Opinion: A job in Silicon Beach or Hollywood is great if you can get it, but what will the rest of L.A. do for work?
To the editor: Natalie Kitroeff’s thoughtful article reinforces Los Angeles’ critical need for the development of a skilled, competitive labor force. (Re “L.A.’s factory job losses limit state’s upturn, study says,” Business, June 30)
While our entertainment sector thrives and we benefit from pockets of robust tech entrepreneurship in Silicon Beach, the statistics reinforce the importance of re-thinking job training and skills development programs, creating tax incentives to spur corporate investment in Los Angeles County, and the development of greater alliances between industry, trades, colleges, schools and government to develop a more highly skilled labor force that will spur greater corporate investment in Los Angeles.
The jobs task force is a credible step in what needs to be a lengthy conversation about how we can improve the city’s viability as an industrial hub. Raising the minimum wage and enhancing mass transit options are not enough to spur the economic growth needed to sustain our long term future.
Christian B. Teeter, Los Angeles
The writer is an assistant professor of business at Mount St. Mary’s University, Los Angeles.
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