Borrego Sun - Since 1949

California has long been recognized for its unfriendly business climate. During the pandemic, a bad situation got worse when the state forced thousands of mostly small businesses to shut down, driving many companies into bankruptcy and forcing layoffs for thousands of workers. The last thing we need now are more laws imposing greater burdens on the businesses that survived, and in many cases are still trying to recover.

Unfortunately, some in Sacramento don’t get that, and apparently want to make matters worse. The California Chamber of Commerce has just come out with this year’s “Job Killer” list, legislation the Chamber feels will increase the burden on California’s business community.

The list includes legislation that would prevent employers from considering conviction history of applicants or existing employees when making employment decisions, that would impose a de facto ban on new warehouses in California, that increases the state’s greenhouse gas reduction goals from 40% of 1990 levels to 55% by 2030, removing 17 million gas-powered cars from our highways in the next ten years. Other legislation would impose huge tax increases on property or wealth, including income earned in other states. What about gasoline prices? There are no real plans to cut costs by increasing supply or refining capacity. Instead, legislation has been introduced (and passed!) that imposes increased taxes on oil companies. Proponents acknowledge costs for consumers may increase – but they don’t care!

These are just a few of the wrongheaded proposals impacting businesses that have been introduced in Sacramento this session. As a small business owner, I’ve long supported reducing burdensome and unnecessary regulations that strangle small businesses. Fortunately, last year most of the Job Killers identified by the Chamber failed to pass. Hopefully, most of these new proposals will meet the same fate.

Marie Waldron

– State Assemblymember, 75th District