Free Republic

Reporting from Sacramento — The president of the University of California and the chancellor of the California community college system have quit the California Chamber of Commerce board of directors after the group voted to endorse Republican Meg Whitman for governor. The endorsement is the latest example of the state's largest business organization increasing its political profile. Jack Scott, a former Democratic state senator from Pasadena who was appointed as community college chancellor by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, announced his resignation Friday in a letter to chamber President Allan Zaremberg after the endorsement vote. "I do not believe the board is...

Here’s how the Cal Chamber of Commerce pencils out the increased costs to businesses:* $2.5 billion by requiring businesses to pay 20% strict liability penalty on top of existing penalties for underestimating  tax liabilities of $1 million+.  The extra penalty went into effect June 1. Businesses will tend to overpay their taxes giving the state an interest-free loan with no deadline for refunds. * $2.4 billion for additional sales and use taxes because of the 1-cent hike starting April 1. Businesses pay 40% of sales taxes, the chamber says. * $2.3 billion because of a requirement that  instead of paying...

The California Chamber of Commerce and other establishment business groups are actively opposing Prop. 90, which would ban the abuse of eminent domain for economic development and require governments to pay compensation when they use downzoning and other regulations to take property. So the Chamber has sided with the big-government and leftist groups that believe that it's OK if average citizens must give up their homes and businesses to aid big developers, many of which are no doubt Chamber members. Here we see the reemergence of the long-simmering split between conservatives and the business establishment. Whenever the business guys face...