MAYOR DETAILS PLAN TO MAKE L.A. MORE BUSINESS-FRIENDLY.Byline: RICK ORLOV Orlov (Орлóв) is the name of a Russian noble family which produced several distinguished statesmen, diplomatists and soldiers. The family first gained distinction in the person of four Orlov brothers, of whom the senior was Catherine the Great's Staff Writer WOODLAND HILLS -- Offering a new effort to improve relations with local companies, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa Antonio Ramon Villaraigosa (born Antonio (Tony) Ramon Villar, Jr. on January 23, 1953) is the mayor of Los Angeles, California. He is the first Latino mayor of Los Angeles since Cristobal Aguilar in 1872. on Thursday outlined a broad agenda to make Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. more business-friendly and provide more opportunities for growth. During the second annual Mayors' Luncheon, sponsored by the Daily News and the United Chambers of Commerce, Villaraigosa told the audience of more than 300 that the city needs to step back to allow business to prosper and create jobs. ``When I say Los Angeles needs to become the Venice of the 21st century, it is not just political rhetoric,'' Villaraigosa said. ``We need to let business do business. ``The city needs to do less in the way of regulations and more in the way of cooperating and working with business.'' The mayor offered no specifics, but he has previously supported efforts to reduce business taxes, waive To intentionally or voluntarily relinquish a known right or engage in conduct warranting an inference that a right has been surrendered. For example, an individual is said to waive the right to bring a tort action when he or she renounces the remedy provided by law for such fees for the entertainment industry and try to expedite ex·pe·dite tr.v. ex·pe·dit·ed, ex·pe·dit·ing, ex·pe·dites 1. To speed up the progress of; accelerate. 2. the permitting process. Mel Kohn of the Valley Industry and Commerce Association, which has been advocating for more than a decade to eliminate business taxes, said he was encouraged by the mayor's comments. ``What he is offering is a hopeful road map for the future,'' Kohn said. ``I think he has seen what we have been able to accomplish by cutting the business tax. ``Once it was cut in half, city revenues went from $200(million) to $400million. We think more cuts will produce more revenue.'' Villaraigosa said he has been working with L.A. businesses -- from the Valley to the Port of Los Angeles The Port of Los Angeles is located on San Pedro Bay in the San Pedro neighborhood of Los Angeles, approximately 20 miles (30 km) south of downtown. Also called Los Angeles Harbor and WORLDPORT LA -- to offer encouragement and city assistance. His upcoming 16-day trade mission to China, Japan and South Korea is designed to strengthen business ties and encourage investment and tourism. ``These three countries alone account for $1.25billion a year at the port,'' Villaraigosa said. ``That is going to go up. ``Tourism accounts for 466,000 jobs, nearly 500,000 jobs, and that is going to increase. Part of the reason I am going to Asia is to promote our `See My L.A.' (tourism) program and make sure we get more of those tourist dollars.'' The mayor also touched on the need to promote environmentally friendly Environmentally friendly, also referred to as nature friendly, is a term used to refer to goods and services considered to inflict minimal harm on the environment.[1] industries, to improve the city's infrastructure and to collaborate more with local universities and the biotech bi·o·tech n. Informal Biotechnology. biotech Noun short for biotechnology Noun 1. industry. ``The city should do more to be an active partner to help bring in the research dollars to make Los Angeles the biotech capital of the world,'' he said. rick.orlov(at)dailynews.com (213) 978-0390 CAPTION(S): photo Photo: ``The city needs to do less in the way of regulations and more in the way of cooperating and working with business,'' L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said at the Mayors' Luncheon on Thursday. Michael Owen
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