Governor Commits to Preserve R&D Tax Credit
Check out today’s commentary by Flashreport editor Jon Fleischman: Governor Commits to Preserve R&D Tax Credit In State Budget
An excerpt:
The credit should not only stay in place, but California government should be looking for more opportunities to reduce regulation and costs to business in California to encourage research and expansion.
I agree wholeheartedly; California must strive to maintain its role as America’s leader in technological innovation, and in order for that to happen, we must reduce costs for the businesses who are working hard to keep our state in the lead.
On the Road Again: Braving rental cars and bad coffee on the Summer of Small Business Tour
Last month, I attended the Orange County Small Business Council for a roundtable discussion on how small businesses are faring with state contracts. The Council is comprised of four prominent chambers of commerce in the region. After I opened the meeting, detailing the progress that the state has made in contracting with small businesses and existing incentives, the room was eerily silent. Slowly, board members began acknowledging that they had no idea that the state was so eager to do business with small businesses. Few were familiar with the Executive Order Governor Schwarzenegger had put out calling for the state to use at least 25 percent of it’s massive purchasing power with small businesses and disabled veterans business enterprises (DVBEs).
I couldn’t believe it; I knew it was time for my agency to take its show on the road.
We all know about the doom and gloom that is being reported on the nation’s current economic state, so it is especially important in these tough times that California’s businesses know the state is focusing on increasing its small business and DVBE contracts. After leaving the roundtable discussion, it became clear that bad hotel coffee and rental cars awaited me. Our state’s small businesses need to hear it from the real McCoy: California is open for business.
Each day 6.8 million Californians – half our state’s workforce – go to work at small businesses across the state. Their work in construction, manufacturing and service industries allow the small business sector to grow and drive our economy.
New Majority calls for Real Budget Reform at Media Roundtable
Individuals from the New Majority, the powerful and well-heeled business executives’ organization dedicated to electing mainstream Republicans, could support revenue increases but only if accompanied by real budget reform.
While not an official position of the organization, some of the Orange County chapter’s leaders said at a media roundtable in Costa Mesa yesterday that if a revenue increase were the price for true reform to solve the continuing budget crisis, then the organization would consider such a package.
Membership Chairman Paul Folino compared fixing the state budget mess with turning around a floundering company. He said one has to be mindful of both the short-term fixes as well as making things work in the long term and getting away from the circumstances that plagued the company.