California Chamber of Commerce

The California Chamber of Commerce (CalChamber) is a business network providing support and lobbying services for California businesses. It provides assistance on areas including health care, workers' compensation and business taxes.

CalChamber membership facts:

• Members total more than 16,000
• Members employ one-fourth the private sector workforce in California
• 75% of CalChamber members have 100 or fewer employees

Mission statement

"To make California a better place to do business by giving private-sector employers a voice in state politics and providing a full range of California-specific products and services."

Board of directors

• Allan Zaremberg, President and Chief and Executive Officer
• Edwin A. Guiles, Chairman of the Board of Directors and Executive Vice President, Corporate Development, Sempra Energy
• Frederick R. Ruiz, First Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chairman of the Board, Ruiz Foods
• Larree M. Renda, Second Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Strategist and Administrative Officer, Safeway Inc.
• S. Shariq Yosufzai, Third Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors and President of Global Marketing, Chevron
• Russell Gould, Immediate Past Chair and Senior Managing Director of Wachovia Portfolio Services

History

The CalChamber has been presenting the business viewpoint for nearly 120 years with an experienced public policy advocacy staff. The CalChamber is the most effective voice in the state capital for all California employers. It has consistently functioned as a source for legislative campaign information and the coordination of political contributions with grass-roots strength stemming from ties with California's local chambers of commerce.

President Allan Zaremberg

Allan Zaremberg is president and chief executive officer of the CalChamber. He took over the top staff position in 1998 after six years as executive vice president and head of the CalChamber’s legislative advocacy program. Enhancing the state’s economic growth has been the goal of Zaremberg’s activities. He has headed statewide ballot campaigns to close the legal loophole that permitted shakedown lawsuits, to assure adequate funding for transportation infrastructure and to oppose anti-business proposals that would have raised the cost of health care, electricity and public works. He led negotiations culminating in comprehensive reforms of workers’ compensation, endangered species laws and other key issues. Before joining the CalChamber, Zaremberg served as chief legislative advisor to and advocate for Governors George Deukmejian and Pete Wilson. Zaremberg served as a captain and flight navigator on a KC-135 jet air refueling tanker while in the U.S. Air Force from 1970 to 1975. He received a B.S. in economics from Penn State University and a J.D. from the McGeorge School of Law, University of the Pacific, where he was a member of the Law Journal.

On the issues

Each year the CalChamber tracks some 3,000 legislative proposals on behalf of employers, works to promote cost-saving reforms and fights anti-business legislation.

Backed by the veto pen of a pro-jobs Governor in Arnold Schwarzenegger, the CalChamber has stopped numerous “job killer” bills from becoming law, saving employers millions of dollars and protecting jobs for the California economy. In recent years, the CalChamber has made efforts to:

• protect workers’ compensation reforms;
• help control unemployment insurance costs;
• help control health care costs;
• stopp tax increases — both in legislation and at the ballot box;
• keep a lid on wage costs;
• safeguard the ability of California ports to keep goods moving;
• win voter approval of investment in critical infrastructure;
• stimulate business activity through support for the enterprise zone program;
• ensure students are better prepared for the workplace;
• help California small businesses;
• promote tourism marketing;
• keep the lid on excessive litigation; and
• increase world trade, investment and tourism opportunities.