Written by T. Logan Dayne
Honesty, sincerity, and transparency are vital components of any administration looking to keep the trust of its constituents but they are things rarely found in California politics. In the past few years, small businesses especially have been unduly devastated under Newsom’s iron fist policies. Nearly a third of restaurants alone have been permanently closed with many other small businesses following suit. Corporate business and even Newsom’s friends in Hollywood were allowed to operate.
These were after all “vital” businesses. California has long put on a friendly face to businesses while pursuing policies that would hinder them. Done largely through politicians who have no experience with the subject and prove to lose nothing and not be held accountable should any bill or policy be a disaster. Following this trend, there are two new bills designated as “job killers” by the California Chamber of Commerce and would continue to help California in its goal of talking out both sides of its mouth.
The first is AB 2095 pushed by Assemblyman Ash Kalra (D-San Jose) which would force employers to give fine detailed annual reports of wage and hour data and employed benefits for the entirety of the staff across the United States. The second is AB 1162 brought by State Senator Monique Limon (D-Goleta) which would incentivize senseless litigation against employers by private attorneys based on overly broad and immaterial data that the state can collect. The proposed burden that state legislatures would pose on businesses is bad enough but becomes overwhelmingly hypocritical given the state’s view on transparency.
In recent years the California Legislature has continually buried or stalled harassment cases with a specially created “Workplace Conduct Unit” which gives no account or detail on how it processes complaints of harassment. The legislature has also passed bills punishing employers from deterring unionization while also killing bills that would allow their own staff to form unions. Even soon, California Governor Gavin Newsom and his record-blowing budget will meet privately and discuss how to spend taxpayer money without input or comment. It is unfortunate that this has become the character of the legislature and leadership in the state. In California, transparency only goes one way.
Photo Cred: Public Policy Institute of California
