Sacramento - Assemblymember Michael Allen (D – Santa Rosa) today announced that the week of July 17 through July 23 is "National Independent Retailers Week." Allen represents California's 7th Assembly District, which includes all of Napa County as well as portions of Solano County and Sonoma County.
"This is a great time to recognize the pivotal presence of our community's independent retailers and the significant impact they have on our local economy," Allen said. "And this year, as we see so many local businesses struggling for survival, it is even more important to offer support and encouragement to them as without them, we are a lesser community. We all benefit from knowing the person we are buying from, and from them knowing us as well.
"These independently owned businesses form the backbone of our California economy."
In the late 1990s, California saw an increase in the number of women-owned businesses and businesses owned by African Americans and Latinos. There was also an increase in businesses owned by Asian and Pacific-Islander Americans, Native Americans and Alaskan natives.
"Even though the threat of companies leaving California may be a bit overblown, we must find ways to keep local independent businesses alive in our communities," Allen said.
California's small businesses grew steadily from about 800,000 in 1996 to over 2.6 million in 2006.
"Today, although we do not have the official statistics, we are seeing local independent retailers become the victims of the worst economic crisis since, at least, the 1930s," Allen said. "We must make sure we save local and independent retailers and see small business ventures become the engines of the economy that they were before the economic crisis occurred."
Allen is the author of AB 1195, which seeks to expand the existing hiring credit for small businesses.
The state currently allows a credit to qualified employers equal to $3,000 for each net increase in qualified full-time employees hired during the taxable year. The credit is limited to small businesses (with 20 or fewer employees as of the last day of the preceding taxable year). The total credit is capped at roughly $400 million for all taxable years.
Allen said that the credit has been under-utilized. His legislation would expand the hiring credit's definition of a "qualified employer" to include businesses employing 50 or fewer employees, with the change applying to taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2012.
According to Allen, the purpose of AB 1195 is to "stimulate the jobs market by making the money that has previously been allocated more available for businesses while adhering to the spirit of the existing law."
CONTACT: David W. Miller (916) 319-2572
