Small Business Calls on Legislature to Reject the AB 1228 Deal

September 12, 2023 Last Edit: June 5, 2025

Small Business Calls on Legislature to Reject the AB 1228 Deal

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: John Kabateck, California State Director, John@Kabstrat.com or Tony Malandra, Senior Media Manager, Anthony.Malandra@nfib.org SACRAMENTO, Calif., Sept. 12, 2023—With just two days left in the 2023 session of the California Legislature, the state’s leading small business association today called on legislators to reject the recently announced grand deal surrounding Assembly Bill 1228. “Quite frankly, we were looking forward to the fight for passage of the 2024 ballot referendum that we believe would have reversed the wholesale seizure of one segment of the California economy,” said John Kabateck, state director for the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB). “A government seizure no other state in the nation has ever tried.” Kabateck said he fully understands why some business groups did what they had to do but small business owners are never the beneficiaries of such grand deals and must live under their consequences. “Providing fast food franchisees some short-term stability with minimum wage rates and relief from liability, for a time, are good to a point, but the deal left intact the new state agency’s existence to live another day. The progressives in control of the Legislature know well the adage of two steps forward, one step back. The referendum would have left no doubt where voters stood and upheld the right of people to start and run their own business.” Kabateck also pointed out that although many other business associations can raise substantial political war chests, which backers of AB 1228 may have sought to avoid, small businesses are nonpareil in raising the troops for the on-the-ground campaign. “Make no mistake about it, the referendum sought to repeal the biggest attack on American free enterprise by any state, and we were ready for the fight.” Click here to read the Power of the Small Business Voice. 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