Your California Legislature has adjourned for their summer recess. They have left town and will
be back in August.....and your life, liberty and pursuit of happiness will not be
threatened again for a while (to paraphrase a famous quote by Thomas
Jefferson.)
The California Legislature has taken upon itself, once again, to try and legislate what it thinks is best for business owners. Pest Control Operators. That means YOU! The trial lawyers are trying to change the workers comp system which means huge increase in premiums; the liberal tax lobby are trying to pass a sales tax on pest control services; ...but wait there is more: They are also attempting to tax commercial property at a different rate than residential property. The radical environmental lobby is attempting to pass legislation to allow local jurisdiction of pest control rather than DPR regulating our industry through proven scientific research..... All of the things that PCOC opposes that will cost businesses huge amounts of money in a state which is already one of the highest taxed and regulated economies in the United States. All of these individually, never mind together, will drive many PCOC members out of business. This is at a time when we are trying to grow membership!
It can only get worse! The anti-business forces are well organized: union political fundraising is at an all time high and the environmental lobby is gearing up for a major attack on pesticides and their applications over the next two years on a number of fronts. Their ultimate goal is to ban all pesticides.
So, here is the bad news. PCOC's political action committee, PAPCO, has seen a 50% drop in contributions over the last 5 years. Maybe wehave been a product of our own success in stopping and defeating all of the bad bills through our very effective efforts.
It is critical that the pest control industry step up its effectiveness and increase its influence in the state capitol. It's all about pressure and access: we have done a very fine job up until now regarding political contributions. We are a lean, mean machine. PAPCO has been a very effective tool to get the job done. However, this is simply not going to be sufficient in the years ahead. Going forward we need to concentrate on two things: First, a comprehensive political contribution strategy to make our voice heard and maximize the dollars collected. Second, to develop a plan that will double the amount that PAPCO collects. I repeat: We need to double our contributions this year. This will involve thinking outside the box and coming up with activities that have never been done before. Our PAPCO Trustees are working on this and are developing an action plan.
These are challenging times, but I am confident that we are equal to the task because of the dedication and commitment of PCOC members. There is no option to do nothing. Otherwise, there will be no pest control industry in California in 10 years. Scary?
Yes.