Growth is forecast for the Southland’s economy.

According to a midyear economic review by the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, the gross product for the Southern California five-county region will total $242 billion in 1985, up 9.4% from 1984. The economy of the region--including Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura counties--would thus expand at a slower pace than in 1984, when the region’s gross product increased 12.5%.