Chamber Provides Ballot Positions & Resources to Make Informed Decisions in the 2020 Election

The Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce is committed to helping create and support an environment that betters our local businesses and community. Our organization recognizes that the upcoming elections can directly impact that environment.

Based on our commitment to our community, the Chamber is offering guidance on a number of business-related propositions on the 2020 election ballot. Of the twelve proposals on the general election ballot, the Chamber's Board of Directors determined that five would have significant and direct impacts on the business climate of our state. Of those five, the Chamber recommends supporting two and opposing three.

The Chamber supports the following ballot propositions:

• Proposition 19: Property Tax Transfers, Exemptions, and Revenue for Wildfire Agencies and Counties

• Proposition 22: App-Based Drivers as Contractors and Labor Policies

The Chamber opposes the following ballot propositions:

• Proposition 15: Tax on Commercial and Industrial Properties for Education and Local Government Funding Initiative The Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce continues to advocates for business and the local community, and encourages everyone to participate in the upcoming election.

• Proposition 21: Local Rent Control Initiative

• Proposition 24: Consumer Privacy Law Amendments

Additional details on the Chamber's ballot positions and reasoning behind these positions can be found at bit.ly/ SMVCC2020BallotPositions

"As the leading voice for business in the Santa Maria Valley, the Chamber’s board regularly advocates for legislation that will help advance economic vitality, and against proposals that make it more difficult for entrepreneurs and businesses of all size to create jobs and investment in our economy," explained Glenn Morris, President and Continued on p.2

CEO for the Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce. "We hope that the information we provide on our positions can help the community better understand how their vote on these measures could impact our local community."

The Chamber encourages all community members to their own research and make informed decisions when they submit their ballots this election season. "We encourage all community members to prepare for the upcoming election and cast your vote," Morris said. "This election will have lasting impacts at the local, state and national levels, and it is important that your voice is

To help educate voters, the Chamber recently held a Candidate Forum for local City Council and Mayoral candidates. Over 50 community members participated in the virtual event, where they had opportunities to talk with candidates in a small group format.

Additionally, the Chamber will be conducting interviews with local Congressional and State Assembly candidates. These interviews will be available on the Chamber website and social media platforms, community members so can get to know who is running locally for these seats, what their platform positions are, and what impact they have at the state and local levels.

Finally, the Chamber offers a variety of election resources on their website (santamaria.com/advocacy), including a voter guide, voter registration and ballot information, and more.

"Your voice matters, and your vote matters," Morris said. "As champions for our community, we encourage everyone to make informed decisions and cast their vote in the upcoming election."