Jennifer Barrera
Jennifer Barrera took over as president and chief executive officer of the California Chamber of Commerce on October 1, 2021. Previously, she oversaw the development and implementation of policy and strategy as executive vice president and represented the CalChamber on legal reform issues. She led CalChamber advocacy on labor and employment and taxation from September 2010 through the end of 2017. As senior policy advocate in 2017, she worked with the executive vice president in developing policy strategy. Before joining the CalChamber, she worked at a statewide law firm that specializes in labor/employment defense. Barrera earned a B.A. in English from California State University, Bakersfield, and a J.D. with high honors from California Western School of Law. See full bio.
CalChamber: State Proposed National Origin Regulations Too Broad
Regulations proposed by a state council to dictate how national origin is to be treated in the workplace are too broad and unsupported by...
Assembly Policy Committee Passes Bill Enhancing Labor Commissioner Authority
A California Chamber of Commerce-opposed bill that allows the Labor Commissioner to seek injunctive relief before completing an investigation and determining retaliation has occurred...
Job Creator Falls Short in Senate Policy Committee
A California Chamber of Commerce-supported job creator to enable employers to rely on compliance advice from the Labor Commissioner failed to win needed support...
Senate Committee to Consider Job Killer Leave Mandate
A leave mandate job killer bill opposed by the California Chamber of Commerce will be heard today in the Senate Labor and Industrial Relations Committee.
SB 63...
Budget Item Expands Labor Commissioner Authority
Increases Legal Costs, Penalties for Employers
The California Chamber of Commerce and a coalition of employer groups is opposing a budget item that expands the...
Criminal History Regulations: CalChamber Seeks Rejection
The California Chamber of Commerce is asking the state Office of Administrative Law (OAL) to reject proposed regulations that create confusion regarding when employers...
Arbitration Can Benefit Both Parties in a Dispute
The history of the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA) and numerous U.S. Supreme Court decisions interpreting the act’s broad scope and strength set the stage...
Job Killer Mandates New Leave of Absence
A more expansive version of a job killer bill vetoed last year has been reintroduced. The California Chamber of Commerce has identified SB 63...
CalChamber Participates in Equal Pay Task Force Meeting at Capitol
The California Pay Equity Task Force, created by the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls, convened its third meeting this week...
Governor Signs CalChamber-Supported Bill Improving Disability Access
Governor Edmund Brown Jr. has signed a California Chamber of Commerce-supported bill that will help businesses assess whether commercial rental property is compliant with...
Governor Signs Two CalChamber-Backed Bills Enhancing Tax Fairness
Governor Edmund Brown Jr. recently signed two California Chamber of Commerce-supported bills that improve fairness in the tax law administration process.
AB 2201 (Brough...
Assembly Passes Agriculture Overtime Bill
The Assembly yesterday passed a bill that could drive up costs of commodities to consumers by removing the existing overtime exemption allowed for agricultural...
SB 654 is Attack on Small Business; CalChamber Issues Call to Action
The California Chamber of Commerce is urging small business owners to contact their legislators and the Governor to express strong opposition to SB 654...
CalChamber-Opposed Criminal History Bill Stalls in Senate
A California Chamber of Commerce-opposed bill that would have limited an employer’s ability to maintain a safe work environment for employees and consumers by...
Assembly to Consider Proposal Interfering with Contract Enforcement
A California Chamber of Commerce-opposed bill that interferes with the enforcement of contracts is awaiting action by the Assembly.
SB 1241 (Wieckowski; D-Fremont) undermines judicial...
Double-Pay Holiday Bill on Senate Floor
A California Chamber of Commerce-opposed bill that unfairly targets two classifications of employers, increases their costs, and creates a competitive disadvantage by forcing them...
Governor Signs CalChamber-Supported Bill
UPDATE -Governor Brown signed AB 2535: Late this morning Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. signed a California Chamber of Commerce-supported bill that clarifies the...
CalChamber Opposition Helps Stop Job Killer Leave Mandate
A job killer bill that would have overwhelmed small businesses with administering a new protected leave of absence and subjected them to threats of...
Governor Signs Job Creator Bill
A California Chamber of Commerce-supported job creator bill that incentivizes disability access and education was signed by Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. yesterday.
SB 269...
Proposed Limit on Use of Criminal History Information Will Harm Employers
New proposed state regulations by the California Fair Employment and Housing Council (FEHC) seek to limit consideration of criminal history in hiring and employment...