Welcome to the March 3-7 edition of the NFIB California Main Street Minute from your small-business advocacy team in Sacramento.

More Rebuilding Information Posted

— Last Tuesday (February 25), NFIB hosted a conference call with officials from the Governor’s Office of the Small Business Advocate and from the Los Angeles County BizFed to alert members affected by the wildfires to resources that can help them rebuild. Click here to read the story and listen to the audio.

— Also last week, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced additional help for L.A. County. Both his news release and the NFIB conference call can be found in our story on all resource efforts, Rebuilding Resources for Victims of the Southern California Wildfires.

Congratulations to Special Election Winners

— After last Tuesday (February 25), it looks as if farmer and businessman Stan Ellis won by enough votes (64.7%) to avoid an April 29 runoff and can proceed directly to the State Assembly as the new member from District 32, which includes parts of Kern and Tulare counties. The seat became open when Vince Fong was elected to Congress.

— Likewise, Tony Strickland, although his lead in the Senate District 36 race is tenuous, 51.3%. The district includes mainly Orange County and a small part of Los Angeles County. The seat was formerly held by Janet Nguyen, who was elected to the Orange County Board of Supervisors.

— A former Assembly member, Strickland was a proven friend of small business during his last spell in Sacramento, and we are hopeful Ellis will be one, too, given his professional experience. Neither man’s victory, however, increases his party’s numbers in the Assembly or the Senate.

Speaking of Congratulations

— Tim Taylor, NFIB’s legislative and policy director, will be walking the halls of the Capitol starting today and dropping off this letter congratulating all lawmakers on their elections and reelections and reminding them what’s on small businesses’ mind now that our members have voted their 2025 state ballot.

Bedside Reading

— The California Tax Foundation has just come out with the seventh edition of its California Tax Facts. An Overview of the Golden State’s Tax Structure. At 98 pages, it’s a college course. No opinions, just descriptions of all the taxes you can think of and an occasional brief history of them. Happy Reading.

Uber Wants You to Know

— From its ad in Politico:

“A message from Uber:

Cost of CA Insurance Regulations. Californians are experiencing costly Uber rides thanks to state required insurance costs that make up nearly a third of total trip fares. Unlike other vehicles, including taxis, rideshare vehicles are required to have a $1 million uninsured/underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) coverage when there’s a passenger in the car. That’s one reason why an entire industry of billboard lawyers target rideshare with litigation abuse, driving insurance costs up even higher. Learn More.”

— Of all the billboard lawyers, the favorite, for one editor of the Main Street Minute, remains the one he saw returning his rental car to McCarran Airport: “Bad Night’s Sleep? I Sue Hotels.”

National

Highlights from NFIB Federal Government Relations Principal Josselin Castillo’s weekly report

— The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) announced that it will not issue fines, penalties, or enforcement actions against businesses that fail to file or update Beneficial Ownership Information (BOI) reports under the Corporate Transparency Act by current deadlines. No enforcement action will be taken until a forthcoming interim final rule establishes new due dates.

— NFIB has sent a letter urging lawmakers to make the 20% Small Business Deduction permanent.

— NFIB applauded the passage of H.J. Res. 35, which repeals the costly methane fee rule imposed by the Environmental Protection Agency.

— The House also passed H.J. Res. 20, repealing burdensome gas appliance restrictions.

— NFIB’s Beth Milito, Vice President and Executive Director of NFIB’s Small Business Legal Center, testified before the U.S. House Committee on Education and Workforce on solutions to tackle workforce challenges. Read full testimony here. Watch her opening remarks here. 

Next Main Street Minute, March 10. All Main Streets Minutes can be found on the NFIB website here. Pull down the California tab in the upper-right-hand corner.