Governor Gavin Newsom signed multiple bills aimed at helping small businesses grow while limiting monopolistic practices in California.
The new laws address several barriers facing entrepreneurs: lengthy commercial permitting processes, limited access to retail space, abusive financing practices, and alleged anticompetitive behavior by large companies. Specific bills require cities to allow pop-up businesses to operate in vacant storefronts for up to 120 days, streamline building permits for small business tenant improvements, and update California's antitrust laws to give the Attorney General and district attorneys new authority to combat monopolistic behavior.
"California should be a place where our small businesses, workers, and entrepreneurs get a fair shot," said Assembly Majority Leader Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, author of one bill. "When a corporation stops competing by offering the best product or service and instead uses its power to crush competitors, government has a responsibility to step in."
The bills also allow restaurants and bars to continue serving cocktails to-go, protect small businesses from abusive financing practices, and support technical assistance providers who offer free or low-cost consulting to entrepreneurs. Seven bills were signed in total: AB 2116, AB 685, AB 1679, AB 1693, AB 1776, AB 2418, and AB 2663.
California is home to 7.6 million small businesses, more than any other state. The state's economy has grown significantly since Newsom took office, with annual GDP gains exceeding $200 billion in recent years, according to the Governor's Office.