Rumors are flying that the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, which has seen its membership decline in recent years, may merge with the Central City Association, the L.A. Economic Development Corp. or both to form a “super” business advocacy organization.

This idea has surfaced from time to time over the years as a way to strengthen the voice of L.A. businesses. The latest indication came last month in the Downtown News, which also reported that CCA president Carol Schatz was being considered for the top executive post at the merged Chamber/CCA/EDC.

Fueling the rumor has been the steady decline in membership at the chamber, from 2,800 members 10 years ago to 1,300 today. Many member companies have either left the region, been acquired by out-of-state companies, or simply closed their doors.

Incoming Chamber board chairman Charles Woo, who is also chief executive of Megatoys Inc., flatly denied that Schatz was being considered for the chamber president post, now held by former L.A. Harbor Department official Ezunial “Eze” Burts.

“There is no search for a new president,” Woo said. “Eze Burts is the president and no replacement is being considered. Period.”

Schatz was out of town last week and could not be reached for comment.

But Woo was a bit more vague in his response to the merger question.

“It’s a very sensitive issue,” Woo said. “A merger has negative consequences, like somebody takes over somebody else’s job. I can say now that there are no serious discussions and there are no plans for any merger.”

But he would not rule out the possibility of a merger in the future.

“What I’d like to see is much more cooperation between the three organizations, much more reaching out to each other,” Woo said. “And if at some point down the road that leads to serious discussion of a merger between the organizations, then so be it. But this kind of discussion is best left for both sides to discuss in their own way and in their own time.”

Woo acknowledged there has been some discussion among his fellow board members about the fact that many major corporations feel it’s cumbersome to pay dues to multiple organizations all doing similar things in the L.A. area.

Scramble for Funds

Last week may have been vacation time for some, but not for candidates in this April’s city elections. In fact, many were working overtime last week in a mad dash for funds before the Dec. 31 reporting deadline for the second half of 2000.

The deadline is crucial for many of the candidates to establish their viability as the heart of the campaign season gets under way this month. And many candidates have been hitting the phones hard, even during the holidays.

“I’ve received more than a dozen calls this week alone,” lobbyist Howard Sunkin said last Thursday. “It got so bad that this morning I just decided I had to get out of the office.”

Another local lobbyist said that while he was on the phone with the staff of one of the mayoral candidates, he heard the candidate on another phone in the background actually dialing for dollars.

“The day after Christmas, actually hitting the phones. It was amazing,” the lobbyist said.

Sunkin said that in the mayoral race, the Dec. 31 deadline is particularly crucial for state Controller Kathleen Connell and City Councilman Joel Wachs. As the last entrant in the mayoral race, Connell is the only one who has yet to report how much she has raised and spent, so this will be the first indicator of the kind of support she’s getting.

Sunkin said that Wachs has got to show steady improvement in his contributions or he may not be able to dispel the notion that he’s going to plateau as he did in a previous mayoral election.

The deadline is more pressing, though, for council candidates.

“Some council races could be all but wrapped up once these figures come out in January,” Sunkin said. Candidates with significant leads in the fundraising and endorsement stakes force other contenders to give up the fight.

“Francine Oschin in the Third District (now held by term-limited Councilwoman Laura Chick) could lock up her race if she shows substantial contributions,” Sunkin said.

Oschin is running against community activist Judith Hirshberg and L.A. Police Protective League vice president Dennis Zine, among others.

More New Laws

As if employers don’t have enough to worry about in the new year with rising energy costs, a hike in the minimum wage and rising health care and workers’ comp costs, a whole raft of new state and federal laws take effect today.

Among the new state laws:

AB 1856 (Sheila Kuehl), which says an employee can be held personally liable for sexual harassment regardless of whether the employer knows of the incident. Employers could be forced to buy expensive indemnity insurance for their employees;

SB 542 (John Burton), which sets up new reporting requirements for company payments to independent contractors; and

AB 2222 (Kuehl), which expands the definition of physical and mental disability beyond the limits in the federal Americans with Disabilities Act.

But, according to Sydney Kamlager, spokeswoman for the Employers Group, the most troublesome and confusing new employment law taking effect today is on the federal level: the ergonomics rule promulgated by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

“Employers now have to worry about both state and federal ergonomics standards,” Kamlager said. “And the federal law is much stricter, even to the point where employers may have to go into the homes of employees working from home to inspect for possible safety hazards.”

Staff reporter Howard Fine can be reached by phone at (323) 549-5225 ext. 277 or by e-mail at [email protected].