2012
Recent articles and videos from news sources that mention the California Chamber of Commerce (CalChamber.)
Petitions to be Submitted on Health Insurance Rates in California
"This measure will create another duplicative and expensive bureaucracy when we can least afford it, ultimately paid for with higher health insurance premiums," California Chamber of Commerce President Allan Zaremberg said in a statement released by the opposition campaign. (The Sacramento Bee CapitolAlert 05/18/12)
Signatures Submitted for Health Insurance Rate Initiative
A coalition of health industry and business groups called Californians Against Higher Health Care Costs and that includes the California Medical Association, California Hospital Association and California Chamber of Commerce, has formed to oppose the initiative, saying profit taking by insurers is not the chief cause of rate increases. (Los Angeles Business Journal 05/18/12)
Proposed Tweak to Term Limits Makes Eminent Sense
Under Prop. 28, says Allan Zaremberg, president of the California Chamber of Commerce, "we will see [new] committee chairs in the Assembly who have more than 10 months of legislative experience .... who have the ability to learn the process, learn the politics and learn the policy. And that's good." (George Skelton in the Los Angeles Times 05/10/12)
CEOs Rate California Dead Last for Business, Again
There is little prospect of improvement. Despite finding itself in a hole, state government keeps digging. This week the state Senate Judiciary Committee killed a California Chamber of Commerce-sponsored job-creator bill to protect employers from inappropriate litigation. (The Orange County Register 05/09/12)
California Cap-and-Trade Will be Costly
Allan Zaremberg, president and CEO of the California Chamber of Commerce, is responding to the April 29 Viewpoints article, "Cap and trade has lessons for California." That commentary argued that a cap-and-trade system for utilities in the Northeast "has boosted the economy of every state that has participated." (The Sacramento Bee 05/04/12)
California Poised to Bar Employers From Peeking Into Private Information Social Media Sites
Jennifer Barrera, a lobbyist for the California Chamber of Commerce (which has not taken a position on the bill), said employers are often caught between respecting privacy rights and the need to fully vet applicants. "Certainly there are concerns for employers who might get information they weren't looking for that could be the basis for litigation, if they find protected information" such as applicants' ages, sexual orientation or other information that employers cannot ask in interviews, Barrera said. (San Jose Mercury News 05/03/12)
Lawmakers Pushing to Tie California Minimum Wage to Consumer Price Index
The state Chamber of Commerce has labeled AB 1439 a "job-killer" bill. "Now is not the time to increase the cost of doing business in California, when businesses are just now showing signs of recovery," said Jennifer Barrera, a chamber lobbyist. (The Sacramento Bee 04/24/12)
Foreclosure Measures Unnecessary
During the past several years there have been historic efforts by the government, financial services industry and consumer groups to help millions stay in their homes. The California Bankers Association has worked with the Legislature to enact nearly 50 bills addressing everything from loan origination to post-foreclosure practices. (Rodney K. Brown in The Sacramento Bee 04/22/12)
Mortgage Bill Must be Crafted With Care
On Tuesday, authors of identical bills in the Senate, realizing they didn't have the votes, postponed hearings set for today. Critics also say the bills, as drafted, would impose new obligations on lenders that could raise the cost of borrowing. and slow the recovery of the housing market. (The Sacramento Bee 04/18/12)
Democrats Delay California Mortgage Overhaul Amid Business Opposition
The banking and mortgage industries strongly oppose the bills, intended to clean up lending and foreclosure industry abuses. The California Chamber of Commerce has put them on its hit list of "job killer" legislation. "We're concerned about these bills because we believe that they'll stall economic development in the state," said Cal Chamber lobbyist Marti Fisher. (The Sacramento Bee 04/17/12)
Bill Would Bolster State Fight Against Knockoffs
Senate Bill 1185 would establish the Centralized Intelligence Partnership, a collaboration of nine state agencies that currently investigate illegal business activity on their own. The “SB 1185 will help level the playing field for legitimate California employers,” said Mira Guertin, policy advocate for the chamber. (The Orange County Register 04/17/12)
California Chamber Turns Guns on ‘Job-Killer’ Bills
Those bills are among the 23 that the California Chamber of Commerce called out last week as “job killers” that could harm employers and further erode the state’s business climate. Each year, the chamber and an alliance of other statewide business groups mount a campaign to block such bills from becoming law. (Los Angeles Business Journal 04/16/12)
Marc Burgat Pinpoints the 'Worst of the Worst' on the Job Killer List
(April 16, 2012) CalChamber Vice President of Government Relations Marc Burgat discusses bills on the "job killer" list and pin-points the 'worst of the worst' on KFMB radio in San Diego.
