As Sacto throws kitchen sink at small businesses, celebrity chef calls on Californians to help reset the table
Image by Wikimedia Commons
Even if high utility prices have turned down the heat on CA’s business prospects, Chef Andrew Gruel sees a flicker of hope in the one place it can be found—the Californian voter. Lackluster polling for anti-business politicians suggests the Golden State might be getting tired of a job-killing minimum wage, runaway gas taxes, and tachycardic healthcare costs. Andrew Gruel, the founder of Slapfish, which closed in San Jose, writes for California Globe.
As the owner of popular small restaurants in Southern California, the hardest part of writing this article is knowing where to start, as the onslaught of anti-business and anti-family policies emanating from Sacramento never seems to stop. I recently announced I would never open another business in the state until things change, but the sad reality is that the current leadership in the state seems intent on continuing to push entrepreneurs away.
State officials refused to listen to small business owners as they jammed a $20 minimum wage through the legislature. Touted as a “victory” for workers by union bosses and other special interests that dominate Sacramento, economists warned that the increase would devastate small businesses and, ultimately, their workers, as hiring and pay raises would both decline.
The result was the loss of 10,000 fast food and restaurant workers’ jobs, many of whom will be replaced by electronic kiosks. If that is a “victory,” I would hate to see what a loss would look like.
The same goes for electricity. Thanks to punitive carbon emissions regulations, the once-Golden State has the second highest rates in the nation – behind only Hawaii – with ratepayers paying, on average, 80% more per kilowatt-hour than any other state. With recent rate hikes of 63% in San Diego, 44% in San Francisco, and 39% in Los Angeles, the price to light up our homes and businesses only continues to rise. And, adding insult to injury, the geniuses in Sacramento just added a new electricity fee based on the ratepayers’ income level.
Another pain point is the cost of gasoline, which is the highest in the nation. Not surprisingly, California has the nation’s highest gas taxes, and they are scheduled to go up by 50 cents a gallon over the next two years. Every good shipped, every mile driven, and every service provided costs more because we are paying artificially high gas prices.
Our Attorney General is also demanding the federal government do the bidding of Big Pharma by eliminating or restricting Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs), entities that negotiate for lower drug prices with prescription drug manufacturers, allowing small businesses to receive discounts typically only available to larger companies. Big Pharma has been lobbying Congress to destroy PBMs, and the fact that our elected officials proudly go along speaks volumes as to the influence special interests have in the state.
Read the whole thing here.
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