Small Business California 2008 Review 

2008 was a very successful year for Small Business California.  Here is a list of our most important accomplishments:

·        Small Business California led the fight to get an exemption for small businesses with less than 500,000 in gross receipts from the suspension of the Net Operating Loss Carryover tax.

·        Small Business California expanded its leadership role for California small businesses by representing their interest in health policy.  Small Business California spoke at over 10 conferences and has been a frequent source for the media around the country on this subject.

·        Small Business California sponsored and passed AB 2181 (Ruskin).  This bill will streamline reporting requirements of workers’ compensation claims information, saving millions of dollars and eliminating unnecessary paperwork.

·        Small Business California participated in the Governor’s Conference on Small Business and Entrepreneurship.  Small Business California President Scott Hauge served as Co-Chair of the Health Caucus and worked with the Pacific Business Group on Health (PBGH) and other members of the Health Caucus, developing a Small Business Healthcare Toolkit.  The toolkit has been received extremely well, and has been co-branded by 12 other associations around the state and is currently used on 15 organization and business websites.

·        Through extensive discussions with the Department of Industrial Relations, the Division of Workers’ Compensation and the California Commission on Health and Safety and Workers’ Compensation, Small Business California was able to secure the development of a Return – to – Work Guidebook. This guidebook will provide information to employers about the new laws pertaining to the Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance.  The information will also provide valuable assistance in best practices and include a list of resources that the employer can contact in obtaining additional guidance on the ever-changing rules and responsibilities of the state’s Return–to –Work laws.

·        Small Business California completed its 4^th Annual Survey this year and hit a milestone by having over 600 returned surveys.  We were able to get at least one survey completed by every county in California.  Our agenda each year is formed by our survey, and 2008’s top issues for California small business were:

·        The cost of health insurance

·        Workforce / Education

·        Infrastructure

·        Regulations

·        Energy

·        Taxes

Other issues identified by the survey were workers’ compensation, access to capital, and procurement.

·        On July 23^rd, Small Business California held a “Small Business Heroes” Reception for those who have been extremely helpful in promoting our small business agenda. The outstanding individuals that were honored were California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner, John Duncan from the Department of Industrial Relations (DIR), Christine Baker and Lach Taylor from the Commission on Health, Safety and Workers’ Compensation, Jim Pimental and John Wilcox from the San Francisco Examiner, Jim Baird who owns Bay Area Development and San Francisco’s KGO Radio Business Reporter, Lynn Jimenez.  All recipients were given our “2008 Small Business Hero” Award.

·        Small Business California served on the Economic and Technology Advancement Advisory Committee (ETAAC) supporting California small businesses in the implementation of AB 32 (reduction of greenhouse gases).

·        Small Business California served on the Advisory Board of the Insure the Uninsured Project (ITUP).  ITUP is a non-partisan organization that works with state government, community and business organizations and employers to increase healthcare coverage of California’s estimated 6.6 million uninsured.

·        Small Business California President and Founder Scott Hauge was appointed to the Board of the Pacific Business Group on Health, representing California small businesses.  This organization is composed of large employers who provide health insurance or who are self-insured to over 3 million employees.

·        Small Business California represented small business on the Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Board’s Advisory Committee. 

·        Small Business California represented small business on the Return – to –Work Advisory Committee led by Acting Director Carrie Nevans.

·        Small Business California Board Member Stephen Simpson was named to the Department of General Services Advisory Board.

·        Small Business California worked with the California Workforce Investment Board and surveyed best practices of other local Workforce Investment Boards and will be putting forth a report in 2009.

·        The California Association of Competitive Telecommunications Companies (CALTEL) joined Small Business California as an affiliate member.

·        This year, Small Business California organized several meetings with the General Services Administration (GSA) and the Department of General Services (DGS) to address the OBF potential for federal and state buildings in California.

·        Small Business California organized and attended meetings for all California Investor Owned Utilities (IOU’s) to lay the groundwork for possible statewide coordination of OBF programs, especially “institutional” OBF program designs.  Our work with the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) Energy Division on developing financing options for small business users has informed the research they have been conducting across the country.

·        Small Business California successfully organized support for appropriate OBF related language to be included in the final ETAAC Report, presented to the California Air Resource Board (CARB) on February 28^th. 

·        In May, Small Business California gave an OBF presentation, together with Dennis O’Connor of Connecticut’s United Illuminating (via teleconference) to the CPUC Energy Division.  This effort was favorably received and helped build the “champion base” there for the consideration of how California IOUs respond to the 2009 CPUC mandates for expansion of OBF.

·        Small Business California has continued to work with Connecticut’s United Illuminating to help develop their capability in offering their ENERNET (OBF Project Management) software for other utilities to use. 

·        On October 28^th, Small Business California presented our “2008 Energy Leadership Award” to Frank Spasaro and Sempra Utilities so as to raise the profile of OBF to the media and other decision makers.

·        Small Business California filed Comments to the CPUC regarding the 2009-2011 IOU Energy Efficiency Program Applications.  We included the language from the latest CPUC ruling on OBF, all OBF language from the IOU’s (our compilations vetted and approved by each individual utility), in their 2009-2011 Application filings together with our comments and recommendations.

·        Small Business California led an Esource teleconference with participants Sempra Utilities, Connecticut’s United Illuminating and National Grid. We worked extensively with Kim Knox from Esource to finalize the Esource OBF Report based on the transcript.  The final report, for utility members from Esource, was their most popular report as of November 2008.

·        Throughout 2008, Small Business California made several presentations on energy issues and financing opportunities.  These presentations included one to 30 business organizations in Sacramento, one to the Pollution Prevention Conference held in Monterey, one to a utility conference in Boston, and one on behalf of the CARB regarding small business challenges and opportunities as AB 32 develops.