was a survey paid for by donations to support the election in which the Chair of the PAC asked a question about his own favorability rating, but did not ask the favorability rating of other potential candidates.   And their chosen candidate was then arrested on felony charges.  There was a flawed endorsement process that produced two losing candidates and split the business community down the middle.   

What is the job of the Chamber ?   The job is to represent local businesses, promote local businesses and support local businesses.   I would advocate that one step forward for the West Hollywood Chamber of Commerce is to open its doors to all business owners and professionals within the city, and those that have business interests in the city.   It’s free to list.   Not every business is prepared to pay dues for nothing.   The Chamber must offer benefits to its members that are tangible.

 A cohesive strategy to increase membership includes opening the Chamber to every person, business owner, accountant, dog walker, in the city of West Hollywood.   The Chamber should be a catch-all for the business interests in the city.  It should include and celebrate all the businesses.   Eight months ago BlockParty’s website was taken off the Chamber website.   If the Chamber of Commerce is not going to represent my shop, one of the last survivors, the only pride store in the city, during these tough times I have a hard time understanding its direction or purpose.   

The Chamber should be a collective resource for the business community.  Value, in dollars, is negotiating a preferred credit card provider, with the lowest credit card fees, to service West Hollywood businesses.   A .002 % difference per million dollars in sales would drive a cost savings for my store of about $4,000 per year.   The Abbey would probably save $20k for every ten million in sales.   The Chamber ‘value proposition’ is collective savings to offset other high costs of doing business in WeHo.   

Make things simple.   Dissolve WeHo for the People that caused so much stress this last election.   It was ridiculous to have the chosen Chair of that independent body also serving as campaign treasurer and advisor to one campaign.   The way forward is an all inclusive volunteer board of directors that  includes local employees, business owners and residents who want to participate and join a mixer, or cheer a new store opening.    We can find real people to join the team who live or work in West Hollywood and whose vested interests are West Hollywood.   

Should there be a WEHO PAC?   Does the Chamber need a political action committee that makes endorsements in elections?   The WEHO PAC is mostly Los Angeles residents using the platform to push their own agenda.   But I would advocate we need a WEHO PAC, and that it does continue to be active in the campaigns.   I’d also advance a new format mirroring other political organizations where its members vote on the endorsements.   With a wide-broad based membership choosing its candidates we can elect business friendly leaders to the city council.   When local members rally behind their candidates early we will be heard.    

The Chamber and the City of West Hollywood have enjoyed a long partnership in creating the economic base that supports our social services programs as well as many other initiatives.   After the 2020 election and UNITE HERE Local 11 takeover of the city council their aim was to hurt the Chamber.  The council voted to pull the bus pass program from the Chamber to retaliate.   We need to get back to partnering.   The Chamber can help the City navigate a roadmap for business in so many areas, contribute or offset many responsibilities to help service the business community.  The Chamber has a special opportunity to partner with County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath. a West Hollywood resident living just a few blocks away.  Let’s face it, things were broken and the way forward is putting it all back together with the common ties that bind us.   Filling the vacant storefronts, bringing community serving businesses into West Hollywood, getting those developments off the ground.   

At the AMMBI reception, Genevieve Morrill was proud to share that her staff are mostly West Hollywood residents.   She says that because she sees value in having residency.   I hope the new President of the Chamber will be a Weho-centric resident.  The intangible benefits are plentiful.   

In short, the Chamber needs to attract, celebrate, and be a champion for both small business and larger businesses within the city.   Our job is to create a cohesive community for the benefit of the companies, employees and residents we serve.