For the legislative and political week December 27-31
Wishing you a Happy New Year. Welcome to the December 27-31edition of the NFIB California Main Street Minute from your NFIB small-business-advocacy team in Sacramento. As we said last week and want to say again, we are thankful for our friendship with you as NFIB members, supporters, and small-business leaders.
UI Trust Fund
- A letter sent to Gov. Gavin Newsom last week (December 22) by a coalition of 17 business groups, including NFIB, got down to the brass tacks over what his next state budget needs to include first and foremost: Repayment of the nearly $20 billion in unemployment insurance loans California has borrowed from the federal government to keep the state’s trust fund solvent and unemployment benefits going to those in need of them.
- “There is an urgent need to begin paying this debt off now. Not only will continued delay leave the fund insolvent for the foreseeable future, but failure for the state to act will result in the largest tax increase on California businesses in our state’s history.
- “Because UI Fund taxes are levied per employee, the ongoing debt crisis will have a chilling effect on employers—especially small employers—looking to recover and grow jobs in California for at least the next decade. In fact, employers will pay as much as $324 per employee in UI taxes should this crisis remain unaddressed. Employers are making decisions now about their future here, and with a looming $40 billion tax bill, many will seek to either not hire or leave the state entirely.” The entire letter can be read here.
Cal/OSHA Revisions
- The Cal/OSHA revisions to its COVID-19 Prevention Emergency Temporary Standards reported on in last week’s Main Street Minute are now online. They take effect on January 14.
They’re Here!
- Last Monday (December 20), the 2020 California Citizens Redistricting Commission unanimously approved new districts for Congress, State Senate, State Assembly, and Board of Equalization, which will be in effect for the next 10 years. It will formally present them to the secretary of state, today, December 27. Click here to see the new lines and other information.
- The Sacramento Bee handicaps the redistricting winners and losers in this article. “If I had to bet, I would bet Republicans would be in a super-minority for the next decade.” – Matt Rexroad, GOP consultant.
- Speaking of new district lines, Los Angeles County has adopted ones for its supervisorial districts where five members will represent two million people each. The Los Angeles Times, which has been crusading for expanding the number of board members, believes the current composition is like having five Benito Mussolinis. Presumably, a medium was called into an editorial board séance to raise Il Duce from the dead to make its point in this editorial. Besides its use of long-dead fascists, one has to wonder if any of the Times’ younger readers will get the reference.
Federally
- Now that West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin has pulled the plug on the Build Back Better Act, for now, it was a quiet congressional week in Washington, D.C.
- Judicially, however, it was another matter. The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear NFIB’s emergency petition for a stay of OSHA’s vaccine mandate and a similar emergency petition filed by the state of Ohio. The date of the hearing is January 7.
Next Main Street Minute January 3, 2022.
