Gov. Gavin Newsom should focus on water access and reliability, taxes, and immigration, according to a poll of BizFed Central Valley members.
“Understanding how policies actually affect businesses on a day-to-day basis is crucial for policymakers in order to promote a thriving economy.” — Lois Henry, advocacy director, BizFed Central Valley
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
- Regulation/compliance – 65.1% of respondents
- Taxes/fees – 64.8%
- Water access and reliability – 61.2%
Public Infrastructure Needing Immediate Attention
- Water (reservoirs/canals) – 47.5% of respondents
- Roads/streets – 42.9%
- Highways/freeways – 38.5%
California Policies
- Water access/reliability — 66.7% of respondents
- Taxes — 49.7%
- Immigration —44.7%
Trump Policies
- Removal of Obama-era business regs is “good for business” — 46.5% of respondents
- 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.
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