Organizations push infrastructure in Sacramento, Washington.

The San Fernando Valley's business advocacy groups hit the road in the past few weeks, traveling to Sacramento and to Washington, D.C. in order to push for policies that will help local businesses.

At the end of April, members of several different Valley chambers of commerce attended the California Chamber of Commerce's legislative sessions over two days in the state capital and attendees met with several local legislators along the way.

Pamela Corradi, chairwoman of the United Chambers of Commerce, which represents 21 Valley chambers, said the group made transportation improvements its first priority while in Sacramento.

"Our major issues right now are infrastructure bonds, especially transportation," said Corradi. "We told them that if nothing else gets bonded, please bond transportation. We also encouraged them to put design build into the bond measure. It probably won't go, but we did mention it."

Gov. Schwarzenegger has said that design-build, which allows the state to hire one team to both design and build road improvements like the 405 freeway widening, would save the state both time and money, but has run into opposition from labor groups.

The group's 12 delegates also lobbied for the breakup of the Los Angeles Unified School District, supporting bills by Senator George Runner and Assemblyman Keith Richman that would break it up into 15 smaller districts, redistricting legislative district boundaries, providing flexibility in overtime rules to allow for a four-day work week, preventing an increase in the minimum wage and extending term limits.

In addition to Runner and Richman, delegates also spent time with Fred Aguiar, the governor's liaison to his Cabinet members to discuss the proposed infrastructure bond measure, as well as staff members for Assemblywoman Cindy Montanez, Senator Tom McClintock, Senator Don Perata and a few others.

Corradi said that the trip was worthwhile, but found it was difficult to get legislators to cross party lines on issues like the four-day work week.

Nancy Hoffman Vanyek, president of the Mid Valley Chamber of Commerce, led a delegation of 6 chamber members to Sacramento for the same conference, and argued on behalf of some of its priorities. Hoffman Vanyek said the delegates met with a consultant for the Senate Labor & Industrial Relations Committee to find out the likelihood of passing a bill to extend the life of the state's enterprise zones.

The Mid Valley Chamber's delegates also met with Senator Gloria Romero to be briefed on the proposed breakup of the LAUSD.

Hoffman Vanyek said the delegates also had a good meeting with Montanez to discuss the four-day work week bill.

The Valley Industry and Commerce Association and the Santa Clarita Chamber of Commerce made trips to Washington, D.C. to lobby for federal funds for local projects.

"We started with some very small projects that are very important to the Valley and will have a tremendous regional impact," said Brendan Huffman, president of VICA. "We're trying to garner support for funding of an MTA project related to Orange Line safety and gap in the HOV lane on the I-5."