AB 1139 was heard last week by the California legislative Assembly Committee on Jobs, Economic Development and the Economy. RestaWOTC (under the name of “Zone Centrix” our CA division) had joined the list of opposition to this bill, which if passed would dismantle the enterprise zone hiring credit program that we have all learned to appreciate over the years.
CAEZ lead the opposition providing testimony at the hearing on April 30, 2009. In addition to Mr. Johnson’s testimony, the committee heard from Lydia Moreno (Community Development Coordinator for the City of San Diego), and from numerous other individuals who had packed the committee room in opposition to the bill.
Responses and comments by some of the legislators on the committee were encouraging. For a full account, please click the link to read Mr. Johnson’s entire message yourself. I end now by quoting Mr. Johnson’s call for continued action.
“Our next steps will include working with our opposition coalition members . . . to prepare a letter addressed to the Committee members, correcting numerous inaccuracies stated about the EZ program during the hearing. I will share this letter with you, which will help prepare all of you to respond to attacks on the program going forward.”
“The CAEZ Government Affairs Committee will continue to follow this bill and work closely with the Coalition. Continued education of Members of the Legislature will be the order of the day and I encourage all of you to regularly communicate with your Legislators about your Zones, your businesses and clients and how they make a difference in your communities.”
If your business enjoys the benefits of the enterprise zone hiring credit program, we also encourage you to get involved. Opposition letters and faxes are simple ways to make your voice count politically. If your business benefits significantly from the program, you might even consider budgeting some funds to support the coalition in its effort to defeat the bill.
If the bill is not defeated or at least modified, then California businesses that currently benefit from this program will begin paying millions of dollars more in taxes annually in the not so distant future. Contact RestaWOTC for more information. Even better, join us as members of the California Association of Enterprise Zones. You can join by clicking here: Join CAEZ.
Responses and comments by some of the legislators on the committee were encouraging. For a full account, please click the link to read Mr. Johnson’s entire message yourself. I end now by quoting Mr. Johnson’s call for continued action.
“Our next steps will include working with our opposition coalition members . . . to prepare a letter addressed to the Committee members, correcting numerous inaccuracies stated about the EZ program during the hearing. I will share this letter with you, which will help prepare all of you to respond to attacks on the program going forward.”
“The CAEZ Government Affairs Committee will continue to follow this bill and work closely with the Coalition. Continued education of Members of the Legislature will be the order of the day and I encourage all of you to regularly communicate with your Legislators about your Zones, your businesses and clients and how they make a difference in your communities.”
If your business enjoys the benefits of the enterprise zone hiring credit program, we also encourage you to get involved. Opposition letters and faxes are simple ways to make your voice count politically. If your business benefits significantly from the program, you might even consider budgeting some funds to support the coalition in its effort to defeat the bill.
If the bill is not defeated or at least modified, then California businesses that currently benefit from this program will begin paying millions of dollars more in taxes annually in the not so distant future. Contact RestaWOTC for more information. Even better, join us as members of the California Association of Enterprise Zones. You can join by clicking here: Join CAEZ.
