Not many things in this world are a 100% sure deal. Mark Wyland's pro business record in the state legislature is though.
In about 90 days Carlsbad is going to have a new state senator. Unless the sky falls, Wyland will move up from the state assembly to the senate, taking the seat of the termed-out Bill Morrow. We should all thank Bill for the solid, pro-business voting record he consistently displayed while on duty in Sacramento.
Wyland has a long history of private sector experience including running the family lumber business for years prior to his election to the assembly.
Not long ago I had the chance to chat with him and our mutual friend, Karl Higgins. I asked him what business and Carlsbad could expect once he moves across the chamber to his new office in the senate. We also talked about his vision for the state and the challenges the private sector will have in Sacramento.
Wyland asked if he could pen a short message for my column and I said I'd be delighted to share it with our readers. Here are his comments:
"As a former owner of a small company, I know that businesses in California live under a state of constant siege. There is no telling what new rule, regulation, fee or tax a creative state legislator will offer to solve some problem, real or imagined, serious or trivial. The more outlandish or controversial the idea is the better because, more often than not, the goal is getting attention, not getting results.
Fortunately for you, there are a few of us who view the private sector as an asset to be nurtured, not a nuisance to be endured. As a member of the Assembly's Utilities and Commerce Committee, I work hard to ensure that the interests of businesses, big and small, are balanced with protections for consumers. This year, the committee made a great stride toward opening up cable to competition by approving a bill that will phase out local franchises and allow other communications companies to provide next-generation telecommunications services.
Overall, the best thing to happen to California businesses since I've served in state government has been the election of Arnold Schwarzenegger. While his attempts at reform have not always been successful, he is a loyal friend to business owners. If nothing else, by wielding his veto pen, he has served as a bulwark against bad laws targeting businesses.
I think that the new attitude he brought to the executive branch has made a positive difference to both entrepreneurs and their employees. As of March, the state unemployment rate was only 4.8 percent, according to the Legislative Analyst's Office; personal income was up 6.6 percent over the first three quarters of 2005 and is projected to expand by 5.7 percent in 2006; the state's economy is expected to grow by about 3 percent; and, while he has not been able to lower taxes, Governor Schwarzenegger has prevented new taxes. Unfortunately, state spending is double what it was in 1996 when Pete Wilson was governor.
There are matters beyond taxes and regulation that affect California's economy. Almost every conversation I have about doing business in the state works its way to the issue of education and our state's ability to prepare young people for the future. Most of the business people I talk to are alarmed to learn about our soaring dropout rates. As vice chair of the Assembly's Education Committee, I am not.
Recent studies have now confirmed the true scope of the problem. In the Los Angeles Unified School District half of the students fail to graduate. For some sub-populations the numbers are even more devastating. Latino males in that same school district have a graduation rate of a mere 40 percent. The fact that our state's largest school district is simply unable to educate its students should give pause to any employer hoping to build a business in the Golden State.
I'm hoping to stem the dropout crisis by reinvigorating vocational education in our public high schools. VocEd, now known as career technical education (CTE), used to provide students who were bored with academics an outlet for their talents and energies. Unfortunately, our insistence that every student go to college has resulted in the demise of those programs. I cannot help but think that neglect of CTE is one of the factors contributing to high dropout rates. I hope that three bills I've introduced this year will be the beginning of a new commitment to career tech in our state.
California is often a difficult place in which to do business. I'd like to think that the rewards make those difficulties worthwhile, but there are limits to what we can expect of businesses, especially small- and medium-sized companies. I am committed to opposing laws that make doing business in California any more onerous than it already is. I'd also like to ensure that employers have a reliable and well-educated workforce. I will continue to make these the twin goals of my pro-business agenda."
Carlsbad, and our chamber members, are fortunate indeed that for a minimum of the next four years, we will have a state senator-to-be who truly understands our issues. We can count on him working for us, and with us, in Sacramento.
About the time I finished this column, I received news that a proposition has qualified for the statewide ballot in November that will mandate public financing of elections in California at the state level by raising taxes on businesses.
Mark Wyland opened his letter to us with this statement, "As a former owner of a small company, I know that businesses in California live under a state of constant siege…"
Bingo.
