PRINCIPAL FOR A DAY. More than 100 business leaders visited and shadowed local school administrators Friday at Principal for a Day, organized by Pillar, a joint office of the Chamber and the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), and presented by Merrill Lynch. The "principals" made P.A. announcements, exchanged ideas with teachers and students, and in some cases, even attended school dances during their visit. Above, Chamber Board Member Don Jue, IBM Corporation, speaks with students at Jefferson High School's New Tech/Student Empowerment Academy. (View photo gallery).

Chamber fights to oppose proposed sign code revisions
The Los Angeles City Planning Commission (CPC) voted Thursday to adopt the city’s proposed sign code revisions, which will be sent to the city's Planning & Land Use Management Committee in April. The proposed ordinance imposes costly penalties for violations of sign regulations while establishing limits on the area, height and number of signs a business may use. The commission added amendments to the code including implementing sign-free districts for off-site and digital signage. The Chamber advocated in opposition to the proposal and is planning advocacy meetings in the next few weeks. Members interested in participating should contact Public Policy Manager Vanessa Rodriguez, 213.580.7531 or vrodriguez@lachamber.com.

Chamber works with city to keep film production in Los Angeles
The L.A. City Council’s Business Growth & Tax Reform Committee began evaluating innovative ways to discourage runaway film production this week. "We need to keep Hollywood in California. Runaway production has become ran-away production," said L.A. City Councilmember Greig Smith, committee chair. "We need to do everything we can to keep Los Angeles film-friendly, particularly during this economic crisis." Possible incentives includes offering city tax credits that go beyond current state guidelines. Contact Public Policy Manager Vanessa Rodriguez, 213.580.7531 or vrodriguez@lachamber.com.

Leadership Southern California travels to border to look at economy and security
The Leadership Southern California Class of 2009 visited San Diego and Mexico, March 19-20, to study a range of issues including the Southern California-Mexico relationship, security concerns in the region, crossborder manufacturing at Plantronics and Kyocera, health care and arts and culture. Many of the crossborder leaders discussed the importance of Mexico to the California economy, and emphasized the need for additional security, smoother border crossings and upgraded infrastructure. Above, Dr. Elizabeth G. Jones, cofounder of the Hospital Infantil de Las Californias, speaks to the class about the hospital. Contact VP of Leadership Programs Kevin Cottrell, 213.580.7577 or kcottrell@lachamber.com.

	Good News from Chamber Members Crossfield taxiway to be built at LAX The Los Angeles Board of Airport Commissioners recently awarded contracts for the construction of a wider taxiway, which will connect LAX’s north and south airfields. The taxiway, which is designed to handle the next generation of large commercial aircraft, such as the Airbus A-380, will improve the safety and efficiency of aircraft ground movement and alleviate periodic congestion that occurs on the existing taxiway. "This construction contract is a milestone and one of the first major steps to accommodate new aircraft that are going into service internationally," said Roger Johnson, project manager for Los Angeles World Airports. Read More. Read more news from Chamber members. Want your good news featured here? Click here to learn more.