​(August 15, 2011) The California Chamber of Commerce today released the first installment of its newly developed series “CalChamber News,” a news network project aimed at keeping CalChamber members and others informed of public policy issues impacting our job climate and economy.  

The first edition focuses on job killing legislation that remains active as California Legislators return to work after the summer break. The video is narrated by former KCRA reporter Kevin Riggs and features interviews with small business owners, CalChamber President and CEO Allan Zaremberg, and policy advocates Marc Burgat, Brenda Coleman, Jennifer Barrera. 

Three specific Job Killers are featured in today’s edition of CalChamber News.  They are SB 568 (Lowenthal; D-Long Beach), AB 350 (Solorio; D- Anaheim) and AB 22 (Mendoza; D-Norwalk).  In the segment, the impact these bills would have on small business is highlighted. The owners of a Sacramento café are interviewed about SB 568 which proposes to ban the use of polystyrene food containers. According to the café owners, if the bill were to become law, it would drive up costs and, in turn, require them to raise menu prices. This is something they have tried to avoid in a down economy because it could drive away customers. The higher costs and increased risk for business owners that would result if AB 350 and AB 22 became law are also discussed in the video. AB 350 would tie the hands of businesses while AB 22 would eliminate an important tool for screening potential hires.

CalChamber President Allan Zaremberg is featured in the video discussing the fact California’s agenda must be more competitiveness with other states and lower costs on business so we can create more jobs. Zaremberg points out the impact that California’s high unemployment rate and difficult business climate are playing in the national recovery saying, “It is hard for the United States to pull out of a recession when California is stuck at the bottom of an economic trough.”