Governor Signs SB 616: CalChamber Issues Statement Alerting Small Businesses to New Requirement, Increased Costs

The California Chamber of Commerce today issued the following statement in response to Governor Gavin Newsom’s signing of SB 616, a CalChamber-tagged Job Killer bill:

“This new mandate will impose significant costs on California businesses, especially small employers already operating on slim margins,” said CalChamber President and CEO Jennifer Barrera. “Many California businesses already offer more than three days of paid sick leave and can afford to do so. Our concern is that far too many small employers simply cannot absorb this new cost, especially when viewed in context of all of California’s other leaves and paid benefits, and they will have to reduce jobs, cut wages, or raise consumer prices to deal with this mandate. Small businesses are crucial to our local communities and the overall success of our economy. Continuing to add costs to their price of doing business creates a threat to California’s long-term competitiveness.”

About CalChamber
The California Chamber of Commerce (CalChamber) is the largest broad-based business advocate to government in California. Membership represents one-quarter of the private sector jobs in California and includes firms of all sizes and companies from every industry within the state. Leveraging our front-line knowledge of laws and regulations, we provide products and services to help businesses comply with both federal and state law. CalChamber, a not-for-profit organization with roots dating to 1890, promotes international trade and investment in order to stimulate California’s economy and create jobs. Please visit our website at www.calchamber.com.