Welcome to the March 17-21 edition of the NFIB California Main Street Minute from your small-business advocacy team in Sacramento.

Wednesday, March 26, Webinar: New Small Business Laws!

Wednesday, March 26, at 10 a.m., Ben Ebbink, one of California’s leading labor and employment law attorneys, will be NFIB California’s special guest at a webinar for members about which laws for 2025 are the most important ones for small business, and which compliance issues that have carried over from prior years still remain.

Ebbink is a partner in the Sacramento office of Fisher & Phillips LLP and legislative advocate and principal of FP Advocacy LLC.  He brings more than two decades of experience in labor and employment law to the firms he counsels, including 15 years as chief consultant to the California Assembly Committee on Labor and Employment.

This will be Ebbink’s fifth webinar for NFIB. If you haven’t already, click here to register.  This event was rescheduled from the earlier Thursday, March 20, date.

NFIB Member to Testify

NFIB member Augie Venezia, owner of Fairfax Lumber & Hardware in Marin County, will testify in support of Senate Bill 2 when it comes up for a hearing this Wednesday (March 19) before the Senate Environmental Quality Committee.

Sponsored by Sen. Brian Jones, SB 2 “… would void specified amendments to the Low-Carbon Fuel Standard regulations adopted by the state board on November 8, 2024. Californians need immediate relief from unnecessarily high gasoline prices that will be driven even higher by recent amendments to the Low-Carbon Fuel Standard regulations.”

In a letter of support to Jones from NFIB Policy and Legislative Director Tim Taylor pointed out, “NFIB contends that shifting dollars to subsidize unclean biofuels does nothing to further California’s stated goals of reaching a zero-emissions, fully-electrified state. Instead, the LCSF amendments, if implemented, would only serve to economically hurt small business owners and their employees while simultaneously driving up the costs of goods and services for all Californians.

“Originally, CARB had indicated that its proposed amendments would increase gas prices at the pump by some forty-seven cents a gallon. Later, it revised that number and indicated that the fiscal impact at the pump would be ‘negligible,’ without providing any methodological data or inputs to account for that revision. CARB should show its homework by providing the data used to come to those two, polar-opposite conclusions.”

Why Californians Remain Forever Skeptical

From Los Angeles Times Politics:

“To help balance his budget, the governor wants to grab roughly $300 million from the $10-billion climate bond approved overwhelmingly by voters in November.

“OK, that’s only a fraction — 3% — of the bond total. But it’s the principle of the money grab. It could set a pattern for this governor and his successors to continue dipping into the climate bond pot to balance budgets.

“The climate bond, Proposition 4, passed with 60% of the vote — a landslide. The ballot measure’s official title read that it authorized bonds ‘for safe drinking water, wildfire prevention and protecting communities and natural lands from climate risks.’

“So here’s the problem: Voters weren’t told that some of the money would be used for sopping up budget red ink. They were led to believe — among its most saleable pitches — that it would accelerate preparation for facing the perils of climate change.”

Brave New World

Safe bet no other state is grappling with this, and NFIB doesn’t have an official position yet. But this report from The Orange County Register’s Kaitlyn Schallhorn is worth keeping in the back of your mind—and don’t share it with your computer.

“Brain-computer interfaces, or BCIs, are a rapidly evolving technology. With the use of an external device, generally a computer, BCIs essentially facilitate communication between a person’s brain and that device.

“The technology is generally used in the health care field, and it doesn’t necessarily take down all of a person’s thoughts — at least not yet.

“Recently, researchers at UC San Francisco helped a paralyzed man control a robotic arm using a BCI that lasted for seven months without needing adjustments. And last year, Alameda-headquartered Science Corp. said its retina implant was able to restore ‘form vision’ in patients who had lost their central visual field, using BCI technology.

“… But the largely unregulated technology is also expanding into other consumer spaces, including the entertainment and business sectors as well. And as the technology evolves, [Sen. Tom] Umberg, D-Santa Ana, wants to ensure companies are using the data they collect for the intended purposes. … In other words, Umberg wants people to keep their thoughts to themselves as much as possible.

“Senate Bill 44 would require companies to use neural data only for the purpose for which it was collected. And once that purpose for that data has been fulfilled, the data would need to be deleted, according to the new bill’s text.”

Calendar

— March 31: Cesar Chavez Day. Legislature not in session.

— April 10-21: Spring Break. Legislature not in session.

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

— May: NFIB California Virtual Small Business Day. Day to be set. Check your email for further information and to register.

— May: State budget revise issued by governor’s office.

— 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-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 released its first bonus episode of the “Small Business Rundown” podcast, featuring Executive Director and Vice President of the NFIB Small Business Legal Center Beth Milito and Vice President of Federal Government Relations Jeff Brabant discussing the latest updates concerning the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) and federal beneficial ownership information (BOI) reporting requirements.

— NFIB filed an amicus brief in the case LabCorp v. Luke Davis concerning whether class action lawsuits in federal courts can include individuals that have suffered no legal injury.

— NFIB sent a letter of support to Rep. Neal Dunn for his Right to Equitable and Professional Auto Industry Repair (REPAIR) Act. Principal of Federal Government Relations Andrea McGee said, “The REPAIR Act is a much-needed piece of bipartisan legislation to increase competition in the automotive repair industry and keep money in consumers’ pockets.”

Next Main Street Minute, March 24. All Main Streets Minutes can be found on the NFIB website here. Pull down the California tab in the upper-right-hand corner.