MAY 2013 – President’s Article by Daney Bachiu
The last California grizzly bear was killed in 1953. California citizens can rest assured that they will not come face to face with a grizzly bear…that is unless you happen to be a business owner. California businesses both large and small, are facing a new predator, more hungry and ferocious than the grizzly. It is our State Legislature. With the American economy and California businesses especially, in a deep sleep (or dead) these past 2-3 years, the State Legislature has also been relatively quiet. Now there are the rumblings of some business activity and some of our predatory lawmakers have sniffed out a few coins in our pockets and are right at our heels. They are trying to figure out ways to wrestle those few coins away from business into their hands, because we all know they are much better at spending our money than we are! They have apparently forgotten that we business owners will need those coins next year when we have to pay for expensive health insurance.
OK, OK, let me take a break here to calm down and explain why I am ranting and raving. Our wonderfully well connected and informed, Redlands Chamber of Commerce, clued me in last week on what is coming up in the State Legislature. Our representatives are doing their best to try and circumvent the sacrosanct Prop 13. You know the Howard Jarvis property tax amendment that was soundly voted in by California citizens some years ago. I guess our representatives think that if they change the wording from property tax to parcel tax, we won’t figure it out.
My fellow business owners, one mad ranting Chamber of Commerce Queen is not going to change a thing, but small businesses in California are 3,320,977 strong, and if we ALL stand up and say enough, we WILL be heard. So when your Redlands Chamber of Commerce (and other chambers of commerce statewide) call on you to write a letter to your representative, or show up at a protest that is being covered by the media, or attend a city council meeting, you need to take the time and just do it. Things have gotten out of hand because we LET THEM get out of hand. No one is going to fight our battles for us, if we are not out there in the trenches no one will be…. End of Rant.
On the lighter side, having this strong an ally fighting for your business is well worth your chamber membership, that along with all the fun chamber events coming up. Don’t forget to cruise on down to the Redlands Chamber office to get your tickets to Cruisin’ Cuisine. So far we have these restaurants: Corner Bakery, Rok n Fondue, Eureka Burger, Renaissance Hall (catering), Sizzler, Oscars, The Spaghetti Factory and Ramano’s. So hurry and purchase your tickets, they are going fast.
Talk (or rant) to you again in June,