Retail theft bills signed into law, NFIB team blitzes Capitol for a day of lobbying
Welcome to the August 19-23 edition of the Main Street Minute from your small-business-advocacy team in Sacramento.
Governor Signs 10 Retail Theft Bills into Law
- On Friday (August 16), Gov. Gavin Newsom signed 10 retail theft bills into law, including four measures backed and pushed by NFIB California for passage:
— AB 1779 (Irwin) — This bill would no longer limit the jurisdictional rules for … criminal actions brought by the Attorney General.
— AB 1972 (Alanis) — This bill would strengthen regional crimes task forces by broadening organized retail theft to include merchandise stolen from a merchant’s cargo.
— AB 2943 (Zbur/Rivas) — Existing law authorizes a person to be charged with grand theft if the property taken exceeds $950 over the course of distinct but related acts. This bill would clarify that those related acts include acts committed against multiple victims or in counties other than the county of the current offense.
— AB 3209 (Berman/Rivas) — This bill would authorize a court, when sentencing a person for an offense involving theft from a retail establishment, vandalism of a retail establishment, or battery of an employee of a retail establishment, to issue a criminal protective order prohibiting a person from entering the retail establishment, including any parking lots and including other franchise or chain locations of the retail establishment, as specified.
- NFIB California congratulates Assemblyman Alanis, a former Stanislaus County deputy sheriff, for his stellar work on getting his legislation into law and for his visit last Tuesday (August 13) to a meeting of NFIB members and activists in the State Capitol for a day of lobbying.
Battle Lines Drawn
- With the signing of the 10 retail theft bills, some business associations are thinking of withholding or scaling back their financial and political support of Prop. 36. NFIB, one of the earliest backers of the ballot proposition, will remain steadfast in its support for Prop. 36.
- Here are the arguments, as reported by the Southern California Newspaper Group:
— “’This initiative has nothing to do with retail theft, this (package of bills) has everything to do with retail theft. That initiative is about going back to the 1980s, the war on drugs,’ Newsom said. ‘It’s about mass incarceration.’”
— “‘Governor, I never want to go back to the era of mass incarceration. But the time to begin the era of mass treatment is now,’ said San Jose Mayor Matt Mahon in a statement on Friday. ‘Unfortunately none of the bills signed today require drug and alcohol treatment for those who need it the most — treatment that is necessary to save lives.’ Earlier this week, a coalition of Democratic elected officials led by Mahan, Sacramento County District Attorney Thien Ho and Elk Grove Mayor Bobbie Singh-Allen announced the formation of a new committee in support of Proposition 36. The ballot measure also has the support of San Francisco Mayor London Breed.”
NFIB Team Gathers in Sacramento for Lobbying Blitz
- Speaking of last Tuesday’s meeting above, NFIB thanks its members and small business activists who flew in from all corners of the state to participate in a day of lobbying at the State Capitol. More about the event, along with photos, can be read at this link, NFIB Team Blitzes State Capitol for Last-Minute Lobbying.
- Among the bills on members’ minds, three have already seen action: as mentioned above Alanis’ bill has been signed into law; in equally good news, a bill giving labor unions unfair protections (AB 2421) was held in committee; and, disappointingly, another expanding paid leave was amended and forward up the committee process.
- Finish line ahead: August 31 is the last day for the Legislature to pass bills.
News Release of the Week
- Last Wednesday (August 14), NFIB California sent a news release commenting on the release of NFIB’s latest Small Business Problems & Priorities report, which comes out every four years and ranks the 75 challenges to small business survival.
- Because last Tuesday (August 13) was also the release of the monthly Small Business Economic Trends report, NFIB combined both into the same release. Read State Director John Kabateck’s remarks about the two studies at this link.
National
Highlights from NFIB Legislative Program Manager Caitlin Lanzara’s weekly report
- On August 14, NFIB announced a new, national paid advertising campaign across 24 states featuring targeted radio, digital and video ads to urge Congress to pass the Main Street Tax Certainty Act.
— Vice President of Federal Government Relations Jeff Brabant participated in multiple radio interviews to discuss NFIB’s campaign to make the 20% Small Business Deduction permanent. Sample radio interviews: WRNR-AM in Martinsburg, West Virginia (listen here), MissouriNet in Jefferson City, Missouri (listen here), KABD-AM in Sioux Falls, South Dakota (listen here).
- Also, on August 14, the NFIB Research Center released the 11th edition of its quadrennial Small Business Problems and Priorities report.
- On August 13, the NFIB Research Center released the July SBET survey, which showed that inflation is still the top small business issue, with 25% of small business owners reporting it as their single most important problem in operating their business, up four points from June.
This Main Street Minute can also be read on the NFIB California webpage here. Next Main Street Minute August 26.
