Media Outlets Highlight CalChamber Success

(September 27th, 2013)

The near-perfect record of the California Chamber of Commerce on “job killer” bills drove numerous news stories reported throughout the state via newspaper, TV and radio. Strong CalChamber opposition defeated 37 of 38 “job killer” bills identified this year.

A Los Angeles Times article characterized the CalChamber as having the “Capitol’s deadliest aim when it comes to shooting down bills that its members don’t like. The giant lobbying group, which represents 13,500 large and small employers, posted a near-perfect score in efforts this year to defeat legislation it labeled ‘job killers.’”

Track Record

When the legislative session ended on September 13, just one “job killer” bill had reached the Governor’s desk. The Sacramento Bee CapitolAlert wrote, “Score another win for the California Chamber of Commerce’s annual ‘job-killer’ campaign… All other bills on the chamber hit list had either been held in committee, defeated in floor votes or amended to remove the business organization’s opposition. By sidetracking all but one of the bills on the list, the chamber’s lobbyists actually improved their track record.”

Each year the CalChamber releases a list of “job killer” bills, calling attention to the negative impact the proposed measures would have on California’s job climate and economic recovery if they were to become law.

San Jose State University political science professor Larry Gerston told the Los Angeles Times, “I like looking at the chamber’s list because it’s an indicator of its clout.”

TV/Radio

News coverage of the “job killer” list reached statewide TV and radio stations, including: KABC and KFI in Los Angeles; KGO and KPIX in San Francisco; KGTV in San Diego; KFSN in Fresno; KION in Monterey; KERO and KGET in Bakersfield; KOVR, KXPR, KXJZ and KFBK in Sacramento; and KPCC in Pasadena.

The Los Angeles Times also reviewed the CalChamber record in both the current administration of Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. and his predecessor, reporting that the CalChamber’s “Capitol clout has been consistent throughout the administrations of former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Republican, and Brown.”