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Santa Maria Valley Chamber releases 2022 Vote Record
The Santa Maria Valley Chamber has released its vote record for 2020 ballot measures and bills. A PDF version can be downloaded here.
City of Santa Maria Shopping Cart PSA
Shopping cart owners can be fined up to $1,000 each day for carts found outside store boundaries. Presently, the City of Santa Maria Recreation and Parks Department returns abandoned shopping carts to the respective stores. This practice is unsustainable and not good use of taxpayer dollars. The City Community Development Code Enforcement Division will be conducting educational “Walk and Talks” with local grocery store businesses regarding abandoned shopping carts and the City’s Shopping Cart Containment
Santa Maria Valley Chamber Board Issues Guidance on 2022 Ballot Propositions
Glenn Morris, President/CEO, Santa Maria Valley Chamber As the leading voice for business in the Santa Maria Valley, the Chamber’s board regularly advocates for legislation that will help advance economic vitality and against proposals that make it more difficult for entrepreneurs and businesses of all size to create jobs and investment in our economy. Legislation that can impact businesses and the economic playing field in California can come from several directions. Most commonly, new laws and rules
Chamber Joins Coalition In Opposition Of SB 1162
The Santa Maria Valley Chamber partnered with the California Chamber of Commerce and other organizations to respectfully OPPOSE SB 1162. SB 1162 undermines employers’ ability to hire and subjects employers to litigation and penalties up to $10,000 per employee. The additional burdens and costs this proposal would create will limit an employer’s ability to offer higher wages and benefits to new or existing employees and discourage growth or expansion in California. The bill also requires reporting of data on
Santa Maria Valley Chamber Partners with California Paid Family Leave Grant to Get Money into the Hands of Small Business
The Santa Maria Valley Chamber is pleased to announce its partnership with California Paid Family Leave Grant (CPFLG). CPFLG allows eligible small businesses in California with 1-100 employees with at least one (1) employee utilizing California’s Paid Family Leave program to apply for grants up to $2,000 per employee to offset the increased costs associated with the employee out on leave. California’s Paid Family Leave program allows California workers to take paid leave to bond with a new child (through
CEQA Expansion Would Make Housing Harder to Build
The Santa Maria Valley Chamber partnered with the California Chamber of Commerce, the California Building Industry Association and the organizations listed respectfully OPPOSE AB 1001, as amended, which CalChamber has labeled a Job Killer and CBIA has marked a Housing Killer. The bill proposes to expand the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) to further exacerbate known problems with the statute by limiting local land use discretion and imposing burdensome and unworkable new legal obligations on
Chamber Expands Efforts to Connect with Hispanic Businesses
The Santa Maria Valley Chamber strives to be a catalyst, convener and champion for all local businesses in the Santa Maria Valley. Recently, the organization has begun a targeted effort to better assist Hispanic businesses in the local community. “We recognize that a large portion of the business community is Hispanic, and we want to make sure our organization is providing the tools and resources they need to remain successful in Santa Maria,” explained Glenn Morris, President/CEO for the Santa Maria
Chambers Oppose Effort to Force Unnecessary Disclosure of Employment Data
The Santa Maria Valley Chamber partnered with the California Chamber of Commerce and other organizations to respectfully OPPOSE AB 2095 and label it as a Job Killer bill. AB 2095 forces employers to publicly disclose information regarding labor and employment issues for employees across the entire company. That information will unfairly be used to label employers as “high road” or “low road” and subject them to a loss of state opportunities and incentives, and to frivolous litigation. This measure is a
Chambers Oppose Efforts to Impose Additional, Unworkable Privacy Mandates
he Santa Maria Valley Chamber partnered with the California Chamber of Commerce and other organizations to respectfully OPPOSE AB 1651 and label it as a Job Killer bill. AB 1651 imposes overly broad requirements on both public and private employers of all sizes, contains unworkable mandates that would in fact invade worker privacy and chill new technologies, and buries employers and employees alike in vast amounts of red tape, and ignores contradictory mandates already in the law. The bill’s punitive
Chambers Oppose Effort to Mandate Different Workers Comp Rates Based Solely on Gender
The Santa Maria Valley Chamber partnered with the California Chamber of Commerce and other organizations to respectfully OPPOSE SB 1458. SB 1458 is likely unconstitutional, undermines the workers’ compensation system, and conflicts with existing law.SB 1458 Likely Violates Both the California and Federal Constitutions While Section 4 of Article XIV of the California Constitution “grants to the Legislature ‘plenary power, unlimited by any provision of this Constitution to establish and enforce a complete
Chamber Coalition Supports Proposal to Address Shortfall in State’s Unemployment Insurance Fund
The Santa Maria Valley Chamber partnered with the California Chamber of Commerce and other organizations to support AB 2570 as amended on March 24, 2022, because it would help address California’s looming unemployment insurance fund (“UI Fund) insolvency and reduce future tax increases for California’s struggling businesses. AB 2570 takes a strong step to address this unfairness by providing $7.25 billion for California’s UI Fund. This infusion will make a significant reduction in California’s present
Chambers Oppose Effort to Eliminate Ag Workers’ Voting Rights
The Santa Maria Valley Chamber partnered with the California Chamber of Commerce and other organizations to respectfully OPPOSE AB 2183 and label it as a Job Killer bill. Months after AB 616 (Stone) was vetoed by Governor Newsom, this bill seeks to eliminate an agricultural employee’s democratic right to cast an independent vote in a secret ballot election regarding whether to unionize, making them susceptible to coercion and misinformation. The bill also creates an unfair retaliation presumption against
