Sacramento Capitol Building image via wikipedia user Suvicce

As we prepare to sit down to our annual Thanksgiving meals with family and friends, the California Chamber of Commerce has released its annual vote record for our elected officials in Sacramento.

It was a whirlwind year in the California Legislature, with many hot-button issues that will guide California’s economy for years to come.

Among the things to feel grateful for this year are elected officials who understand that piling burden after regulation after mandate on business owners will only make California less competitive in the long run. Any reasonable person would agree that California is one of the most business-unfriendly states in the union.

The report card tracks how our elected officials voted on more than a dozen key bills, including:

SB 799 — Increasing unemployment insurance taxes to pay benefits to striking workers. (CalChamber opposed, ultimately vetoed)

SB 365 — Allows courts to continue trial proceedings during any appeal regarding the denial of a motion to compel arbitration. (CalChamber opposed, signed into law)

SB 616 — Nearly doubles the existing sick leave mandate for employers. (CalChamber opposed, signed into law)

SB 525 — Health care facility minimum wage increase to $25 an hour. (CalChamber neutral, signed into law)

AB 1000 — Mandates a statewide setback of 1,000 feet from sensitive receptors for all new or expanded logistics use facilities, regardless of environmental impacts, establishing a de facto ban. (CalChamber opposed, failed in Assembly)

SBX1 2 — Sets a cap on the amount of profits an oil refiner operating in California can earn over a quarterly basis. (CalChamber opposed, signed into law)

As you read through the report card results, keep in mind how the decisions made in Sacramento have a real-life impact on the business owners that keep our economy humming.

SENATE

Marie Alvarado-Gil, Dist. 4 (D-El Dorado Hills)
13 votes in accord with CalChamber, 0 not in accord

Shannon Grove, Dist. 16 (R-Bakersfield)
13 votes in accord with CalChamber, 0 not in accord

Anna Caballero, Dist. 14 (D-Merced)
7 votes in accord with CalChamber, 5 not in accord, 1 absent

Melissa Hurtado, Dist. 16 (D-Hanford)
0 votes in accord with CalChamber, 13 not in accord

ASSEMBLY

Devon Mathis, Dist. 33 (R-Hanford)
13 votes in accord with CalChamber, 0 not in accord

Jim Patterson, Dist. 8 (D-Fresno)
12 votes in accord with CalChamber, 0 not in accord

Vince Fong, Dist. 32 (R-Bakersfield)
12 votes in accord with CalChamber, 0 not in accord

Dr. Jasmeet Bains, Dist. 35 (D-Bakersfield)
8 votes in accord with CalChamber, 4 not in accord

Esmeralda Soria, Dist. 27 (D-Fresno)
7 votes in accord with CalChamber, 5 not in accord

Dr. Joaquin Arambula, Dist. 31 (D-Fresno)
2 votes in accord with CalChamber, 10 not in accord