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Priorities
 January
10, 2009
Southwest
California Business Community Sets Its 2009 Legislative
Priorities
Each year, the Southwest California Legislative Council
(SWCLC) develops its legislative priorities. Each of the
policy goals serve as the foundation for the Southwest
California Legislative Council's continuing effort to
improve the regional business climate.
SWCLC’s mission is to provide a basis for the Temecula
Valley, Murrieta, and Lake Elsinore Valley chambers of
commerce to act on local, state and federal government
issues to secure a favorable and profitable business climate
for the region.
2009 Policy Platform
Infrastructure Improvements
Review
and consider policies that ensure the Southwest
California region maintains a reputation as an
attractive prosperous location for business; to balance
employment and housing needs with natural resource
preservation; and to plan and construct the community
infrastructure necessary to support current and future
business needs.
Monitor
land use, planning, housing and zoning issues that
affect the Southwest California regional business
community.
Review
and consider development projects within the Southwest
California region.
Encourage an adequate supply of appropriate housing to
meet the needs of the Southwest California region.
Review
and consider reliable, stable, and competitively priced
energy supplies for California’s businesses and
consumers.
Review
and consider policies that improve water quality as the
result of comprehensive approaches that will reduce
contaminants from water sources in a cost effective
manner.
Review
and consider policies that promote safe, clean, high
quality, adequate and reliable water supplies supporting
the needs of economic growth and quality of life in
Southern California.
Review
and consider policies that promote the Southwest
California region as the frontrunner of technological
advances in any infrastructure improvements throughout
the region.
Taxation and Government Finance
Review
and consider reform measures that solve the state
budget’s continuing structural deficit that promotes
real economic growth and job creation.
Encourage cooperation among government agencies, and
work to streamline and reduce unnecessary requirements
of regulatory agencies.
Review
and consider cost effective ways to privatize government
services and public contracts while maintaining or
improving standards.
Review
and consider state and local tax increases and new tax
categories affecting the regional business community.
Support
and promote when appropriate the preparation of
cost/benefit analysis ensuring economic impacts are
weighed before the imposition of regulatory statutes.
Ensure
that regulations on business are kept to a minimum and
do not put regional businesses at a competitive
disadvantage.
Encourage the protection of private property rights.
Promote
economic development opportunities in the Southwest
California region for business retention and attraction.
Support
state programs that secure tax credits for targeted work
training programs.
Consider and review policies that promote the
outsourcing of essential public services by government
agencies.
Pro-business Leadership
Support
efforts to make California elections more competitive by
reforming the highly politicized process of drawing
legislative and congressional districts.
Review
and consider local, statewide, and when appropriate,
federal legislation as it pertains to the SWCLC’s policy
priorities and communicate the information to the three
chamber’s membership.
Continue to enhance working relationships with local,
state and federal representatives.
Review
and consider measures that examine the re-districting
system that determines the representation of
Californians in the State Legislature and the House of
Representatives.
Consider and review legislation that promotes standards
of corporate governance that guide boards of directors
and corporate officers in managing their corporations in
a competent, ethical manner.
Employee Relations
Review
and consider measures that reform the extraordinary
costs of the state’s public pension system for the sake
of the state’s overall fiscal health.
Monitor
and review alternatives to (1) any proposed state
minimum wage increases and (2) any local or state living
wage ordinances.
Monitor
and provide recommendations to the new workers’
compensation reform measures to reduce costs to
businesses.
Consider and review responsible health care policy
proposals that maximize free market forces, minimizes
mandates upon insurers and providers, and results in
increased availability of health care coverage
affordable for employers, employees and individuals.
Monitor
measures that reform our state’s educational system and
encourage workforce preparation.
Advocate against the unwarranted and frivolous lawsuits
on our businesses, consumers, taxpayers, and
communities.
Immigration Reform
Support
efforts that create a guest worker program that is
comprehensive, addressing both future economic needs
for workers and the status of undocumented workers
already in the United States.
Support
the creation of an employment verification system that
is fast and reliable.
Support
policies that ensure all workers enjoy the same labor
law protections.
Support
policies that require all workers striving for
citizenship to demonstrate a knowledge of the English
language and American civic requirements.
Support
policies that expand temporary visa programs for
essential workers, creating paths to permanent residence
for these workers and providing a way to earn legal
status for the millions of undocumented workers already
in the United States.
Healthcare
Consider actions that preserve the current voluntary
employer-provided health coverage system.
Continue the efforts to contain the costs of premiums.
Conform
to federal law on health savings accounts.
Support
legislation to allow employers to offer more affordable
benefit plans that allow choices in coverage.
Support
policies that prevent cost shifting from
government-provided programs to the private sector.
Work to
curb the expansion of litigation in the health care
system.
Support
the wellness and disease management education programs.
Monitor
policies that encourage continued medical discoveries
and innovations that improve quality of care.
Transportation
Review and consider public and
private sector transportation improvement plans that
impact congestion on freeways, streets and roads, and
ensure mobility within the Southwest California region.
Review and consider
legislative and regulatory proposals that impact the
automobile, trucking, rail, aviation, and maritime
industries.
Review and consider
legislation that might place the Southwest California
logistics industry at a competitive disadvantage.
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