Welcome to the San Fernando Valley

Valley Information Project - Library & Archive

 

The San Fernando Valley is located in Southern California in the northern portion of Los Angeles County.  Our Valley has come a long way since the beginning of the 20th century when its fertile ground not only nourished the development of California's citrus industry, but also the state's fledgling movie and aviation industries.  Today, as we near the end of the century, the San Fernando Valley has grown into the world's center for entertainment and a major supplier for aerospace and defense related technologies, financial services, health care and high-tech manufacturing.

 

In a recent special report about Los Angeles County's most profitable companies, the Los Angeles Business Journal declared that " . . . the San Fernando Valley is a regional powerhouse."  The Journal noted that the Valley is home to more highly profitable public companies than the traditional business centers of Downtown L.A., the Wilshire Corridor, and the L.A.'s West Side combined.

 

Our highly educated workforce, well-developed infrastructure, hospitable climate, business-friendly municipal governments and strategic position along the Pacific Rim have combined to facilitate the establishment of more than 50,000 small businesses.   As we look ahead to the new millennium, we are encouraged to note that literally thousands of these new businesses in our Valley are innovators in such emerging industries as multi-media, bio-technology and communications.

For generations, the San Fernando Valley has been the home of Bob Hope, Gene Autry, Clark Gable, John Wayne, Amelia Earhart and countless other individual legends.   Today, we are also known for our corporate stars who have become business legends in their own right.  Among those who make their home here are: The Walt Disney Company, Universal Studios, Warner Brothers, Dreamworks SKG, NBC, Litton Industries, Boeing-Rocketdyne Propulsion and Power, Countrywide Credit, Nestle USA, Sunkist, Pinkerton, and Wellpoint Health Networks.

 

The Valley Almanac and the Valley Information Base / Archive have been established through the generosity of the James Irvine Foundation to provide essential economic, demographic, community and tourism information relating to the geographic San Fernando Valley.  This includes the cities of Calabasas, Burbank, Glendale, Hidden Hills, San Fernando and the northern portion f Los Angeles.

 

San Fernando Valley Almanac Founding Panel

We are grateful to the following panelists for sharing their time,
knowledge and experience as advisors to the original Valley Information Project:

 

P. Kenneth Ackbarali - Director of Economic Consulting for the Economic Development Corporation of Los Angeles County (LAEDC). Provides enhanced economic services to businesses in Southern California including analysis and forecasts of the national and international economies as well as global financial markets

Wayne Adelstein - Owner, Decision Communications, Publisher of the Valley Business Journal. Public relations consultant for the Asian Business Association and the Port of Los Angeles

Bill Allen - President, Economic Alliance of the San Fernando Valley

David Auger - Vice President, General Manager of the Northern Region of the Los Angeles Division of Time Warner Communications

Jane Boeckmann - President, World of Communications, Publisher of Valley Magazine, Valley Vision, Valley Views, and Valley Visits

Bert Boeckmann - President and Owner, Galpin Motors. Commissioner, Los Angeles Police Commission

Jim Bozajian - Mayor of the City of Calabasas, Deputy District Attorney for the County of Los Angeles

Rev. Zedar Broadous - President, NAACP of the San Fernando Valley, Publisher

David Butler - Editor, Los Angeles Daily News, Vice President Los Angeles Newspaper Group

Charles Cate - City Manager for the City of Calabasas

Yvonne Chan, Ph.D. - Principal of the Vaughn Next Century Learning Center, Adjunct Professor at UCLA and at California State University. Serves as an educational consultant for CBS Education-Entertainment and various national foundations. Board Member, Consortium for Policy Research in education (University of Pennsylvania, Harvard University, Stanford University, University of Michigan, and University of Wisconsin-Madison.). Chair, California State Superintendent’s Advisory Committee on Charter Schools

Leroy Chase - Director, Boys & Girls Club of the San Fernando Valley, Commissioner, Los Angeles City Recreation & Parks Commission

