Dutton Report Special: Time to Put California Jobs First

Yesterday several California small business owners and my Republican colleagues joined together to emphasize the importance of private sector job creation and to continue our campaign to revive California’s struggling economy.

Our campaign titled “California Jobs First” seeks to:

• Stop jobs from leaving our state
• Restore California’s competitiveness as a jobs-friendly state
• Cut wasteful government spending and needless bureaucracy
• Provide regulatory relief for individuals and small businesses
• End the frivolous lawsuits that raise our cost of living

Watch as I join private business owners and members of the Senate and Assembly during the “California Jobs First 2010” press conference on Feb. 10, 2010. (VIEW VIDEO)

Since 2000 we’ve lost over 600,000 manufacturing jobs. Adding insult to injury, regulators are now developing global warming regulations that will cost our state 1.1 million more jobs. Regulations are killing jobs in California.

To protect private sector jobs, I’ve introduced Senate Bill 960 that will require the non partisan Legislative Analyst’s Office to determine the cost effectiveness and feasibility of regulations imposed by the California Air Resources Board.

I’ve also introduced Senate Bill 942 that will require the State Auditor to review existing regulations and point out those that are unnecessary or too costly to implement. The bill will also sunset all regulations after 10 years unless they are determined they are necessary. These measures and others like them will help private business and bring some common sense back to our regulatory climate.

It takes 25 private sector jobs to support every state government job. We need to stop killing private sector jobs that help provide the funds necessary to build roads, support our schools and make our communities a safer place to live and work.

Over the next several days my Republican colleagues and I will be introducing many more pieces of legislation aimed at lifting the burdens that are hurting job creators. It’s time we put the small businesses of California first instead of making them wait at the end of the line.

California will recover from this current recession. It is up to the Legislature to determine how long the recovery will take.