Welcome to the March 30-April 3 edition of the Main Street Minute from your small-business-advocacy team in Sacramento.

The Legislature

Lawmakers are on Spring Break until April 6

Spreading the Small Business Message

Last week was a busy one for State Director John Kabateck and Policy Director Tim Taylor. Kabateck participated in round-table discussions on legislative issues with the CalAsian Chamber of Commerce and the California Hispanic Chambers of Commerce. On Thursday, he gave a presentation to a group assembled by the Sacramento Business Journal on NFIB’s Small Business Optimism Index.

For his part, Taylor spoke at a March 25 news conference on affordability, attended by a half dozen assembly members. Story here.

It’s “California Certified”
(And wipe that smile off your face)

“Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel, D-Encino, has made headlines in the past few years for authoring bills that have cracked down on sweets with synthetic dyes like Skittles and instituted a timeline for getting healthier food in public schools,” reports The Sacramento Bee.

“His latest aim is to create a new classification for healthy foods: ‘California Certified.’

“Gabriel’s bill, AB 2244, would allow food manufacturers to apply to get the California Certified sticker on their product, much like they do with the USDA Organic label, which has been around since 2002. Products would be approved, beginning in 2028, if they don’t meet the definition of ‘ultra-processed,’ defined by having a specified substance and being high in either fat, salt, sugar or having a non-nutritive sugar.”

Ballot Initiative Update

From Swing Strategies President and CEO Tom Ross

“We are just … days away from the April 17 deadline for measures to have the full 30 days for counties to complete the random sample in time to be eligible for the November ballot. As we enter the final stretch, momentum is building for a number of measures to secure a spot on the ballot.

“Here’s a snapshot of where things stand:

— 28 measures are cleared for circulation

— 13 measures have reached the 25% threshold of signatures reached

— 3 measures are pending signature verification

— 3 measures have officially qualified for the ballot”

Join Tom Ross and Tino Rossi on Tuesday, April 7 at 11:00 a.m. to unpack all the latest news on what could be a very crowded ballot. Register Today!

Join Us for Small Business Leadership Day at the Capitol

We’d love to see you there. CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP for this May 4, 5 event at the State Capitol in Sacramento.

— Monday, May 4 – Welcome networking reception and dinner

— Tuesday, May 5 – Meetings with legislators, main program, and wrap-up happy hour

Policymakers need to understand the impact laws, regulations, and mandates have on your business, and they need to hear directly from you!

Contact Grassroots Manager Matthew Woolley, woolley@nfib.org, or State Director John Kabateck, john.kabateck@nfib.org, for any questions.

Fill ‘er up!

$8.71 a gallon? This is L.A.’s most infamous gas station

The Legal Industry’s Schnoz

“Contentious debt restructuring, which tend to postpone rather than avoid bankruptcy, are among the fastest growing businesses at the top law firms (These are to the legal profession what nose jobs are to the medical one: lucrative, technically impressive and bleakly superficial.).” – Why corporate lawyers always win, The Economist, March 11, 2026.

Calendar

• March 26-April 6: Legislature on Spring Break
• May 4 & 5: Small Business Leadership Day at the Capitol
• May 29: Last day for bills to pass their house of origin
• June 2: Primary Election for eight state constitutional offices, four Board of Equalization seats, all 52 congressional seats, all 80 assembly seats, and 20 (even-numbered districts) state senate seats. Governor’s proclamation here.
• June 15: Deadline (by midnight) to pass new state budget
• July 2-August 3: Legislature on Summer Recess
• August 31: Legislature adjourns its 2026 session
• September 30: Last day for governor to sign or veto bills sent to him.

National

— NFIB Webinar: What the Supreme Court’s tariff decision means for small businesses—and could you get money back? Presented by: Kasim Rana, Quarles Law Firm, Elizabeth Milito, Vice President & Executive Director, Small Business Legal Center, and Patrick Moran, Senior Attorney, Small Business Legal Center. Wednesday, April 1, 2026, Noon, Eastern Time. Register Here.

Highlights from Federal Government Relations Principal Louis Bertolotti’s weekly report

— NFIB joined a lawsuit defending the EPA elimination of the 2009 Greenhouse Gas Endangerment Finding, which permitted the federal government to impose emissions regulations on motor vehicles. SBLC Vice President and Executive Director Beth Milito said, “The cost of operating vehicles is one of the most significant energy costs facing small business owners. The Administration’s repeal of the Endangerment Finding would significantly reduce regulatory barriers affecting the energy sector, therefore reducing costs for small businesses.”

— NFIB’s Legal Center and Research Center both released their March newsletters.

— NFIB dues started at $8.50 for two years in 1943. That comes out to about $80/year in 2026 dollars. By 1950, the minimum amount was raised to $9.50 annually ($129 today), with a maximum established at $100 ($1,355 in today’s money). There were gradual increases in the following years, and by 1984, the range was set at $50-500 ($157 – $1,570, inflation adjusted).

Next Main Street Minute: April 6. All Main Streets Minutes can be found on the NFIB website here. Pull down the California tab in the upper-right-hand corner.