Business Review
2,500 New Bills and Counting Sacramento is entering the first year of the 2017-2018 Legislative Session and they're off to a fast start on some issues. The Southwest California Legislative Council is monitoring the frenetic activity in the capitol as lawmakers rush to get their bills in by the February 17 deadline. So far we've seen 1,687 new Assembly bills and 808 new Senate bills, plus 100 or more Assembly Resolutions, Senate Resolutions, Concurrent Resolutions, Joint Resolutions, etc. It'll take a week or so before we know the actual total as they're still sorting through late submissions. Now you might think over 2,500 bills sounds like a lot. It is. But we are anticipating that total could rise to 3,000 or more by the time all is said and done. Not only is that a lot of proposed rules, regulations and fees designed to impact nearly every aspect of your business and private life, but we are also facing a strong headwind in Sacramento that could make this a very challenging year. In the most recent state elections, the Democratic Party picked up enough members to attain a super-majority in both Houses. That means that virtually anything that party wants to pass, will pass, because Republicans don't have enough votes to stop it. Feel free to discuss the ramifications of that with our Assembly Member Melissa Melendez at one of her regular coffees. This may be a chilling fact for business owners as the Democratic Party in Sacramento has shown a propensity to favor tax
increases, business regulations, environmental regulations, development restrictions and worse. Already some of last year's failed bills are back, bills that would add to an employer's burden for parental leave and family care. There's a bill that would significantly increase the cost of housing as Assembly Member Chu wants to inject more government into private residential development. Senator Herzberg wants to redefine what a sewer is as he tries to do an end run around Prop. 13 and tax you more without any vote. And Senator DeLeon, President ProTem of the Senate, has SB54, which would declare California a sanctuary state. While the lion's share of new bills are still awaiting referral to a committee, and some few have been assigned, SB54 has already passed out of one committee and is headed out on a fast track. To counter that, Assembly Member Melendez has introduced AB536, which essentially says 'if the state does something really stupid that would cause the county to lose federal funds, the county could elect not to follow state law and continue to work with the feds'. Admirable, but will be
lucky to survive committee. There are a few more good bills in the mix that the SWCLC has supported. Senator Roth has his perennial bill to return money to Wildomar, Menifee, Eastvale and Jurupa Valley that the Governor appropriated from them in 2011. Assembly Member Steinorth has a bill in that would allow people to put tax-free money in a savings account for a home down payment. There are bills to waive some taxes for start-up businesses, reduce CEQA paperwork for some projects and to assist in workforce development and affordable housing. We'll have to see where it all goes. There is no doubt this will be a pivotal year at both the state and federal level. As you have issues that concern your business, bills that would either benefit or hurt your business, please email the information to gad@swcaladvocacy.com. You are also invited to attend a monthly meeting of the Southwest California Legislative Council the 3rd Monday of each month at the Realtor House in Murrieta, 26529 Jefferson Ave, 12:00 noon. The Southwest California Legislative Council is an advocacy coalition comprised of representative members of the Temecula Valley, Murrieta, Lake Elsinore Valley, Wildomar, Menifee Valley, and Perris Valley Chambers of Commerce representing more than 3,500 employers dedicated to promoting job growth, economic expansion, and preserving the overall global competitiveness of California.
Visitor’s Magazine | April - June 2017 | 13