(January 16, 2007) Keeping California competitive in a global economy is the priority of the California Chamber of Commerce and the Board of Directors I am honored to chair this year.

Russell Gould

That said, making sure state policymakers keep competitiveness issues at the forefront is a huge task that requires more people power than can be generated by just me, the Board and the CalChamber staff. To be successful, we need your involvement and rely on you to be informed about the issues and our advocacy efforts on behalf of you and the rest of the business community.

The ambitious agenda Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger outlined in his inaugural remarks and State of the State address puts at the center of this year’s policy discussions numerous issues affecting the competitiveness of California job providers.

Health care, education, climate change and infrastructure investment are just a few of the issues the Governor raised in his remarks and budget proposal.

The CalChamber highlights these issues and others directly related to California competitiveness in our annual Business Issues and Legislative Guide, which will be distributed soon to members and others with an interest in public policy in printed form or via our website.

Discussions on these issues and their solutions are in the formative stages, so it will be important for members to stay tuned to Alert and the CalChamber website as the deliberations mature. The issue articles in the Guide are just the beginning of a process that has much to gain from the active participation of all interested Californians.

Working Together
In reaching out to leaders of both parties in his State of the State address, Governor Schwarzenegger said he wanted to talk about “our” vision “because I think we all want the same thing for Californians.”

Few would argue that California needs improved education and infrastructure or a fiscally responsible and politically responsive government and a business climate that promotes innovation, job creating and continued economic growth. Differences of opinion arise when it comes to working out the details, however, and that is where the CalChamber needs your active participation. There’s no substitute in the political debates for comments directly from employers who know from experience how proposals actually function in the real working world.

Web Tools for Your Use
To make it as easy as possible for you to stay informed and be involved, the CalChamber has gathered in one section of our website all the tools you’ll need. Just go to www.calchamber.com/grassroots. When the legislative session is in full swing, you’ll find that the latest news, easy-to-edit letters to elected representatives and updates on the status of legislation are just a few mouse clicks away.

In addition to visiting the website regularly, please encourage your business colleagues to do the same. Our values, our principles and our fundamental business sense are absolutely essential to the legislative debate and the regulatory process. Working together with the Governor, legislators and other interested parties, we can ensure that California chooses policies that support business competitiveness in the international marketplace.

As the discussions begin, the one certain thing is that there is no easy solution. Business as usual, however, is not acceptable. CalChamber members must be prepared to get involved in the debate, both as individuals and as companies. The stakes are too great to leave the decisions to someone else.

Russell Gould, 2007 chair of the California Chamber of Commerce, is senior vice president of Wachovia Bank, Sacramento.