Advocacy Alerts

This week, the author of a health care bill identified by the California Chamber of Commerce as a Cost Driver that will increase premiums for employers and employees said she will delay action until next year.

Procurement opportunities and resources in California were the focus of the second quarter meeting of the CalChamber Small Business Policy Council on April 25.

As World Trade Month begins, the California Chamber of Commerce is emphasizing its long-held support for a national free trade agenda and the significance of international trade in maintaining economic growth.

For the third consecutive year, employees’ leave of absence requests continue to increase, according to AbsenceSoft’s 2025 State of Leave and Accommodations Report, with injury and illness recovery (57%), managing mental health challenges (47%) and caring for an aging parent (37%) being the top reasons employees ask for leave. And California has numerous leave laws that frequently change, requiring employers to stay on top of the latest updates.

Legislation opposed by the California Chamber of Commerce and a large coalition as a Cost Driver that undermines a painstaking negotiation by business and labor to reach a historic agreement to reform the Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) passed the Senate Judiciary Committee this week.

A bill strongly supported by the California Chamber of Commerce as a Cost Cutter that will reduce energy costs for Californians won unanimous support this week from the first Senate policy committee to consider it.

As many as 100 governments around the world have indicated an interest in negotiating tariffs with the Trump administration following the rapid series of trade policy announcements by President Donald Trump.

The deadline is approaching rapidly to submit applications for the California Chamber of Commerce Small Business Awards, honoring four outstanding businesses with $5,000 grants. Applications close on April 11.

The California Chamber of Commerce joined more than 300 other organizations last week in urging the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) to refrain from imposing proposed actions against China that will hurt U.S. businesses and consumers instead of deterring China’s broader maritime ambitions.

More information to evaluate the full impact of federal tariffs and reciprocal tariffs on the California economy will become available if a California Chamber of Commerce-supported bill becomes law.

President Donald Trump’s trade policy announcements continued to create uncertainty this week, as well as affecting consumer prices, the stock market and consumer confidence.

For more than two decades, CalChamber has issued the “Job Killer” list, a comprehensive package of legislation that would have historically eliminated jobs or opportunities for investment in job growth for California businesses. The list has been hugely successful for the business community, as more than 93 percent of bills that have wound up on the list over the years have been halted in the legislative process.