With all the critical issues that California is currently facing – rising unemployment, burdensome regulations and the threat of increased taxes – you would think our elected leaders would be focused on trying to get our state out of the quagmire it is in. But sadly, they are once again in the weeds, trying to stamp out the entrepreneurial spirit here.
Such was the care with Assembly Bill 1678 (Monning), which would ban food trucks from being within a certain distance of a school. The author’s reason – it will help combat childhood obesity. While that goal is laudable, it is ridiculous to penalize independent food vendors – small business owners – for a problem that they did not create.
The surprising announcement last week – Assemblymember Monning was pulling the bill for the year!
What a breath of fresh air for small business owners in California, who with every new legislative session, look to Sacramento with great expectations, praying that our elected leaders will at last match their actions with their campaign rhetoric and make it easier to do business in this state.
Repealing burdensome regulations.
Reforming the tax code.
Fixing the broken pension system.
Any initial steps that would give California’s job creators hope and confidence they will survive. Instead, it seems like our elected leaders go out of their way to impose more restrictions on Main Street.
Except this time – is this the beginning of the legislature seeing the light? Are they really going to focus on the issues that will enable small businesses to grow and expand in these challenging times? Stop zeroing in on the minutia of the day and take a look at the bigger picture and find ways to encourage, not squash, entrepreneurship?
We’re keeping our fingers crossed and hoping that this is just the first in series of decisions that benefit Main Street – not harm it!