Tom Talks: Inside Sacramento

Tom Talks: Inside Sacramento

By Sheehy Strategy GroupNewsPolitics
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Tom Talks: Inside Sacramento episodes

  • Digital Advocacy: The Future of Lobbying in California and Beyond

    Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, and other social media platforms have permanently changed how political advocacy gets done in California and around the nation. If you are going to influence the California Legislature, you better be active on Twitter and have your issues properly framed for that platform. Today, social media accelerates reactions by elected officials and regulators to critical cultural, social, and legal developments in California and across the United States. Issues only go “viral” on social media platforms.

    There is no better way to quickly frame public opinion or push back on legislative issues you care about than utilizing social media platforms and digital advocacy tools. These tools are also being used to draw more attention to public agencies and their regulatory overreaches making it easier to change bad regs or stop them altogether.
    The Sheehy Strategy Group understands how to leverage digital tools to persuade and move elected officials to your point of view. We can help you create content, manage issues and push back on hostile initiatives utilizing both “traditional” face-to-face lobbying as well as a full suite of digital advocacy tools to put you in the issue driver’s seat.
    SSG is a full-service government relations, lobbying and public strategy firm with unparalleled experience and statewide reach and depth that has helped a diverse array of clientele navigate California's political landscape before the State Senate, Assembly, Governor and state agencies.
    Learn more: https://www.sheehystrategygroup.com/digital-advocacy #CAleg #CAgov #CApolitics

    2 min
  • 2023 Legislative End-of-Session Highlights

    In a new video released by the Sheehy Strategy Group, Tom Sheehy provides a sobering overview of key business legislation that emerged from the recently concluded first year of California's two-year legislative session.

    As Sheehy points out, the session witnessed the introduction of a staggering 3,030 bills, and many of these proposals, if enacted, would impose financial burdens on taxpayers and curtail individual freedoms.
    Governor Newsom holds the fate of these bills in his hands, with a deadline of October 14 to sign, veto, or allow them to become law without his signature. The decisions made in this regard will have a substantial impact on California's legislative landscape and the state's residents.


    Sheehy Strategy Group is a full-service government relations, lobbying and public strategy firm with unparalleled experience and statewide reach and depth that has helped a diverse array of clientele navigate California's political landscape before the State Senate, Assembly, Governor and state agencies. Learn more at sheehystrategygroup.com.

    #caleg #cagov #cabudget

    10 min
  • Meet the Sheehy Strategy Group

    The Sheehy Strategy Group is a leading government relations, lobbying, and public strategy firm based in Sacramento, California. Led by Tom Sheehy, a highly experienced and influential lobbyist, the firm excels in achieving effective public policy and regulatory outcomes. Leveraging the power of social media, they frame public opinion and influence legislative issues. With unmatched expertise in government procurement, they secure the best opportunities for their clients. Serving a diverse array of satisfied clients, the Sheehy Strategy Group empowers success in California's political landscape. Contact them today to unlock your potential in the ever-changing world of state politics and policy.


    Learn more: https://www.sheehystrategygroup.com


    #cabudget #caleg #cagov

    1 min
  • Procurement Opportunities in Sacramento, California

    For the Sheehy Strategy Group, navigating the complex state and local government procurement process and requirements is second nature.

    We help structure our client’s procurement business using California's Small Business (SB) and Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise (DVBE) designations where appropriate giving our clients the state’s preferred status and access to more government contract opportunities.
    We have unparalleled expertise in all aspects of procurement from finding the right contract vehicle, developing proposals, winning awards, and protesting bad bid outcomes. Our decades of experience working in and with various state agencies like the Department of General Services (DGS), Government Operations Agency, Department of Technology and others gives our clients relationships and business opportunities that simply cannot be found elsewhere.
    Learn more: https://www.sheehystrategygroup.com/procurement

    2 min
  • Tom Sheehy Testifies on Need for More AB 5 Fixes

    Tom Sheehy testifies before a U.S. Commission on Civil Rights advisory panel regarding the civil rights implications of California’s #AB5 legislation. Other panelists included AB 5 author Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu, and Assemblyman Kevin Kiley.

    The Sheehy Strategy Group is a full-service government relations, lobbying and public strategy firm with unparalleled experience and statewide reach and depth that has helped a diverse array of clientele navigate California's political landscape before the State Senate, Assembly, Governor and state agencies.
    Learn more: www.sheehystrategygroup.com/news/2022/6/29/sheehy-discusses-ab-5-fixes-with-us-commission-on-civil-rights-advisory-panel
    #CAleg #CAgov #CAbudget

    1 min
  • The Dangers of Overzealous Regulatory Enforcement Agencies

    Tom Sheehy, principal and founder of Sheehy Strategy Group, in testimony before the California Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights warned against the dangers of overzealous regulatory enforcement agencies like the Employment Development Department (EDD).

