June 21, 2024
A group of over 75 business and civic leaders from the Cali-Baja region traveled to the state capital to advocate for legislation that will benefit businesses and help advance regional priorities, during the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce’s annual Leadership Delegation to Sacramento which took place June 17 -18, 2024.
“The Chamber aims to ensure the San Diego region is represented and is at the center of the leading issues our state leaders are tackling,” said Jerry Sanders, San Diego Regional Chamber President & CEO. “This week proved our collective voice is not only at the table but is instrumental in key decision-making. Our delegation represents diverse industries influencing California’s elected officials and is crucial to helping them understand how their decisions impact our region’s business community.”
The two-day agenda covered a range of priorities critical to business and job growth in the San Diego region, including:
- Cross-border economy
- Housing
- Healthcare
- Retail theft
- Workforce
- PAGA reform
- Small business supports
- Transportation
Delegates engaged with legislators, agency officials, and policy influencers, including:
- Senate President pro Tempore Emeritus Toni Atkins
- Assemblymembers David Alvarez, Tasha Boerner, Laurie Davis, Brian Maienschein, Chris Ward, Dr. Akilah Weber, and Rick Chavez Zbur
- Senators Catherine Blakespear, Brian Jones, and Steve Padilla
- Assembly Majority Whip Matt Haney, Chair of the Select Committee on Downtown Recovery, which is working to address California’s empty downtown cores that have not recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic
- Gregory Totten, Chief Executive Officer, California District Attorneys Association
- Dustin Corcoran, Chief Executive Officer, California Medical Association
- Emily Desai, Deputy Director for International Affairs and Trade, GoBiz
- Brian Maas, President, New Car Dealers
- Jot Condie, President and CEO, CA Restaurant Association
- Rachel Michelin, President, CA Retailers Association
- Shannan West, Housing Accountability Unit Chief, California Department of Housing and Community Development
- Senate President pro Tempore Emeritus Toni Atkins
- Assemblymembers David Alvarez, Tasha Boerner, Laurie Davis, Brian Maienschein, Chris Ward, Dr. Akilah Weber, and Rick Chavez Zbur
Key takeaways from the trip include:
Agreement on PAGA Reform – One of the biggest highlights of the trip was following a panel discussion Monday on the Private Attorney General’s Act (PAGA), it was announced a deal had been reached on Tuesday afternoon. PAGA was enacted in 2004 as a better way to resolve labor disputes in California, but it has since proven to be detrimental to all businesses, including small businesses and non-profits, and has done little to actually help workers. Since 2013, employers have been forced to pay nearly $10B in PAGA court case awards, but workers receive only a small portion of these awards. PAGA reform is one of the main policy priorities for the Chamber.
LOSSAN Corridor Progress – Senator Blakespear is spearheading state efforts around the LOSSAN corridor to create one cohesive vision for the LOSSAN corridor – an essential piece of the region’s transportation system. The corridor serves nearly half the state and is crucial to the movement of goods and people throughout the San Diego region and California as a whole.
Housing – Assemblymember David Alvarez is seeking to advance more lower-income affordable housing along the coast via the housing density bonus which is currently not being implemented in the coastal zone under the Coastal Commission’s purview. Delegates also met with Assemblymember Chris Ward, who shared that he helped secure $13M in funding for Foster transitional-age youth in this year’s state budget, benefiting 13,000 people.
Cross-Border Economy – The Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) through the Commission on the Californias work with Baja California, is prioritizing mitigating cross-border pollution, boosting economic development, healthcare, and transition to ZEVs without impacting integrated supply chains. These are all priorities shared by the San Diego Regional Chamber’s International Business Affairs work.