CalChamber has lost the plot: It’s time to reclaim the fight for California business

July 1, 2026 - 01:16

For years, the California Chamber of Commerce has positioned itself as the voice of business in a state that often seems hostile to enterprise. But that voice has grown too quiet, too polite, and too willing to accept crumbs from a Legislature that views profit as a problem. It is time to admit a hard truth: CalChamber has lost the plot.

The organization has spent decades playing defense, negotiating compromises that still leave businesses buried under new regulations, higher taxes, and mandates that make it harder to hire, build, and compete. They ask for a seat at the table, but the table is set by lawmakers who treat business as an adversary. The result is a slow bleed of companies, jobs, and opportunity out of California.

What is needed is not another round of backroom deals that soften the blow of a bad bill. What is needed is a fundamental shift in strategy. CalChamber should stop asking to be heard and start demanding that the conversation itself changes. That means challenging the premise that every new labor mandate, energy mandate, or tax increase is inevitable. It means going on offense with ballot initiatives, legal challenges, and public campaigns that reframe business as the engine of opportunity, not the enemy of the people.

The fight for California business is not lost, but it will be if the state's leading business group keeps playing the same losing game. It is time to stop asking for a seat at the table and start demanding a change in the menu.