[daepp]

Todd:

I run a small business. I have approximately 80 employees at any given time. We own about 30 over the road truck plus a bunch of old equipment. AQMD tell me that I must retire 4 of my best large trucks because they don't meet their new requirements. These are products legally purchased new in CA. That's a crazy law. I could at least understand if they applied it to new purchases, but it seems highly unfair to make me get rid of these. And I'm an honestly not sure if I can afford to replace them with new (at $85K each).

Employees. They are our strength. We treat them well and like family. No one quits. but have you ever dealt with the Labor Board? Do you not hear or see the attorney ads encouraging employees to make claims against their employees? It is because the CA legislature bent to the will of the trial atty lobby and allowed individual lawyers to "find" claimants. So now they run ads (in English and Spanish) to go after your employer. The fines imposed go directly to the coffers of the Labor board. Same for AQMD BTW. HR pros tell me that they ALWAYS find something - it's their job.

Ever deal with CA's Worker's Comp system - those in the know say it's the worst of all the states.

Frivolous Lawsuits - don't get me started. There's no changing this one - the trial lawyers own the Assembly, Senate and Governor.

Traffic touches me every day. A myriad of regs keep CA from adding any new (non-HOV) lanes. Last new freeway - the 210 - was planned 50 years ago and opened a decade ago. No new freeways are even in the planning phase.

And then there are all the new taxes, new regs.

An zero relief in sight.

I often think that I ought to have my head examined for trying to actual build something in this state.