Skip to content
NFIB Logo Join Now

Small Business Thanks Gov. Newsom for Veto of SB 799 (Portantino)

Small Business Thanks Gov. Newsom for Veto of SB 799 (Portantino)

October 1, 2023 Last Edit: June 5, 2025

Small Business Thanks Gov. Newsom for Veto of SB 799 (Portantino)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: John Kabateck, California State Director, John@Kabstrat.com or Tony Malandra, Senior Media Manager, Anthony.Malandra@nfib.org SACRAMENTO, Calif., Oct. 1, 2023—California’s leading small business association today thanked Gov. Gavin Newsom for vetoing Senate Bill 799, the worst piece of legislation to emerge from the 2023 session of the most anti-business Legislature in state history. “SB 799 is one of the better examples of what’s wrong with our legislative system,” said John Kabateck, California state director for the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), the nation’s voice of small business. “A last-minute, gut-and-amend bill allowing little time for legislative scrutiny and public input, it was shamelessly hijacked and rushed to passage to score political points with striking Hollywood writers and actors. The governor’s veto was the right thing to do, but it only hits the pause button on a crisis that needs to stop.” Only employers pay into the state’s Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund, the money from which goes to pay workers laid off through no fault of their own, Kabateck reminded everyone. “The UI Trust Fund is one of the more important social safety nets California has for its citizens. The financial stability of it should be a top priority for every state policymaker. I think today’s veto is an acknowledgement that:
  • “With the state more than $18 billion in debt to the federal government for loans it took out to keep California’s UI trust fund barely functioning, the Legislature’s own analyst calls the current state of the fund ‘structurally insolvent’
  • “Business owners are already looking down the barrel of increased UI taxes in December
  • “Opening up eligibility to those who willingly leave jobs they have to go out on strike would not only run counter to what the fund is for but also possibly bankrupt it for many years to come.”
Kabateck also said SB 799 was nothing more than politicians catering to labor, which makes up only 16% of California’s workers. The 84% of workers who are independent and the small business owners who employ many of them would have been left in the dust. Keep up with the latest on California small-business news at www.nfib.com/california or by following NFIB on Twitter @NFIB_CA or on Facebook @NFIB.CA. ### For 80 years, NFIB has been advocating on behalf of America’s small and independent business owners, both in Washington, D.C., and in all 50 state capitals. NFIB is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, and member-driven association. Since its founding in 1943, NFIB has been exclusively dedicated to small and independent businesses and remains so today. For more information, please visit nfib.com. NFIB California 915 L. Street, Suite C-411 Sacramento, CA 95814 916-448-9904 www.nfib.com/CA Twitter: @NFIB_CA Facebook: @NFIB.CA      
Get to know NFIB

NFIB is a member-driven organization advocating on behalf of small and independent businesses nationwide.

Receive our newsletter and email notification
Knowledge is power. Let us help you stay informed with breaking legislative news, regulatory updates, business tips, and more.

Related Articles

Related
July 24, 2026
WATCH: What Happened for Small Businesses During the 2026 Arizona Legislative Session?
Learn what happened in Phoenix during the 2026 legislative session and how it affects your small business.
Read More
In Front of the Massachusetts State House in Boston
Related
July 23, 2026
 An Economic Development Bill Should Help Massachusetts Small Businesses, Not Hurt Them
How does adding new hurdles to a law that refunds taxpayers more of their hard-earned money make Massachusetts more affordable or competitive?
Read More
Related
July 20, 2026
NFIB California Main Street Minute, July 20-24
Legislature in summer recess. Coastal Commission curbed. NFIB CA PAC update
Read More
Open office scene with two workers at desks and large computer monitors, a man stands by a kitchen railing in the background.
Related
July 15, 2026
State Policies Impacting Small Businesses
States considered small business measures during the 2026 legislative sessions, including taxes, minimum wage, extreme heat standards, IRC conformity, and tort…
Read More

© 2001 - 2026 National Federation of Independent Business. All Rights Reserved. Terms and Conditions | Privacy Policy | Accessibility