    EDD is known in some cases to be extremely aggressive and overbearing in how it interprets the law especially as it relates to employee classifications and independent contractors. The “ABC” independent contractor test created by the California Supreme Court in the Dynamex decision and codified into the labor code by AB 5 in 2019 is a minefield for employers that could result in EDD fines, assessments, and litigation.
    “If administrative enforcement agencies, such as EDD, are over the top in enforcing employee classification regulations, then what we thought we had achieved by way of a safe harbor in the labor code working with the author of AB 5 and the Legislature will disappear like a puff of smoke,” Sheehy said. “The resulting impact to regulated businesses may be frivolous lawsuits and audit findings costing them tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees and lost revenues.”
    Some job classifications were exempted from the “ABC” test in the AB 5 legislation. However, those exempted classifications are still subject to the Borello test, which was the employee classification test used for decades prior to the Dynamex decision. Although the Borello test is easier to meet for most job classifications than the “ABC” test is, it is not a walk in the park either. EDD’s enforcement in this area is known to be overly aggressive.
    California employers and especially small- and medium-sized businesses cannot afford frivolous audit findings and unnecessary litigation imposed by a rogue EDD. Employers and job creators need certainty that their employee classification systems are lawful and will be treated as such when they are audited by administrative agencies. The rules of the employee classification system must be enforced fairly and consistently so that California citizens can get the goods and services that they need to live their lives.
    Sheehy Strategy Group is a full-service government relations, lobbying and public strategy firm with unparalleled experience and statewide reach and depth that has helped a diverse array of clientele navigate California's political landscape before the State Senate, Assembly, Governor and state agencies.
    Learn more: https://www.sheehystrategygroup.com/news/2022/8/18/overzealous-tax-agencies-remain-a-threat-to-california-businesses

    2 min
  • After Decades of Historic Growth, California Faces Chronic Stagnation

    By Tom Sheehy

    Ever since California became a state 173 years ago in 1850, every time there was a census taken the population of this great state grew larger. Indeed, for most of the 20th and 21st centuries, California led all states in the country in population growth. The state’s economy has grown to $3.6 trillion, placing it in the top five largest in the world. However, California’s population growth trend has ended. The state’s population has been decreasing for several years, and the state Department of Finance recently projected that it would remain unchanged at 38 – 40 million residents until 2060 — a huge change from earlier predictions that it would top 50 million by then. In fact, in 2021 and 2022 combined, a record 800,000 people left California for other states including Nevada, Arizona, Idaho, Utah, Texas Florida and Tennessee. After the 2020 census, California lost a congressional seat for the first time in its history! Following the stagnant/declining population, the state’s labor force is also stagnant, according to the state budget’s projections, which explains why employers are having such great difficulty filling positions. A chronic lack of workers discourages employers from expanding operations with a negative effect on the overall economy.

    Learn more: https://www.sheehystrategygroup.com/news/2023/8/17/after-decades-of-historic-growth-california-faces-chronic-stagnation

    #caexit #caexodus #cabudget #caleg #cagov

    5 min
  • Understanding the Impact of AB 764 on California Local Government Redistricting

    By Tom Sheehy

    AB 764—legislation recently introduced by Los Angeles Assemblyman Isaac Bryan with the aim of enhancing transparency and accountability—has reignited the discourse surrounding California's redistricting procedures for local government entities.

    Former Assemblyman Bonta, who now serves as the Attorney General, originally introduced the Fair Maps Act in 2019. The Fair Maps Act is a significant piece of legislation aimed at establishing a more transparent procedure for drawing political boundaries at the local level, which was widely regarded as a positive step toward good governance in redistricting.

    This year, Assemblyman Bryan, who is now part of the new Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas’ leadership team, introduced AB 764 in furtherance of the Fair Maps Act. You might even call it the Fair Maps Act #2. However, one aspect of this legislation has sparked controversy. It introduces a new private right of action as an enforcement mechanism in the event that local government redistricting lines procedures aren't followed as outlined in law.

    So, what does that mean? A private right of action means that any individual or any organization, or essentially any stakeholder that doesn't like the way the lines are being drawn, can file a lawsuit. Such legal battles can be time-consuming and costly.

    Learn more: https://www.sheehystrategygroup.com/news/2023/7/26/a-solution-in-search-of-a-problem-understanding-the-impact-of-ab-764-on-california-local-government-redistricting

    #caleg #cabudget #cagov

    3 min
  • Does the State of California Have a $40 Billion Budget Deficit?

    By Tom Sheehy

    California is now starting to approach about a $40 billion budget deficit. Of course, it's unfortunate but true that revenue forecasters are usually behind the curve when we're going into a recession, which means that a $40 billion budget deficit may be the best-case scenario. The number could grow considerably more, perhaps as high as $50 billion if we do go into a recession.

    Read more: https://www.sheehystrategygroup.com/news/2023/5/31/california-budget-deficit-approaches-40-billion

    #cabudget #cagov #caleg

    3 min
  • Governor Newsom May Revise 2023

    By Tom Sheehy

    On Friday, May 12, 2023, Governor Newsom released his revision to the state budget he first unveiled in January. When Governor Newsom provided his budget to the Legislature in January, it was intended to solve a $21.5 billion budget deficit. The deficit was a shock following last year when the Governor was touting a budget surplus of almost $100 billion.

    The reality is that the surplus never really did show up. The state ramped spending up higher, the revenue didn't come in, and this resulted in a huge budget deficit. What has changed since January is that the revenue has declined even further.

    In the May revision, Governor Newsom told us today that the budget deficit is now at least $31 billion. There are a number of budget analysts and revenue forecasters, in Sacramento and in the state, who watch the state's budget, and these experts believe that this number may actually grow considerably higher. 

    Read more: https://www.sheehystrategygroup.com/news/2023/5/12/governor-newsom-releases-state-budget-revision

    #cabudget #cagov #caleg

    5 min

About Tom Talks: Inside Sacramento

From the publisher's feed

As principal and founder of Sheehy Strategy Group and former Chief Deputy Director of the California Department of Finance, Tom Sheehy is recognized as one of Sacramento’s most experienced and influential lobbyists, as well as a fiscal expert.