United Chambers hosted their annual Mayors Lunch to hear from the mayors of the cities that make up the San Fernando Valley.
Included on the podium were Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and Calabasas Mayor Peter Kraut.
Kraut spoke to the assemblage of business owners as to the strength of Calabasas and the myriad of reasons to do business there. Excerpts from his speech include: “Calabasas has always believed that when we work together, we achieve more. At the center of this progress is our business community, because when our local businesses succeed, our City succeeds.
This year, our Community Development team fostered growth through a combination of stability and innovation. We welcomed new businesses, including Superba, Calabasas Coffee House, BLVD Steak, Mathnasium, Zimmerman, and V Studios, along with a new major tenant, ResMed, the expansion of the Pepperdine campus, and the approval of a Kia dealership.
One of the key differentiators of our City is that we do not impose a business license tax. Unlike many surrounding jurisdictions Calabasas has made a deliberate decision not to levy this tax. That decision reflects our values: supporting entrepreneurship, encouraging small business growth, and reinforcing our reputation as a fiscally responsible, business-friendly community.
We’ve also invested in technology to make it easier to do business in our city. Our Planning and Building & Safety divisions now use modern tools to review, transmit, and approve plans online. This shift has reduced turnaround times and removed unnecessary steps in the permitting process. Our goal is simple: to make it easier for businesses to open their doors.
Our commitment also extends to public safety. We continue to work closely with the Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station, connecting businesses with their real time watch center to ensure Calabasas remains one of the safest communities in the region.
Looking ahead, we’re excited to share that the Las Virgenes-Malibu Council of Governments is building a regional fiber optic network. The project will create a 45-mile underground fiber network to interconnect our member cities, including Agoura Hills, Calabasas, Hidden Hills, Malibu, and Westlake Village. The high-speed fiber will enable real-time data transmission between public safety agencies and emergency command centers during disasters like wildfires and earthquakes. In addition to public safety, the network infrastructure is intended to provide high-speed internet to residents, businesses, schools, and other community organizations.
One final advantage that is often overlooked, yet deeply valued, is the opportunity for business owners and employees to have their children enrolled in the Las Virgenes Unified School District.
From family-owned restaurants to innovative companies headquartered here, businesses choose Calabasas because they know this is a place that values entrepreneurship, innovation, and community spirit. So let me be clear: businesses are not just welcome in Calabasas, they are essential to Calabasas. Together, we can continue to build a community that is prosperous, resilient, and full of opportunities for generations to come.”
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass spoke to the recovery from the recent wildfires, saying it was “on record for the fastest recovery” from a disaster ever in California. She said that the city remained unified despite the ongoing ICE raids.
Bass said that “Shine LA” continues to clean up the city, but more importantly, “It’s about bringing our city together” and blamed policies from years ago for the sanitation and trash problems throughout Los Angeles.
Crime is down in record numbers, according to Bass, though she did say if you have been burglarized or your neighbor has been hit, those numbers are hard to believe, and that she has made hiring more police a priority.
As to the homeless she said that a system is not in place to manage homelessness. “It’s easy to get them off the street, but some people don’t know they are sick, and some people should be hospitalized without their choice. Just putting someone in housing doesn’t solve the problem.”
