L.A. Area Chamber stays no. 1 as local chambers' ranks change.

Like the economy they monitor and hawk, Los Angeles County chambers of commerce struggled to hold steady this year amid a tenacious recession that has prompted status quo budgets and changes in the rankings of these business groups.

Retaining its long-running status as the county's No. 1 economics/business organization, the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce presided over a $4.3 million budget, up more than $500,000 from the year before, according to the Business Journal List of L.A. County's 25 largest chambers (see List on page 44).

Chamber membership, considered a key index of financial health because of the dues they generate, remained stable at 2,800.

But according to chamber President Ray Remy, corporate retrenchment invariably translates into "a tough sell" for business groups and charities alike.

"One can make a case that when the economy is in bad shape, the business community rallies around the chambers to protect them," Remy said. "But in reality, when the economy is bad, the first instinct of companies is to look for ways to trim their costs. It's been an interesting year."

This year's budget projection at the L.A. Chamber is down 4 percent, revenue declined 7 percent and new sales are $20,000 off estimates, Remy added.

The county's No. 2-ranked organization, the Beverly Hills Chamber of Commerce, maintained a budget of roughly $1.6 million and membership base of about 1,000 -- the same as two years ago.

The same hold-the-line budget and membership base at the Long Beach Chamber gave it enough clout to jump from No. 4 to No. 3 on The List.

The chambers, which provided the information for The List, were ranked by their 1991 budgets.

Among the top 10 chambers, only four reported increased budgets, three disclosed lower spending and three indicated little or no change from 1989. In terms of membership, six groups reported no major declines or hikes.

Dropping one place, to No. 4, was the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, the politically fractious organization beset by internal woes, a two-year state probe and a badly divided local business community. Though the movie capital chamber's membership base of 1,600 is identical to 1989, its spending dropped $200,000 to $1.2 million from two years ago.

Despite the tough times that has battered what was once viewed as an almost impregnable economy, two eastern Los Angeles County chambers moved forward. For example, the Pasadena Chamber of Commerce & Civic Association reported a $956,000 budget for 1991, up 36 percent from two years ago. That was good enough to vault the Pasadena Chamber three places in The List, from its 1989 spot at No. 8.

Mirroring its neighbor to the east, the Glendale chamber's membership remained stable while its spending rose. With a 1991 budget of $689,000, up $114,000 from the 1989, the group representing the once sleepy San Fernando Valley city moved up four places from 1989 to become the county's seventh largest chamber.

Glendale Chamber President Allan Stone attributed his group's success to its ability to harvest new revenues. Membership dues, once the source of 85 percent of chamber funds, has dropped to 60 percent, with new cash coming in from publication sales, fund-raising and special programs.

"Last year we were down a bit, but this year we are well over," Stone said. "The recession usually pinches people, but that hasn't been our experience."

Remy, of the L.A. Chamber, said membership dues at his group represent the same 60 percent as at the Glendale group.

Separately, the Torrance Area Chamber of Commerce saw its budget go up but membership fall. Then too, it was still enough to push the Torrance organization up one notch to No. 8.