Author: John Kabateck

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? 

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 third column of
the 2011 series.

Anyone even remotely tuned in knows that the cost of doing
business in California is high, much higher than the rest of the nation.
California consistently ranks as one of the least business-friendly states in
America, and consequently is losing businesses, big and small, to states that
boast relocation incentives and pro-business regulations.

In order to make up for high taxes and a burdensome
regulatory process, California legislators have decided to… increase the cost
of labor.  Huh?

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 second column of the 2011 series.

Taxes, taxes, we all scream for
taxes…oh wait, that isn’t right.  That
may be the mantra under the Capitol Dome, but from the small business community
and majority of California voters, the resounding cry is "Enough is enough!"

It seems every time we turn
around, there are more taxes being proposed in Sacramento.  But now, the tax-and-spend legislators have
gone one step further – they are proposing legislation that would expand the
taxing authority of all 58 counties in California.  It isn’t enough that the California State
Legislature has the ability to increase taxes; now they want to give their
friends at the local level the power to do the same. 

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 first column of the 2011 series.

If this year is any indication, the
news is not good for small businesses and their employees.  And it’s not because of the troubled economy,
recession or any other external source. 
Well, check that, there is an external source that consistently, year
after year, inflicts pain and hardship on small businesses. 

Cue scary, dramatic music here…The California Legislature.

Some may assert that it is an
overgeneralization to say that the entire legislature has it out for small
businesses in the state.  But, consider
for a moment the results of the NFIB/CA 2010 Voting Record.  When 50 assembly members and over 20 senators
have voting records of 50 percent or less on the issues that matter most to our
members – something just isn’t getting through those Capitol doors. 

It seems like the stars might be aligning
in California when it comes to regulatory reform for our state. 

Last week, President
Barack Obama announced in a Wall Street Journal column that he is signing an
executive order directing government agencies to review rules and regulations
to ensure they do not unnecessarily hinder economic growth.   Governor
Brown indicated earlier this month that he also favors taking a look at the
regulatory climate in California to make it more business-friendly.  And more recently, Senate President pro Tem
Darrell Steinberg announced that he would support legislation forcing state
agencies to review all regulations and recommend reviewing the states
regulatory processes.  In his words, "Government
needs to be more nimble."

As a small business owner who owns an electrical engineering
company in Bakersfield recently told me, "Regulations are strangling small
businesses out of existence in California." Whether it is onerous diesel
regulations, a pending AB 32 cap-and-trade system, or other restrictive labor
regulations such as the daily overtime requirement, small businesses and their
employees are being bombarded by costly regulatory mandates.