California Chamber Targets 23 'Job Killer' Bills
One of the Capitol's spring rituals is publication of a list of "job killer" bills by the state Chamber of Commerce. (The Sacramento Bee CapitolAlert 04/12/12)
Court: Employers Must Provide, Not Ensure Breaks
“The ruling reaffirms that employers do have an obligation to provide real rest and meal periods — they just don’t have to police them.” said Erika Frank, general counsel for the California Chamber of Commerce. “It does provide certainty and clarity, but it doesn’t give employers a blank check to violate employee rights.” (Sacramento Business Journal 04/12/12)
Erika Frank Discusses Brinker Decision on KFBK
CalChamber General Counsel Erika Frank discusses the the California Supreme Court's recent decision on Brinker Restaurant Corp. v. Superior Court, and its impacts on current meal and rest break requirements for nonexempt employees. (KFBK 04/12/12)
Erika Frank Comments on Brinker Ruling on KXJZ
Erika Frank, CalChamber Vice President, Legal Affiars and General Counsel, comments on Capitol Public Radio on the California Supreme Court's recent decision on Brinker Restaurant Corp. v. Superior Court. (KXJZ 04/12/12)
The Top 10 Things Employers Do To Get Sued
To help employers avoid litigation, the California Chamber of Commerce has composed a list of "The Top 10 Things Employers Do to Get Sued". (KFBK 04/04/12) (listen to the interview)
10 Things Calif. Employers Do to Get Sued
California employers may violate an employment law almost daily, says the California Chamber of Commerce, "simply by trying to provide some flexibility for an employee, save money for the company or just be nice. (The Orange County Register 04/04/12)
California Chamber outlines ways businesses can be sued
California businesses are used to grappling with some of the most stringent and complex labor laws in the nation. (San Gabriel Valley Tribune 04/04/12)
Job Applicants Shouldn't Have to Allow Entry to Facebook
Peeking at an applicant's page could reveal his or her religious affiliation or sexual orientation – topics that interviewers are barred from asking about. Or it could show that a job-seeker is pregnant – and if the employer doesn't hire her, that could open up the company to a discrimination lawsuit, the chamber says. (The Sacramento Bee 04/01/12)
California business survey shows regulation remains a top worry
The California Chamber of Commerce's business climate survey revealed Golden State business executives have a less pessimistic view of the state's economy than they did last year, but also agree with the widespread view that state government is not business friendly. (Inland Valley Daily Bulletin 04/01/12)
Survey: CalChamber Members Optimistic About Business Outlook
California business owners are slightly more optimistic about the state’s economy than they were a year ago — and they have a much brighter outlook on their own business future — a new survey of CalChamber members shows. (Sacramento Business Journal 03/21/12)
Business-Centric Bills Seek to Clarify Liability, Energy Retrofits in Home Sales
The California Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring a bill that will alleviate liability for companies that follow the advice of a state agency if that advice is subsequently deemed incorrect in court. (Sacramento Business Journal 03/21/12)
Bill Would Protect Unemployed Job-Hunters
Jennifer Barrera, the California Chamber’s policy advocate for labor and employment, said her group favors settling disputes administratively by the California Department of Labor and not in court. Barerra said it would diminish an employer’s right to thoroughly vet a candidate. “It would prevent an employer from legitimately looking into employment history,” Barrera said. (The Press-Enterprise 03/19/12)
Businesses Face New Rules Over Chemicals
The lack of clarity concerns many people in business, who say they laud the program’s goals but question the means. They want the program limited to products where there is a scientifically based risk to health and clear pathways of exposure. “What we’d like to see is the actual science,” said Brenda Coleman, a policy advocate for the California Chamber of Commerce. She questioned the basis for the list of 3,000 chemicals, saying the rules don’t specify which chemicals will receive priority. (Sacramento Business Journal 02/17/12)
Job-Related Injuries Must be Posted Feb. 1
Any firm with more than 10 employees must post a summary of job-related injuries and illnesses for 2011 by Feb. 1, according to the California Chamber of Commerce. (The Orange County Register 02/01/12)
Tax Campaign Targets Capitol's Inside Game
A poll by the Public Policy Institute of California showed 68 percent of likely voters support Gov. Jerry Brown's proposed initiative to raise sales and income taxes by $6 billion a year for five years. But as it stands today, the ballot could be crowded with as many as four measures to raise taxes. If they all are on the November ballot, "they all die," Allan Zaremberg, head of the California Chamber of Commerce, said, reflecting the wisdom that voters, faced with too many choices, could reject all the measures. (Dan Morian in The Sacrmento Bee 01/29/12)
‘Medicare for All' Fails Again in California
Californians dodged the bullet on universal health care insurance once again when Senate Bill 810 was narrowly defeated last week, falling only two votes short of passage in the state Senate. The Chamber properly described the legislation as a job killer. (The Orange County Register 01/27/12)
Amid Cost Concerns, Lawmakers Delay Vote on Universal Healthcare
A proposal to have the state provide healthcare coverage to all Californians hit another snag Tuesday in a legislative committee amid concerns about its cost.Marc Burgat, a vice president of the chamber, said the cost would be "significant," and he noted that Congress has approved healthcare reform on the federal level. "We think the state and businesses in the state should focus on that," Burgat said. (Los Angeles Times PolitiCal 01/17/12)
Single-Payer Health Care Bill Before California Lawmakers Again
Democratic Senator Mark Leno made the case for single-payer health care to the Appropriations committee. But Marc Burgat of the California Chamber of Commerce said a new system would be a costly distraction from federal health reforms already underway. (Capitol Public Radio 01/17/12)
California Lawmakers Take Another Crack at 'Single-Payer' Health Care Bill
"We fundamentally disagree with the two major premises of the bill: (1) government systems are more efficient than private business, and (2) a single-payer system would be less costly than the current private system," California Chamber of Commerce lobbyist Marti Fisher said in a letter last week opposing the Leno measure. (The Sacramento Bee 01/17/12)
Jerry Brown's Budget Plan Would Strip Demands, Payments from Local Governments
The administration's goal is to "change the overall structure to make it more efficient and get away from the current claiming process that's time-intensive and costly for everyone to operate," state Finance Director Ana Matosantos said at a California Chamber of Commerce luncheon Thursday. (The Sacramento Bee 01/14/12)
California Business Owners Will Pay More Money to Cover Unemployment Benefits
Starting in January California employers will pay $280 million more for unemployment insurance (37% tax hike.) The feds propose a tax hike because california's unemployment trust fund is more than $9 billion in the red. (CBS-13 01/10/12 )
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