Welcome to the April 28-May 2 edition of the NFIB California Main Street Minute from your small-business advocacy team in Sacramento.

Upcoming Events

May 9, NFIB Small Business Roundtable with Assemblymember Juan Alanis, 1 p.m. to 2 p.m., Availability Professional Staffing, 2813 Coffee Road Building A, Modesto. For more information and to register, click here.

August 26, NFIB California’s Leadership Day at the Capitol. More details to come in future Main Street Minutes.

NFIB Grassroots Manager Moving On

Taylor Criddle, who has been NFIB California’s grassroots manager for the past six years, is moving on. Starting on May 5, Criddle will take over as the lead lobbyist for the Electronic Security Association in his role as vice president of advocacy and public affairs, a position that will allow him to remain Sacramento-based and raise his family in Roseville.

Criddle’s positive attitude, prompt responsiveness, and commitment to addressing members’ concerns distinguished his service to NFIB, as did his understanding of California public policy. He greatly increased the involvement small business owners had in the shaping of the rules, regulations, and laws affecting the operation of their enterprises.

“Not having Taylor around will be a huge loss for us,” said NFIB California State Director John Kabateck. “I am glad, however, that he will not be going too far and our paths are certain to cross many times. In addition to being a consummate professional, Taylor has always distinguished himself as someone with an amazingly calm demeanor and equilibrium in carrying out his tasks, which was especially valuable during the pandemic when our member programs were most challenged. We’re going to miss him but thank him and wish him the very best.”

NFIB Senior Regional Grassroots Manager Blake Glinn is coordinating the search for Criddle’s replacement.

Legislative Update

It’s suspense file season, that time when bills are packed off to a legislative gulag never to see life again or are later given a reprieve to sniff the fresh air. All by the command of people who leave no fingerprints of recorded votes.

For those wanting to know more about this process, check out this article in CalMatters, It’s that time again: Get ready to learn about the suspense file.

Not all bills need a trip to legislative Siberia to expire. Some can fail to pass their first committee as did Senate Bill 2, which NFIB supported and which would have lowered fuel costs by voiding some amendments to the Low Carbon Fuel Standard regulation.

Another big bill failing to make its first committee vote hurdle was Senate Bill 222, which NFIB opposed and which would have made California more of a lawsuit land than it already is by allowing people to claim victimhood because of the climate.

Not voting on a bill at all is another well-used tactic in the Capitol. Should the May 2 deadline for fiscal bills to make it out of policy committees or the May 9 deadline for nonfiscal bills to make it out of policy committees pass without any action on a bill, oh, well. Adios.

The above two measures are on NFIB’s list of 45 bills it is supporting (19) or opposing (26) out of the 2,660 officially listed measures. From mid-May to mid-June, however, bill activity will compete with the state budget, a new one of which, for the 2025-2026 Fiscal Year, must be passed by midnight June 15.

To end this section on a high note, Assembly Bill 609, which NFIB supports and would finally start badly needed reforms to the state’s California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), passed the Assembly Natural Resources Committee unanimously (12-0) last Monday (April 21).

Housing!

The above-mentioned passage of AB 609 has to do with tearing down a legislatively created wall preventing the state from meeting its goal to create more housing, the importance of which Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas seemed to emphasize last Wednesday (April 23) with his announcement of four new legislative committees that will take aim at the “Biggest Cost Drivers for Californians.”

NFIB will be intensely monitoring two of the four, the Select Committee on Housing Finance and Affordability and the Select Committee on Transportation Costs and Impact of the Low Carbon Fuel Standard.

The Side Shows

Oldies Out!

“The newly moderate-leaning San Francisco Democratic Party is trying to spread its centrist ethos statewide, including by pushing a new resolution urging the California Democratic Party  to consider a mandatory retirement age for state and local officials,” reports the San Francisco Chronicle.

“As the nation’s largest state Democratic Party, the state body’s endorsement of the measure would be influential at a time of growing dissatisfaction with party leaders. Last week, a left-leaning, youth-led group called Leaders We Deserve announced it would spend $20 million in the midterm elections supporting younger progressive challengers to incumbent Democrats representing safe blue districts. (David Hogg, the group’s leader, however, said it would not be funding a challenge to 85-year-old Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi.) Pelosi, who is a voting member of the local Democratic Party, declined to comment on the local resolution.”

California Out!

Two friends started a California secession movement. Now they’re fighting each other.

Calendar

— May: Big month of bill deadlines for fiscal and policy committees. Check legislative calendar here.

— May 14: Deadline for the May revise of the state budget

— May 26: Memorial Day. Legislature not in session.

— June 6: Last Day for Senate and Assembly to pass bills introduced in their chambers.

— June 15: Budget bill must be passed by midnight.

— July 4: Independence Day. Legislature not in session.

— July 18-August 17 Summer recess.

— September 12, 2025-January 5, 2026: Interim recess of the 2025-2026 session of the California State Legislature.

— October 15: Last day for governor sign or veto bills passed before September 12.

National

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

— NFIB sent a comment letter to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Department of the Army to recommend how future WOTUS regulations can best adhere to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Sackett v. EPA.

— NFIB’s Holly Wade spoke with the New York Times regarding the recent removal of the BOI reporting requirements. Read more.

— NFIB Vice President of Federal Government Relations Jeff Brabant joined several radio shows to discuss the importance of making the 20% Small Business Tax Deduction permanent.

WRNN Radio in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

WSYR Radio in Syracuse, New York

WOYK Radio in York, Pennsylvania

Next Main Street Minute, May 5. All Main Streets Minutes can be found on the NFIB website here. Pull down the California tab in the upper-right-hand corner.