4 Laws In California That Are Helping Small Business Owners

In 2016, the State of California, as well as the Los Angeles County and the City, made changes to various business laws that may impact your small business. One of the most well-known is that California raised the minimum wage to $10, which could affect payrolls of many small businesses, but there are also laws intended to help entrepreneurs succeed. Here are a few of the bright spots in California business law.

SB 269

In the past, certain parts of the Unruh Civil Rights Act led to the abuse of ADA rules, resulting in large payouts that could cripple businesses. Recently passed law SB 269 seeks to close these loop holes. According to a blog post on Overlawyered.com, "Following a multi-year push from the business community, Gov. Jerry Brown has signed SB 269, which lays out two escape paths from liability for smaller businesses: by hiring a Certified Access Specialist (CASp) they can get 120 days to fix any violations, and by providing a 15-day grace period before legal penalty for small business to fix the most minor violations, typically involving signage and surface display."

Low property taxes

If you're looking to open a retail business, you may want to check out Santa Clarita. Santa Clarita was named a finalist for the "Most Business Friendly City" this year by the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation, with the winner of the award to be announced Nov. 10. The City of Santa Clarita has one of the lowest property tax rates in the county, as well as a diverse population and a variety of programs to help small businesses succeed.

Business Tax Holiday

To alleviate some of the tax burden on new business owners, the Los Angeles Mayor's Office of Economic and Workforce Development recently enacted the "Business Tax Holiday." According to the OEWD website, "The Business Tax Holiday exempts any new business from the City of Los Angeles's gross receipts tax for three years when you open or locate in Los Angeles." This tax break can help you get your business off the ground before being responsible for a huge tax bill.

Local Preference Ordinance

Your Los Angeles based firm could receive an advantage when bidding on contracts for the city. The Local Preference Ordinance gives an eight percent advantage to businesses located within L.A. County.

These and other laws and incentives can help your business operate successfully. You may also consider consulting a business lawyer who can help you find other laws and regulations you can use to your advantage.

This article was written by Alaina Brandenburger for CBS Small Business Pulse.