David Fleming - Of Counsel to Latham & Watkins, Attorneys, Commissioner, California Transportation Commission, Commissioner, Los Angeles City Fire Commission

Shelley Garcia - Editor of the San Fernando Valley Business Journal

Rickey M. Gelb - Managing Partner of Gelb Enterprises, a real estate development and property management company. General Contractor in the State of California

Tom Hayden - California State Senator, 23rd District

Bonny Herman - President, Valley Industry and Commerce Association. Director, Metropolitan Water District

Robert Hertzberg - California State Assemblyman, 40th District

Lew Horne - Senior Managing Director, CB Richard Ellis, Inc. Commercial Brokerage Services

William Hosek, Ph.D. - Dean, College of Business Administration and Economics, California State University, Northridge

Con Howe - Director of Planning for the Los Angeles City Planning Department

Bing Inocencio, Ph.D. - President of Los Angeles Pierce College, holder of four degrees including a degree in marketing, and a Ph.D. in Economics from Wharton

David Iwata - President San Fernando Valley Conference and Visitors Bureau. Principal, LD2 Marketing Group

Millie Jones - Public Affairs Director, Southland Regional Association of Realtors, Inc

Richard Kasper - Finance Director for the Los Angeles Daily News and for the Los Angeles Newspaper Group

James B. Koslow - CEO of Koslow & Associates

Philip S. Lanzafame - Economic Development Administrator for the City of Glendale

Steven W. Lew - Vice President of Universal Studios. Chairman of the Valley Industry & Commerce Association

Steven Scott MacDonald - Director, Development Services, Department of Building & Safety, City of Los Angeles

Thomas G. McDonald, MCRS - Vice President of Cushman Realty Corporation

Bob Meyler - Financial Consultant, President of the United Chambers of Commerce of the San Fernando Valley

Don Nakamoto - Administrative Analyst, Verdugo Private Industry Council

William E. Norlund, Ph.D., Ed.D. - President of Los Angeles Mission College

George Nadel Riven, CPA - Partner-in-Charge of Broadcasting Services Miller, Kaplan, Arasi & Co., L.L.P

Sanford P. Paris, J.D., B.S. - Owner of Paris Industrial Parks, an industrial development company

Ken Patton, Ph.D. - Dean of Career Education/Economic Development, Glendale Community College

Robert L. Rodine - Financial Consultant, The Polaris Group

Connie L. Romney - Vice President, Manager, Union Bank of California, Warner Center

Jeffrey Schwartz, Ph.D. - Director, Corporate Affairs, The Walt Disney Company

Robert L. Scott - Principal, Scott & Associates, Policy Advisors, Attorneys, Executive Vice Chair, Economic Alliance, Project Director, Valley Information Project, Commissioner / Vice President, Los Angeles City Planning Commission

Gerald A. Silver, Ed.D. - Professor of Business Administration (ret). Instructor of business administration, information systems, and management courses at Los Angeles City College. Journalist-author, text and trade books, educational research published in business, trade and education journals, and has written several hundred articles on business, community and family relations. President of the Homeowners of Encino

Ron Sorenson - Planning Manager, Providence Health Systems which operates Holy Cross Hospital in Mission Hills, and St. Joseph’s Medical Center in Burbank

Robert Tague - Community Development Director for the City of Burbank. Assistant Executive Director of the Burbank Redevelopment Agency

Gary Thomas - Vice President, Victory Web & Graphics, Vice Chairman, Economic Alliance of the San Fernando Valley

Matt Toledo - President and Publisher, Los Angeles Business Journal, Publisher, San Fernando Valley Business Journal

Andrea Troutman - Northern Regional Manager, Valley and Ventura County Editions, Times in Education, Los Angeles Times

Robert Voit - Chairman and CEO, Voit Industries, Commercial Developers

Candace Voorheis - Executive Director and President, Valley International Trade Association

Fred Weinhart - Principal, Management Services Unlimited

Tyree Wieder, Ph.D. - President, Los Angeles Valley College.Blenda Wilson, Ph.D. - President of California State University Northridge.