Register now for the 2015 Strategic Issues Conference, scheduled for November 5-6, 2015, at the beautiful Thunder Valley Casino Resort, Lincoln, CA. The CBPA Board and Legislative Committee Meeting is being held in conjunction with this event. The event will feature discussions with former Governor Pete Wilson, members of the Legislative Democrat “Mod Caucus,” and California transportation policy leaders. Eight major groups have come together to host this special event: California Business ...

A panel you don’t want to miss at the Strategic Issues Conference is hearing from five members of the Assembly’s Moderate Democrat Caucus – “the Mod Squad.”  The two stories below outlines how the group of moderates is seeking to find pragmatic answers to many of the issues being “debated” in the Legislature. Moderate Assembly Democrats emerge as powerful pro-business force – San Jose Mercury News A New Political Power: Mod Squad & Business – Fox & Hounds  Read More →

Additionally, the Strategic Issues Conference will focus on issues related to transportation infrastructure.  As you can see below, this is an extremely relevant and timely discussion.  Attending the SIC will put you at the forefront of knowledge on what is happening: The California Legislature’s Transportation Conference Committee is holding its first hearing today in Sacramento. At the hearing, they plan to examine various proposals to fund transportation infrastructure, with an emphasis on ...

Chris Micheli is an attorney and lobbyist at the Sacramento government relations firm of Aprea & Micheli, Inc, and frequent collaborator with our association, provides the following wrap-up from the general business perspective on the recently completed legislative session: The just-concluded 2015 Legislative Session ended on a relatively good note for the California business community. While a number of bills sponsored or supported by the business community were not successful getting through ...

  Forbes Magazine takes a closer look at the “split roll” debate in California.  The story, states in part, “there is a group thinking about changing Prop 13: a labor-union-backed organization called Make It Fair. Using scare tactics and us-against-them rhetoric to garner support, Make It Fair contends that loopholes in Proposition 13 allow a small number of ‘giant corporations’ and ‘wealthy commercial property owners’ to get around paying the property taxes that they could ...

The 2015 California Legislative Session is over. Throughout the past year, your Sacramento staff tracked over 400 bills on a broad array of topics including Greenhouse Gas Issues, CEQA, ADA, Mandatory Benchmarking, Taxes, AED, and a host of issues that would impact your business from sick leave policy to water conservation. Yes, issues that impact the commercial real estate industry extremely varied! Below is a list of the top-priority bills that made it through the Legislative Process and a to the ...

AB 1230 (Gomez D) California Americans With Disabilities Small Business Capital Access Loan Program. Provides up to $50K in low interest loans for eligible ADA projects. Establishes the California Americans with Disabilities Act Small Business Capital Access Loan Program within the Capital Access Loan Program, Self-sustaining program to provide loans to assist small businesses in financing the costs of projects that alter or retrofit existing small business facilities, “small business” ...

AB 802(Williams D) Energy efficiency. Current law requires the Energy Commission to prepare an integrated energy policy report every 2 years and requires the report to include an assessment and forecast of system reliability and the need for resource additions, efficiency, and conservation that considers certain criteria. This bill would require the Energy Commission, in consultation with the Public Utilities Commission, to make all reasonable adjustments to its energy demand forecasts conducted ...

  AB 2(Alejo D) Community revitalization authority Would authorize certain local agencies to form a community revitalization authority (authority) within a community revitalization and investment area, as defined, to carry out provisions of the Community Redevelopment Law in that area for purposes related to, among other things, infrastructure, affordable housing, and economic revitalization. Status: SIGNED INTO LAW Position: SUPPORT AB 313(Atkins D) Enhanced infrastructure financing districts. Would ...

SB 287(Hueso D) Automated external defibrillators (AEDs). Would require certain occupied structures that are not owned or operated by any local government entity and are constructed on or after January 1, 2017, to have an AED on the premises. The bill would require a person or entity that supplies an AED to comply with specified existing law regarding AEDs, and would exempt a person or entity that acquires an AED for emergency care from liability for civil damages resulting from any acts or omissions ...