Small business is getting a bigger voice in state government, the Los Angeles Times reports.
A little-known advisory group in Sacramento, the California Small Business Board, is getting new energy these days. And it is talking about tackling issues that can mean the difference between survival and bankruptcy for the several million small companies that form the backbone of the California economy.
The 11-member board, composed of members appointed by the governor and the Legislature, was relaunched this year and met last month to begin to plot an agenda.
Healthcare, workers’ comp, taxes, regulation and frivolous lawsuits are on a list of topics. It’s a familiar and sometimes controversial refrain. But the board chairman expects the group to hammer out positions that will get the attention of the governor and the Legislature.
“We will have the authority to pull all of the players together,” said Martyn B. Hopper, who was appointed chairman of the board by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
