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.
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...
CalChamber-Opposed Job Killer Bill Discriminates Against Arbitration Agreements
The Assembly Judiciary Committee today will consider a job killer bill that seeks to ban arbitration clauses for alleged civil rights violations, thereby forcing...
Job Killer Bill Will Drive Up Prices, Threaten Businesses, Consumers with Litigation
A California Chamber of Commerce-opposed job killer bill that would increase prices for consumers and businesses who utilize the services of independent contractors will...
Disability Access Job Creator Bill Passes Assembly Fiscal Committee
A California Chamber of Commerce-supported job creator bill that incentivizes disability access and education won unanimous bipartisan approval from the Assembly Appropriations Committee yesterday.
Moving...
Scheduling Mandate Job Killer in Committee Today
A California Chamber of Commerce-opposed job killer bill subjecting employers to financial penalties and litigation for changes to an employee’s schedule with less than...
CalChamber Identifies 13th Job Creator Bill
The California Chamber of Commerce has identified a new job creator bill, bringing the current list to 13 bills. The latest bill will be...
Minimum Wage Hike Implications for Employers
California is the first state in the nation to commit to raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour statewide. Employers need to prepare...
Minimum Wage Job Killer Goes to Governor
The Legislature yesterday passed SB 3 (Leno; D-San Francisco), a job killer bill that will increase the minimum wage in California to $15 per...
Assembly Passes Double-Pay Holiday Bill
The California Assembly yesterday passed a California Chamber of Commerce-opposed bill that requires double the “regular rate” of pay for work on Thanksgiving.
AB 67...
Revised Double-Pay Holiday Bill Back for Assembly Vote
A California Chamber of Commerce-opposed bill that requires double pay for work on Thanksgiving awaits action by the Assembly. A previous version of the bill failed to pass the...
CalChamber-Supported Job Creator Bill Passes Assembly Policy Committee
A California Chamber of Commerce-supported job creator bill that seeks to limit frivolous litigation and claims regarding construction-related accessibility violations unanimously passed the Assembly...
CalChamber-Supported Flexible Workweek Agreement Bill Up This Week
A California Chamber of Commerce-supported bill that provides employers with the opportunity to accommodate employees' needs as well as business demands by allowing employees...
U.S. Supreme Court Reverses State Court to Reinforce Arbitration to Resolve Disputes
Further emphasizing the federal policy favoring arbitration under the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA), the U.S. Supreme Court last week again reversed a California decision...
CalChamber Steers Helpful Bills into Law, Stops Costly Mandates, Secures Changes
The 2015 legislative year was very active in the labor and employment policy arena. Overall, the California Chamber of Commerce was very successful with...
Taxation: CalChamber Stops/Amends Plans Targeting Industries, Backs Helpful Bills
The 2015 legislative year saw the introduction of a number of evergreen tax bills that dealt with policies discussed yearly in the Capitol, including...
Governor Signs CalChamber-Supported Gender Equity Pay Bill
A California Chamber of Commerce-supported bill that seeks to eliminate pay disparity based on gender was signed by Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. yesterday.
SB...
Governor Signs Job Creator Bill
A California Chamber of Commerce-supported job creator bill that provides employers with a limited opportunity to cure technical violations in an itemized wage statement...
CalChamber-Opposed Bill on Governor’s Desk Could Increase Frivolous Litigation
The California Chamber of Commerce is urging the Governor to veto a bill that threatens only private employers with civil litigation for seeking an...
SB 358 Helps Workers and Employers
Cross posted on Fox and Hounds Daily
The issue of gender equity in compensation has been a prominent topic at the Capitol this year, with...
CalChamber Advises U.S. Labor Department Not to Follow California Example for Overtime Exemptions
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) should not adopt California’s quantitative approach to determining whether an employee is exempt from overtime pay requirements, the...