Chamber Coalition Supports Proposed Legislation to Improve Disability Access and Reduce Frivolous Litigation
The Santa Maria Valley Chamber partnered with the California Chamber of Commerce and other organizations to support AB 2164 which will benefit both small businesses and customers by providing financial assistance to ensure facilities are accessible and will protect small businesses from frivolous litigation. For years, small businesses have been targeted by bad actors who repeatedly file accessibility related lawsuits against businesses for technical violations. This has continued during the pandemic and
Chamber Coalition Pushes Back Against Discriminatory Workers’ Comp Proposal
The Santa Maria Valley Chamber partnered with the California Chamber of Commerce and other organizations to respectfully OPPOSE SB 1458 is likely unconstitutional, undermines the workers’ compensation system, and conflicts with existing law.SB 1458 Likely Violates Both the California and Federal ConstitutionsWhile Section 4 of Article XIV of the California Constitution “grants to the Legislature ‘plenary power, unlimited by any provision of this Constitution to establish and enforce a complete system of
Chamber Joins Coalition Opposing Additional Taxes
The Santa Maria Valley Chamber partnered The California Taxpayers Association and other organizations to respectfully oppose AB 2289 and ACA 8, which together seek to impose a wealth tax – the first of its kind in the United States. ACA 8 would amend the California Constitution to allow the Legislature to tax tangible personal property, including stocks, bonds, investments, household furnishings, and other personal effects. AB 2289 would impose a tax of 1.5 percent on taxpayers with a worldwide net worth in
Chamber Coalition Pushes Back Against Proposal to Allow Employees to Skip Work Unnecessarily
The Santa Maria Valley Chamber partnered with the California Chamber of Commerce and other organizations to respectfully OPPOSE SB 1044 and label it as a Job Killer bill. If SB 1044 were in effect right now, any employed Californian could refuse to show up to work today, regardless of the health and safety precautions taken by their employers. The breadth of the bill would cripple emergency response, ignores existing protections, and undermines Cal/OSHA’s current health and safety procedures.The letter
Chamber Coalition Opposes Creation of New Protected Class
The Santa Maria Valley Chamber partnered with the California Chamber of Commerce and other organizations to respectfully OPPOSE AB 2182 and label it as a Job Killer bill. AB 2182 imposes a burdensome new accommodation requirement on small businesses to provide employees with time off any time school or a care center is unavailable. The Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) applies to employers with five or more employees and includes a costly private right of action, exposing small employers to costly
Chamber Joins Coalition to Oppose Bill that Seeks to Shame Employers
The Santa Maria Valley Chamber partnered with the California Chamber of Commerce and other organizations to respectfully OPPOSE AB 2095 and label it as a Job Killer bill. AB 2095 forces employers to publicly disclose information regarding labor and employment issues for employees across the entire company. That information will unfairly be used to label employers as “high road” or “low road” and subject them to a loss of state opportunities and incentives, and to frivolous litigation. This measure is a
Chamber Coalition Opposes Legislation that would Encourage Absenteeism
The Santa Maria Valley Chamber partnered with the California Chamber of Commerce and other organizations to respectfully OPPOSE SB 1044. If SB 1044 were in effect right now, any employed Californian could refuse to show up to work today, regardless of the health and safety precautions taken by their employers. The breadth of the bill would cripple emergency response, ignores existing protections, and undermines Cal/OSHA’s existing health and safety procedures. The letter written in opposition of SB 1044
Chamber Coalition Pushes Back on “No Show” Legislation
The Santa Maria Valley Chamber partnered with the California Chamber of Commerce and other organizations to respectfully OPPOSE SB 1044. Under SB 1044, we feel any Californian could refuse to show up to work today, regardless of the health and safety precautions taken by their employers. The breadth of the bill would cripple emergency response, ignores existing protections, and undermines Cal/OSHA’s existing health and safety procedures.The letter written in opposition of SB 1044 may be found here.
Legislative Session Off to a Fast Start
Ben Golombek, Executive Vice President, CalChamber Both houses of the State Legislature recently wrapped up their work on 2-year bills that had a January 31st deadline to pass their house of origin. The Chamber Advocacy team was focused on a number of significant bills that would impact both our members as well as the larger California economy. Through a lot of hard work and collaboration we were incredibly successful ahead of this legislative deadline, and I wanted to outline some of our recent
Chamber Coalition Supports Flexible Work Schedules.
The Santa Maria Valley Chamber partnered with the California Chamber of Commerce and other organizations to support AB 1761. AB 1761 would provide employees more flexibility because the employee could request an alternative workweek schedule on an individualized basis. It would also relieve employers the administrative cost and burden of adopting an alternative workweek schedule per division. Pursuant to AB 1761, at the request of the employee, an employer would be able to implement a flexible work schedule
Chamber Supports Restoration of Important Business Incentives
The Santa Maria Valley Chamber partnered with the California Chamber of Commerce and other organizations to support AB 87 (Assembly Committee on Budget) and SB 113 (Senate Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review), both as amended on February 2, 2022. Specifically, we support the 2022-23 State Budget restoring the net operating loss (NOL) deduction and business incentive tax credits that were suspended and capped in the 2020-21 budget via AB 85 (Chapter 8, Statutes of 2020). Sunsetting the last year of the
