Ask any “mom and pop” small business owner how they’re feeling on Main Street California these days, and they’re most likely to give you the same answer: “Uncertain and scared.” And with good reason. California’s elected leaders continue to heap new taxes upon our leading job creators – and without one solitary reform to fix [...]

“I’m dreaming…of a …White Christmas…just like the ones we used to know.”  by Irving Berlin So goes the well-known holiday carol that Bing Crosby croons this time of year. Small businesses certainly have things that they are dreaming of – increased business, expanding their workforce, building their customer base and supporting their communities.  The question [...]

It isn’t easy being a small business owner in California with excessive regulations, the threat of higher taxes, and a lengthening recession. It’s no wonder most never know from one day to the next if they will be able to keep their employees on board and their doors open. Perhaps one of the worst challenges [...]

Yesterday the Governor and a bipartisan coalition of
legislative leaders announced an agreement on the Governor’s jobs plan. The
agreement closes a tax loophole on out-of-state corporations and provides real
tax relief to small businesses in California.

Specifically, the measure will provide $1 billion in permanent income tax
relief for small business owners by cutting personal income tax, the business
tax and the minimum tax. The bill also provides a permanent sales tax reduction
on manufacturing goods for all industries. The tax relief comes from closing a
tax loophole that allows out-of-state corporations to elect their tax code and
rewards keeping jobs in other states. The loophole is a perverse piece of
policy.

The revenue-neutral proposal passed the Assembly and will be taken up by the
Senate today. It is critically important that Republican and Democrat lawmakers
come together and pass this badly-needed tax reform without delay.

For me, Labor Day is about celebrating and
acknowledging those whose hard work fuels our economy and provides essential
goods and services for all of us.  As we
celebrate Labor Day this weekend, I’m reminded of some of the hardest working
laborers I know, the small businesses owners, independent contractors and other
job creators throughout California.  These dedicated workers serve as the economic
engine for our state. 

Our country became great because of the blood,
sweat and tears of some of America’s finest workers.  Today, their entrepreneurial spirit continues
through the hard work of thousands of small business owners and independent
contractors throughout our country.  That
is why it is particularly troublesome that some in federal and state government
have this sector of the workforce in their cross hairs. 

A couple years ago, I was talking to a small business owner who was venting his frustration about California’s broken political system: “Why should I get involved when my voice doesn’t even count?” I promised him at the time that the wheels were in motion to enact reforms in the state that would finally allow us to hold our politicians accountable. Part of those reforms, voter-approved Propositions 11 and 20, created the Citizens Redistricting Commission so politicians will no longer be in charge of drawing election districts to protect their jobs and the jobs of their friends. With fair election districts, politicians will actually have no choice but to listen to voters’ voices or lose their jobs.

The 14-member Citizens Redistricting Commission has just completed their work on legislative, Board of Equalization and congressional district maps. And, as promised to voters who approved redistricting reforms, the redistricting process was undertaken in fully-noticed public meetings throughout the state, allowing for, and welcoming, community input. Much of the proceedings, including the Commission selection process, were also provided for public viewing online. The National Federation of Business/California and our members around the state were involved throughout the process, providing input and recommendations. Last week, the final maps were approved by a diverse group of Commissioners with nearly unanimous votes.

There has been a fair amount of post-mortem analysis of the
Governor’s decision to veto legislation that would have given the United Farm
Workers (UFW) the power to eliminate secret ballots for farmworkers voting on
whether to unionize. 

State and national newspaper editorials and commentary have
rightly concluded that Governor Brown realized the measure would have blown up
the very labor reforms he constructed in 1975. Furthermore, it went too far in
allowing unions to intimidate and bully workers.

The central issue is basic democracy. Over the years, both Cesar Chavez and Gov.
Brown have underscored that there is nothing more sacred than the right to vote
privately and free from threats.

But these commentaries, while accurate, too often pitted the
California card check legislation as a David-and-Goliath battle between huge
agricultural interests and a union.

While the legislature is in session, the National Federation of Independent Business/California will be profiling anti-small business bills and the adverse effect they would have on California’s job creators. This is the fifth column of the 2011 series.

Even though the Legislature is technically on summer recess, bad bills still linger in the Capitol halls. Senate Bill 568 is one of those bills and would prohibit food vendors from using polystyrene foam food service containers (known by the brand name Styrofoam) in their establishments, increasing their costs and lowering the quality of their food products. Is now really the time to add additional mandates to the job creators in our state?

As the month of June comes to a
close and thousands of highs school seniors move on to the next chapter of
their lives, NFIB wants to salute those who have stepped up and taken the baton
as the next generation of young entrepreneurs. 
This is the ninth year that NFIB has awarded scholarships to high school
seniors through the NFIB Young Entrepreneur Foundation, a scholarship
program designed to reward and encourage entrepreneurial talents among high
school students.

Owning and operating a small business is one of the most
profound ways for people to make a difference in their communities.  By starting a small
business, young people can look forward to the rewards that come with being
your own boss and creating jobs for others. 
The benefits of entrepreneurship are endless.  The statistics about small business owners
are impressive:

• Fifty-two (52) percent
  of small employers have a college degree.
• Thirteen (13) percent
  of small employers hold at least one copyright.
• Forty-six (46) percent of small-business owners
  obtain 95 percent or more of their entire household income from a business. The
  median income of a household headed by a small-business owner is about
  $100,000.

(Source is the NFIB National
Small Business Poll Series.)

While the legislature is in session, the National
Federation of Independent Business/California will be profiling anti-small
business bills and the adverse effect they would have on California’s job
creators.  This is the fourth column of
the 2011 series.

Sometimes it seems like the Capitol is a lot like the movie
"Groundhog Day".  The same bills keep
coming back year after year, like a nightmare from which you can’t awaken.  This year is no different for small business
owners, as the threat of card check – the undemocratic formation of unions in
the workplace through bullying and intimidation – comes back to haunt them once
again in the form of Senate Bill 104 by Senate President Pro-tem Darrell
Steinberg.

Let’s point out the facts
surrounding the card check legislation in California.  If signed into law,
it will diminish worker freedom.  Currently a secret ballot election is
required for workers to decide to unionize. Under the card check plan, a worker
could be approached by a union representative and asked to sign a card in
support of unionization.  The union rep now speaks for the worker.  How easy is it for a worker to turn down a
supervisor or union rep?