Your voice is invaluable.
We maintained our majority-win streak on bills that BizFed members took action to support or oppose this session. Governor Gavin Newsom's bill-signing (and vetoing!) blitz ended Friday with another lengthy list of legislative actions. His office issued the update with an unusually brief intro: "The desk is clear."
We have more to say. Read on for our full breakdown of wins and losses, what it all means for business leaders and broader economic tides, and how Newsom's pen could signal a long-awaited shift toward sensible solutions. We'll also start with something brief: Thank you.
Our final tally of 30 victories this legislative session is thanks to you.
Thanks to your intel, letters, signatures, logos, social media engagement, calls, testimony, in-person advocacy, and other creative strategies to boost business voices, BizFed was able to secure critical legislative victories this session that make it easier to build homes, power all sectors, keep people and goods moving, shore up our supply chains, get communities connected to high-speed internet, and keep Californians working in good-paying jobs.
- Newsom's latest legislative actions include signing two BizFed-backed bills into law: AB 1217 (Gabriel) to support business pandemic relief and SB 4 (Wiener) to streamline affordable housing construction on land owned by religious institutions and nonprofit colleges.
- Journalists are taking note of the business community's legislative influence. A Los Angeles Times newsletter highlights Newsom's vetoes of key labor priorities, points to his business roots as a moderating force, and suggests more gubernatorial moderation could be on the horizon as Newsom positions himself for a future presidential run.
- Our calls to veto SB 525 (Durazo) were heard but not heeded. Newsom signed this bill into law, triggering a minimum wage hike for health care workers. This makes our ongoing awareness campaigns around sensible pay increases even more important across local cities and counties.
VICTORIES
- AB 6 (Friedman): Regional transportation plans for congested corridors. Oppose.
- AB 7 (Friedman): Project selection for transportation planning. Oppose.
- AB 9 (Muratsuchi): Market-baed compliance mechanism for emissions reduction. Oppose.
- AB 68 (Ward): Streamlined housing approvals. Oppose.
- AB 236 (Holden): Provider directories for health care coverage. Oppose.
- AB 316 (Aguiar-Curry): Human safety operators in self-driving vehicles. Oppose.
- AB 460 (Bauer-Kahan): Interim relief procedures for water rights. Oppose.
- AB 627 (Jackson): Operating requirements for heavy-duty trucks. Oppose.
- AB 650 (Arambula): San Joaquin Valley Unified Air Pollution Control District board. Oppose.
- AB 965 (Carrillo): Local broadband batch permitting. Support.
- AB 985 (Arambula): San Joaquin Valley Unified Air Pollution Control District emissions reduction credit system. Oppose.
- AB 1000 (Reyes): Warehouse restrictions. Oppose.
- AB 1217 (Gabriel): Business pandemic relief. Support
- AB 1333 (Ward): Residential real estate bundling. Oppose.
- AB 1337 (Wicks): Water diversion curtailment. Oppose.
- AB 1614 (Gabriel): Phaseout of gas stations. Oppose.
- ACA 6 (Haney): University of California labor standards. Oppose.
- SB 4 (Wiener): "Yes in God's backyard" housing production on religious and higher education land. Support.
- SB 12 (Stern): Emissions limits. Oppose.
- SB 41 (Cortese): Airline meal and rest breaks. Support.
- SB 220 (Senate Budget & Fiscal Review Committee): Minimum franchise tax. Oppose.
- SB 252 (Gonzalez): Fossil fuels divestment. Oppose.
- SB 466 (Wahab): Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act rates. Oppose.
- SB 556 (Gonzalez): Civil liability for oil and gas wells. Oppose.
- SB 571 (Allen): Emergency preparedness for development sites. Oppose.
- SB 584 (Limón): Short-Term Rental Tax Law for workforce housing. Oppose.
- SB 674 (Gonzalez): Fence-line monitoring systems for refineries. Oppose.
- SB 799 (Portantino): Unemployment benefits for striking workers. Oppose.
- SB 849 (Stern): Ports emissions reduction. Oppose.
- SCA 7 (Umberg): Workers' rights to organize and negotiate. Oppose.
LOSSES
- AB 52 (Grayson): Manufacturing income tax credit. Support.
- AB 376 (Villapudua): Student financial aid for Cal Grant C driver training programs. Support.
- AB 717 (Villapudua): Living trust education. Support.
- AB 838 (Connolly): California Water Affordability and Infrastructure Transparency Act. Support.
- AB 914 (Friedman): CEQA streamlining for electrical infrastructure. Support.
- AB 1048 (Wicks): Dental benefits and rate review. Oppose.
- AB 1228 (Holden): Fast Food Council. Oppose.
- AB 1505 (Rodriguez): Seismic retrofitting. Support.
- AB 1708 (Muratsuchi): Proposition 47 amendment to prevent retail theft. Support.
- ACA 13 (Ward): Voting thresholds. Oppose.
- SB 253 (Wiener): Corporate greenhouse gas emissions reporting. Oppose.
- SB 261 (Stern): Climate-related financial risk reporting. Oppose.
- SB 301 (Portantino): Vehicular air pollution. Support.
- SB 316 (Niello): Increased penalties for retail theft. Support.
- SB 366 (Caballero): Long-term water supply targets. Support.
- SB 389 (Allen): State Water Resources Control Board investigation of water rights. Oppose.
- SB 430 (Dodd): Tied-house exceptions for advertising. Support.
- SB 525 (Durazo): Health care minimum wage hike. Oppose.
- SB 553 (Cortese): Workplace violence rules. Oppose.
- SB 581 (Caballero): Third-party litigation financing. Support.
- SB 585 (Niello): Statutory damages for construction-related claims. Support.
- SB 767 (Rubio): Mandatory kindergarten. Support.
Please contact sarah.wiltfong@bizfed.org with questions.
Onward!
Tracy Hernandez
BizFed Founding CEO
