Welcome to the March 2-6 edition of the Main Street Minute from your small-business-advocacy team in Sacramento.

Lobbying Agenda Takes Shape

No lobbying agenda can ever be set in stone, not in a Legislature that has the power to hide bills they want to avoid in the dark purgatory of the Suspense File, or, for ones they do like, to expedite their passage by making them part of the state budget, or, more crudely and shamefully, by gutting and amending them, such as taking a bill dealing with the cure for cancer that has passed all of its committee deadlines, stripping it of its original language and replacing it with, say, a call for giving UI benefits to workers with a job who choose to go out on strike.

Still, you need some roadmap, which is what NFB has come up with in targeting 52 current bills for support, opposition, or for monitoring. For the purposes of giving our members, interested public, and the media a flavor for what they are, we have come up with a list of nine Good, Bad & Ugly bills for 2026. Here they are.

Please Make Sure Your Voice is Heard

Speaking of our Good, Bad & Ugly list, two bills that made the Ugly section have been sent to NFIB members as Action Alerts. Please make sure your voice is heard as soon as you receive them. They’re also available on the same California web page you’re reading this story on.

— Act Now to Oppose Minimum Wage Bill

— Small Business Cannot Afford Government-Run Health Care

Leadership Council Members Making News

Jeff Pardini, vice chairman of NFIB California’s Leadership Council, and Tim Taylor, policy director for NFIB California, spoke at a news conference last Tuesday (February 24), in favor of Assembly Bill 1745, which would suspend the state’s gas tax for a year. Story here.

A day later, the Southern California Newspaper Group, publishers of 11 daily newspapers (Orange County Register, L.A. Daily News, et al.), ran Leadership Council member Jeff Payzant’s guest commentary, California’s broken legal system is hurting seniors and small businesses.

No one speaks with more authority on small businesses issues than small business owners. We thank both members for speaking up for Main Street.

Who Will Drop Out?

“The filing deadline for officially becoming a candidate [for governor] is March 6,” reports George Skelton, veteran capitol correspondent for the Los Angeles Times. “After that, a name cannot be removed from the ballot. It’s stuck there — possibly drawing just enough votes to rob another Democrat of the chance to be elected governor in November.”

Skelton recommends five Democratic candidates throw in the towel: Xavier Becerra, Ian Calderon, Tony Thurmond, Antonio Villaraigosa, and Betty Yee.

Who is Dropping By?

A group of business association executives that NFIB State Director John Kabateck is a member of heard from San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan February 19. Other candidates for governor who have visited the group are Democrats Eric Swalwell and Antonio Villaraigosa and Republican Jon Slavet. More to come.

Calendar

— March 6: Filing deadline for candidates for governor

— March 26-April 6: Legislature on Spring Break

— May 5: Small Business Leadership Day at the Capitol

— May 29: Last day for bills to pass their house of origin

— June 2: Primary Election for eight state constitutional offices, four Board of Equalization seats, all 52 congressional seats, all 80 assembly seats, and 20 (even-numbered districts) state senate seats. Governor’s proclamation here.

— June 15: Deadline (by midnight) to pass new state budget

— July 2-August 3: Legislature on Summer Recess

— August 31: Legislature adjourns its 2026 session

— September 30: Last day for governor to sign or veto bills sent to him.

National

Ask the CPA free webinar, Wednesday, March 4, Noon, Eastern Time. Tax season has arrived, so you won’t want to miss this webinar with special guest Micah Fraim, CPA and small business tax expert. Micah, a best-selling author and sought-after speaker, provides a realistic and informative perspective on small-business tax planning. Register Here.

Highlights from Federal Government Relations Principal Louis Bertolotti’s weekly report

— NFIB put out a letter of support for HR 4626, the Home Appliance Protection and Affordability Act. The bill passed the House 217-190 and now heads to the Senate.

— NFIB filed an amicus brief in the case Corner Post v. Federal Reserve at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit concerning debit card processing fees. SBLC Vice President and Executive Director Beth Milito said, “The district court correctly determined that the Federal Reserve considered improper costs in setting the interchange fee amount. Small businesses are hopeful that the court of appeals agrees and rebuffs the attempt by banks to continue charging unreasonably high interchange fees.”

— The NFIB Research Center released an industry-specific quarterly Small Business Economic Trends survey highlighting the construction, manufacturing, retail, and services industries.

Next Main Street Minute: March 9. All Main Streets Minutes can be found on the NFIB website here. Pull down the California tab in the upper-right-hand corner.

NFIB member Jeff Pardini speaks at the news conference Behind him from left to right are Sen Marie Alvarado Gil NFIB Policy Director Tim Taylor Assemblyman Jeff Gonzalez Assemblyman David Tangipa Assemblywoman Leticia Castillo