PUBLIC PUBLICPOLICY POLICY
Legislative Update
L
egislative Session 2019-2020 was historic, dramatic and unlike any we have ever experienced in the past. Amid a global pandemic, leadership had to quickly enact regulations for virtual voting, proxy voting and a shortened session due to concerns about coronavirus. California Lawmakers worked to vote on the hundreds of bills before them prior to the midnight deadline on August 31, 2020. The Governor then was tasked with acting on bills that were sent to his desk by his deadline of September 30, 2020. The 2021-2022 Legislative session has already hit the ground running, promising that this legislative year will bring numerous bills that will dramatically affect the business community.
SB 939 (Wiener) did not pass the legislature. The Hollywood Chamber strongly opposed this bill as it would have placed an eviction moratorium on commercial leases in addition to allowing tenants to renegotiate their lease terms or terminate their lease without any penalty. We are incredibly disappointed in the Governor for signing AB 1383 (Jackson) into law which will now require a mandatory 12-week leave of absence on any employer with five or more employees, allow a private right-of-action, and will overwhelmingly hurt small businesses. Under previous law, employers with 50 or less employees were not subject to paid family leave requirements but now must comply with the full 12-week leave policy.
The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce worked diligently throughout the entire 2019-2020 session to ensure lawmakers heard from the business community during these times of peril. Through the combined advocacy efforts of our staff and member companies, we were able to elevate the voice of business and ensure critical bills were not passed which would harm recovery and have a negative effect on businesses which are already struggling to survive.
The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce is committed to working with our members and our Board of Directors to ensure we are advocating on critical policies which will enhance the economic prosperity of Hollywood and our region. Through our policy work, we can ensure the voice of business has a seat at the table and fair policies are adopted with all stakeholders in mind. Thank you to all our members that engaged throughout the advocacy process including attending meetings, voicing business concerns, and sending letters through our action alerts; with your support, our legislators received over 3,000 advocacy emails. Here is a full list of bills the Hollywood Chamber advocated on:
One of our largest victories was the veto of AB 3216 (Kalra) which would have required employers in specific industries (including the hospitality and retail industry) to offer to recall employees previously laid off and allow a generous response time before offering to another former employee. We thank Governor Newsom for vetoing this bill. Employers are struggling to survive during these unprecedented times and need flexibility and control over their hiring practices.
CALIFORNIA STATE LEGISLATIVE BILLS 2019-2020 Bills the Hollywood Chamber Supported that were sent to the Governor’s Desk: •SB 1065 (Hertzberg) CalWORKs: homeless assistance hollywoodchamber.net
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SPRING 2021 ADVOCATE
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