In about 90 days Carlsbad is going to have a new state senator. Unless the sky falls, Wyland will move up from the state assembly to the senate, taking the seat of the termed-out Bill Morrow. We should all thank Bill for the solid, pro-business voting record he consistently displayed while on duty in Sacramento.
Wyland has a long history of private sector experience including running the family lumber business for years prior to his election to the assembly.
Not long ago I had the chance to chat with him and our mutual friend, Karl Higgins. I asked him what business and Carlsbad could expect once he moves across the chamber to his new office in the senate. We also talked about his vision for the state and the challenges the private sector will have in Sacramento.
Wyland asked if he could pen a short message for my column and I said I'd be delighted to share it with our readers. Here are his comments:
"As a former owner of a small company, I know that businesses in California live under a state of constant siege. There is no telling what new rule, regulation, fee or tax a creative state legislator will offer to solve some problem, real or imagined, serious or trivial. The more outlandish or controversial the idea is the better because, more often than not, the goal is getting attention, not getting results.
Fortunately for you, there are a few of us who view the private sector as an asset to be nurtured, not a nuisance to be endured. As a member of the Assembly's Utilities and Commerce Committee, I work hard to ensure that the interests of businesses, big and small, are balanced with protections for consumers. This year, the committee made a great stride toward opening up cable to competition by approving a bill that will phase out local franchises and allow other communications companies to provide next-generation telecommunications services.
Overall, the best thing to happen to California businesses since I've served in state government has been the election of Arnold Schwarzenegger. While his attempts at reform have not always been successful, he is a loyal friend to business owners. If nothing else, by wielding his veto pen, he has served as a bulwark against bad laws targeting businesses.
I think that the new attitude he brought to the executive branch has made a positive difference to both entrepreneurs and their employees. As of March, the state unemployment rate was only 4.8 percent, according to the Legislative Analyst's Office; personal income was up 6.6 percent over the first three quarters of 2005 and is projected to expand by 5.7 percent in 2006; the state's economy is expected to grow by about 3 percent; and, while he has not been able to lower taxes, Governor Schwarzenegger has prevented new taxes. Unfortunately, state spending is double what it was in 1996 when Pete Wilson was governor.
There are matters beyond taxes and regulation that affect California's economy. Almost every conversation I have about doing business in the state works its way to the issue of education and our state's ability to prepare young people for the future. Most of the business people I talk to are alarmed to learn about our soaring dropout rates. As vice chair of the Assembly's Education Committee, I am not.
Recent studies have now confirmed the true scope of the problem. In the Los Angeles Unified School District half of the students fail to graduate. For some sub-populations the numbers are even more devastating. Latino males in that same school district have a graduation rate of a mere 40 percent. The fact that our state's largest school district is simply unable to educate its students should give pause to any employer hoping to build a business in the Golden State.
I'm hoping to stem the dropout crisis by reinvigorating vocational education in our public high schools. VocEd, now known as career technical education (CTE), used to provide students who were bored with academics an outlet for their talents and energies. Unfortunately, our insistence that every student go to college has resulted in the demise of those programs. I cannot help but think that neglect of CTE is one of the factors contributing to high dropout rates. I hope that three bills I've introduced this year will be the beginning of a new commitment to career tech in our state.
California is often a difficult place in which to do business. I'd like to think that the rewards make those difficulties worthwhile, but there are limits to what we can expect of businesses, especially small- and medium-sized companies. I am committed to opposing laws that make doing business in California any more onerous than it already is. I'd also like to ensure that employers have a reliable and well-educated workforce. I will continue to make these the twin goals of my pro-business agenda."
Carlsbad, and our chamber members, are fortunate indeed that for a minimum of the next four years, we will have a state senator-to-be who truly understands our issues. We can count on him working for us, and with us, in Sacramento.
About the time I finished this column, I received news that a proposition has qualified for the statewide ballot in November that will mandate public financing of elections in California at the state level by raising taxes on businesses.
Mark Wyland opened his letter to us with this statement, "As a former owner of a small company, I know that businesses in California live under a state of constant siege…"
Bingo.