LEGISLATIVE ACTION COMMITTEE PLATFORM 2023

Corona Chamber of Commerce

904 East Sixth Street, Corona 92879
(951) 737-3350

Presiding: Mr. Jeff Miller

Miller Insurance Agency

Recover Together

Our Purpose

We urge the state not to adopt any new regulatory or tax increases until the state employment level is back to full employment which was enjoyed until March 2020. We will work to do this by:

Creating Common Sense Tax And Health Care Reform: Our community wants every resident to succeed and be healthy. Common sense tax and health care reform will help employers and employees create successful enterprises and succeed; Eliminating Unnecessary Regulation: This burden on employers at a local, regional, state, and national level kills innovation and hurts the local economy; Achieve the Goals Outlined in the Corona 2030 Plan To Eliminate 1,500,000 Hours of Traffic On Our Roads (Approximately 30,000,000 Vehicles Miles Traveled) by working to attract 5,000 new jobs to employers here in Corona, and, attract 50 new physician practices or similar health care expansion by December 31, 2030.  Corona 2020 before the issuance of emergency orders, had third party verification of helping save approximately 650,000 hours of unnecessary traffic delay by helping attract over 2,500 jobs into town.

To achieve this vision, we will continue to reach out to all leaders, agencies, and groups that participate in the policy making process to understand their viewpoint and advocate on behalf of businesses.

How we achieve our purpose

To achieve our vision, we will continue to reach out to all leaders, agencies, and groups that participate in the policy making process to understand their viewpoint and advocate on behalf of businesses.  Some of the activities we will engage in are:

1. Monitor Proposals at the local, regional, state, and national levels that affect our three main goals.
2. Sit down on a regular basis with the leaders, elected and appointed, who make decisions that directly affect our three main goals.
3. Report out monthly to the Chamber Board of Directors and every Corona business owner on developments in our areas of focus.

Platform Focus Areas

Development

The Governor's plan to build 1.8 million housing units by 2028 has imposed requirements on the City of Corona to build 6,078 affordable units of housing or an addition of roughly 12% increase in total housing within the city or roughly a 25% increase in the rate of growth 2010-2018.

To build that affordable housing, most cities require builders to build a portion of their projects with affordable units.  Using those real-world calculations, the Governor's plan would require Corona to plan for and make substantial progress towards building over 35,000 or more affordable and market rate housing units by 2028 or face sanctions from the courts or the state that could result in Corona losing its local authority to control business and housing development locally.

The 35,000 units required by the state to be planned for and make substantial progress to build represent roughly a 171% increase in the growth of Corona, which currently has 51,504 housing units according to public sources.

In the area of development, to insure a healthy Corona community for generations, we will actively:

1.Monitor development proposals throughout the Corona region including the downtown area.

2.Help to lead efforts to coordinate increases in transportation and infrastructure funding from the state to match future demand.

3.Work with city officials to respond accurately to required changes in City's housing element and other planning efforts.

Transportation, Infrastructure, & Energy

As pressure from the Governor mounts on cities, like Corona, to add housing in addition to the unprecedented challenge of restarting the economy, we will pursue the following strategy on the critical areas of transportation, infrastructure, the environment, and energy:

Transportation, Infrastructure and the Environment

1.Review and consider policies that address the movement of people and goods including autos, transit, bicycles, and other active transportation modes.

2.Review and consider policies that address the provision of public infrastructure including water, sewer, storm drainage, solid waste, electricity, natural gas, telecommunications, and solar and wind alternatives.

3.Review and consider policies that address the provision of services to meet resident needs including police, fire, library, K-16 schools, and health services by public agencies, non-profits, and licensed care facilities.

4.Review and consider policies that address the provision of sustainable programs and green initiatives in Corona.

5.Support measures that improve drinking water, adequate water quality and supply, flood control, waterway and natural resource protections, water pollution and contamination controls, state and local park improvements, public access to natural resources, and water conservation efforts.

6.Review, consider and propose transportation improvement plans that relieve congestion on freeways and locally to ensure future mobility within Corona.

7.Review and consider policies that impact air quality standards and consider their effect on Corona business community.

Energy

The development of additional sources and infrastructure for energy production within California is of central importance to the future of the state and city.  The Chamber will engage leaders at all levels of business and public life to pursue a sound, lasting expansion of energy resources that provides stable, reliable, and competitively priced uninterrupted energy supplies.

Growing Great Jobs

Business Attraction and Retention

1.Retain and expand operations at all Riverside County military installations including Corona NAVSEA.

2.Work to ensure that Corona attracts, retains and helps high quality employers to expand here; to balance employment and housing needs with natural resource preservation; and to plan and construct the community infrastructure, including improvement of post secondary institutions, necessary to support current and future employment needs.

Cost of Doing Business

3.Review and consider measures that solve the state budget’s long term structural spending and that promote sustainable creation of quality jobs that positively impact Corona.

4.Encourage cooperation among local, regional and state government agencies to streamline and reduce unnecessary requirements of regulatory agencies.

5.Work to protect the ability of all employers, whether for profit or non profit, public agency or private enterprise, to responsibly and equitably work with contractors to provide outside services critical to the success of the California economy.

6.Review and consider state and local tax changes and new tax categories affecting the Corona business community and its ability to compete regionally, statewide, and globally.

7.Support and promote the appropriate preparation of cost/benefit analysis ensuring economic impacts are weighed before the imposition of regulations.

8.Support local/regional and state programs that secure tax credits and tax incentives.

9.Review and consider measures that reform the extraordinary costs of the state’s public pension system for the sake of the state’s overall fiscal health.

10.Oppose legislative proposals that might cause unwarranted and frivolous lawsuits on Corona employers, consumers and taxpayers.

11.Review the implementation of climate change related legislation and regulation and its effect on job development in Corona.

Education and Outreach

12.Provide opportunities for businesses to increase their knowledge, understanding, and involvement with local, regional and statewide legislative processes.
Workforce Issues

13.Support measures that reform our state’s education and vocational systems which encourage workforce preparation.

14.Monitor, provide recommendations and review alternatives to any proposed state minimum wage increases and any local or state living wage ordinances.

15.Monitor and provide recommendations to the workers’ compensation reform measures which impact costs to Corona businesses.