Gov. Gavin Newsom should focus on water access and reliability, taxes, and immigration, according to a poll of BizFed Central Valley members.

The other two areas of critical concern were government regulations and compliance, along with taxes and fees, the organization said in a news release Monday.
This was the first poll BizFed Central Valley has conducted of its members — Valley business associations and businesses between Madera and Kern counties. BizFed CV plans to poll its members annually to gather real-time data on the issues that are most pressing for area businesses.
“Understanding how policies actually affect businesses on a day-to-day basis is crucial for policymakers in order to promote a thriving economy. BizFed CV’s annual poll is a handy way for elected officials to keep tabs on what’s happening in the business world,” said Lois Henry, advocacy director of BizFed Central Valley.

Business, Hiring Outlooks

Nearly 41% of the 169 participants in the poll said that they anticipate a slightly better business outlook for 2019, with 7.9% anticipating a significantly better business environment.
Fifty-one percent said they don’t expect to add employees. But a combined 38.3% said they will add a few or significantly more workers. Only 4.2% anticipated layoffs.

Areas of Critical Concern in the Central Valley

1. Regulation/compliance – 65.1% of respondents
2. Taxes/fees – 64.8%
3. Water access and reliability – 61.2%

 Public Infrastructure Needing Immediate Attention

1. Water (reservoirs/canals) – 47.5% of respondents
2. Roads/streets – 42.9%
3. Highways/freeways – 38.5%

 California Policies

1. Water access/reliability — 66.7% of respondents
2. Taxes — 49.7%
3. Immigration —44.7%

 Trump Policies

1. Removal of Obama-era business regs is “good for business” — 46.5% of respondents
2. Tariffs are “bad for business” — 23.6%

Complete Poll Results

You can examine all of the poll results at this link.

About BizFed Central Valley

The organization is a grassroots federation of businesses and associations from Madera to Kern counties.  It has 54 members representing more than 20,000 businesses across a broad array of industry sectors.
Questions? Contact Lois Henry, lois.henry@bizfed.org.
Disclosure: GV Wire Publisher Darius Assemi is board chairman of BizFed Central Valley.

Watch: Central Valley Raises Its Voice to Boost Business