In my last blog about the California Small Business Association I asked President Betty Jo Toccoli to respond to my question about how legislators were chosen for various awards given out by her organization. Her response, which I found a bit witty in the first paragraph, is here – unedited and without my editorializing. Agree or disagree with one another, I respect her addressing the issue (is that editorializing?).
Dear Mr. Dichiara:
CSBA has a long history of working with all parties. This is a deeply rooted tenant of CSBA’s philosophy. Getting Democrats, along with Republicans, to care about small business issues is an important goal of our organization and critical for the future of small business in California. I can understand that you have a different view as a Republican Party campaign consultant. At the same time, many Democrats are livid with CSBA for supporting the effort to delay AB32 and releasing a study showing that the regulatory costs of the program could be significant. We must be doing something right when both Democrats and Republicans take issue with the practices of CSBA.
CSBA is a grass roots, volunteer, non-profit, bi-partisan small business organization formed by the California small business delegates to the 1980 White House conference on small business. Our organization is concerned with small business issues including education, legislation and regulations. Our positions to support or oppose legislation are determined by grass roots small business owners from throughout the State who analyze bills and adopt positions solely based on the merits of the bill and the impact to small business. There is no discussion of the author’s political party affiliation.
Each year we invite all legislators to jointly sponsor a district Small Business Council with us. These councils in the Legislator’s district (last year there were 91) start the relationship of small business owners from the district working with their elected official on small business issues. For fifteen years these in-district meetings have provided small business owners, who cannot leave their business to go to Sacramento, an opportunity to interact with their elected officials in both parties. We find this also assists our members who may have governmental problems that do not require legislation but assistance in getting through the bureaucracy of the state. As President it is my job to co-ordinate the information on the issues from the small business advisory councils, the issue committees and submit these findings to the Board of Directors for approval and action.
Our honor roll was developed to thank those legislators partnering with us on small business advisory councils in the district, carrying bills for us, or seeking our position on bills, supporting our position on these bills and honoring a small business owner from their district at the annual California Small Business Day. This wonderful event is sponsored by 25 small business organizations from throughout the State. We do not expect to agree on all bills, regulations or issues but believe having an ongoing dialog is a positive step in working through our differences.
CSBA’s goal is building a strong small business community in California. To that end I will continue to forge a positive path forward with both parties and ask that together we all work to return California to prosperity as our only goal.
Betty Jo Toccoli