Stricklands, Runner, lieutenant governor candidate address small business
By Peggy Kelly
Santa Paula News
Published: March 10, 2010
Four elected officials - three of whom are reportedly seeking statewide office - visited Santa Paula Friday for a hearing on the impact of government regulations on small businesses.
State Senators George Runner (R- Antelope Valley) and Tony Strickland (R-Thousand Oaks) and Assemblywoman Audra Strickland (R-Thousand Oaks) hosted the hearing held at Santa Paula City Hall. Mayor Jim Tovias and State Senator Sam Aanestad, who represents the 4th District in Northern California, joined them.
Runner has announced he is a candidate for the State Franchise Tax Board, Aanestad is seeking the office of lieutenant governor, and Tony Strickland is expected to announce he will make a second run for state controller. Audra Strickland has announced she is seeking the seat of Supervisor Linda Parks, who represents the Conejo Valley.
Also in attendance were Fillmore Mayor Patti Walker, Santa Paula Vice Mayor Fred Robinson and Councilman Ralph Fernandez.
Runner said the goal of the hearing is to “sit down” with business owners to determine the impacts of legislation regulations. “These are our real life stories” on how regulations impact businesses.
Aanestad said a recent visit to Reno garnered him the thanks of Nevada’s lieutenant governor, who noted the influx of California businesses.
Audra Strickland said it is up to legislators to “ease the regulation environment for businesses... we fall short where we need to be,” to promote a viable business community, and stimulate employment, the latter a top priority in the state where unemployment is more than 12 percent.
Walker said she was offering testimony as a director and on behalf of the Ventura Regional Sanitation District, which operates the Toland Road landfill. If successful a new bill will bump recycling requirements from 50 percent to 75 percent, and “districts and cities will bear the impact” including higher dump fees.
The Fillmore representative to the Ventura County Transportation Commission, Walker also questioned a shortfall of funding that will “dramatically affect” services such as the VISTA bus. Runner noted the League of California Cities must be more aggressive in voicing opposition to such issues.
Martin Berkowitz of Saticoy-based Standard Industries, which recycles scrap metals and fibers, said 97 percent of the business is export based, and noted that state panels overseeing recycling do not include insights from professionals in the business. He also lamented the expensive emission upgrades for commercial trucks that are putting independent haulers out of business, and allowing large companies to raise rates.
Tony Strickland said testimony to regulatory boards and commissions “often falls on deaf ears,” and appointed members make decisions without the risk of facing constituents.
Zack Moran of PW Environmental of Santa Paula said government reimbursements for projects such as mandated underground tank removals have been delayed, hampering businesses across the board. Moran said further complicating matters is that state regulators often have different criteria governing the same issue.
Fillmore-based watercress grower Bill Morris relayed his post 2005 flood experiences with Fish & Game, which were negative and costly. California, he added, is the “largest producer of agriculture in the United States and we are jeopardizing that.”
Insurance agency owner Steve Smead of Santa Paula said he also is involved in private lending and rental property ownership. About half of the private lenders in his group no longer live in California, and Smead said he has watched the state “deteriorate over 30 years,” losing not only present residents but future generations.
Robinson asked the legislators to “promise to pass no law” that carries costs, but does not identify funding sources. He also noted the state’s $20 billion deficit: “We have to come to some resolution,” rather than “tweaking, borrowing and postponing” as a solution to the fiscal crisis. Robinson also noted the city’s past experiences with mountain lion sightings, and said the hours-long response time of Fish & Game must be improved.
“There’s no common sense to government,” where many legislators, said Tovias, “have never signed the front of a paycheck.” Fish & Game regulations, he noted, have resulted in $75,000 to $100,000 in added cost to each home to be built in Limoneira Company’s East Area 1. Voter complacency, said Tovias, has been at fault, but it is positive that groups such as the Tea Party are becoming active.
Time Warner Cable filmed the meeting, but a broadcast schedule has not yet been made available.
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