In order to more effectively represent the Oceanside business community, the Chamber's Board of Directors recently adopted to following public policy guidelines to govern the Chamber's positions on a wide variety of important issues:

Oceanside Chamber of Commerce
Public Policy Platform
Adopted: June 24, 2018
Updated: August 8, 2019

​CIVIL LITIGATION

POLICY OBJECTIVE:  Promote the elimination of lawsuit abuse and unwarranted or excessive litigation.
POSITIONS:

• Support the use of arbitration, mediation and other alternatives to litigation.
  
• Support placing reasonable limits on attorney contingency fees and allowing an equitable distribution of litigation expenses and liability.
  
• Support efforts that require proof of consumer injury as a basis for data breach and/or related litigation.
  
• Oppose legislation and regulations that will expose businesses to unnecessary potential lawsuits.
  
• Support legislation to end litigation as a tactic designed to impede or manipulate development.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

​POLICY OBJECTIVE: Promote, preserve and enhance a positive business climate.
POSITIONS:

• Support strategies that encourage manufacturing and growth industry clusters that produce high multiplier effects and strengthen global competitiveness.
• Support programs and legislation that will promote Oceanside and North County as a location for business.
• Support a balanced regulatory climate that promotes economic growth with reasonable regulatory requirements.
• Support legislation, regulations and government agency actions that give full consideration to the rights of private property owners.
• Support policies that create an environment conducive to economic recovery.

EDUCATION/WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

POLICY OBJECTIVE: Promote a strong education system that meets the needs of business for an educated and highly skilled workforce. POSITIONS:

• Support effective and timely communication between businesses and the education community to assure that education and training programs are closely linked to employer and labor market needs.
  
• Support appropriate funding for education facilities, technology, programs and teacher preparation with more local control over both revenues and expenditures.
  
• Support rigorous academic, technical and vocational coursework designed to provide the technical and soft skills required for employment.
  
• Support business partnerships with universities strong in applied research capabilities to solve problems and provide students with opportunities for practical experience.
  
• Support cooperative and joint ventures between private businesses and public and private centers of higher education.
  
• Support workforce development initiatives that will advance the health care profession.
  
• Support licensing reciprocity in industries where training/licensing standards are substantially similar

ENERGY

POLICY OBJECTIVE: Promote the achievement of a reliable, safe, stable, and competitively priced energy system for businesses and consumers. POSITIONS:

• Support energy policies and regulations that promote adequate supplies and reasonable pricing.
  
• Support improvements in generation, transmission, and distribution infrastructure required to support future statewide growth and reserve needs.
  
• Encourage close coordination between state and local regulatory agencies to ensure responsible protections for the environment while supporting reasonable growth needs.
  
• Support continued research, development and use of cleaner, alternate power sources.
  
• Support a more participatory role for business in regulatory processes.

ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY

POLICY OBJECTIVE: Promote the protection of our environment without sacrificing economic prosperity or global competitiveness.
POSITIONS:

• Support the involvement of business in developing environmental protection, pollution prevention and emission reduction strategies.
• Support measures that utilize market-based incentives in the pursuit of environmental quality.
• Support environmental regulations that are based upon sound science and produce achievable, cost effective and measurable benefits to public health and the environment.
• Support streamlining the regulatory and permitting process, eliminating unnecessary regulations.
• Support consistency and coordination in the California Environmental Quality Act to streamline processes and curb abuses such as excessive litigation.

GOVERNMENT REFORM

POLICY OBJECTIVE: Promote a continuous, ongoing review of the role of government in providing essential public services.
POSITIONS:

• Support government which is streamlined and provides cost-effective services.
  
• Support the elimination of unfunded State and federal mandates.
  
• Support enactment of effective public pension reforms.
  
• Support local control where appropriate and beneficial to business.
  
• Support a more equitable method of distribution of funding of local governments.

HEALTH CARE

POLICY OBJECTIVE: Promote health care policies that provide long-term control of both quality and cost of health care.
POSITIONS:

• Support tax deductions for businesses offering health care coverage.
  
• Support a market-driven health care system.
  
• Support health care programs based on quality, outcome data, and preventative care.
  
• Support innovative models of delivering health care.
  
• Support healthcare policies that encourage lower costs, higher quality outcomes and a better patient experience.
  
• Support local control, business innovation and lower regulatory burdens.
  
• Support government accountability for the health services the government is mandated by law to provide or fund.

HOUSING CREATION

POLICY OBJECTIVE: Promote policies that facilitate and assist the creation of a full range of housing options necessary to accommodate California’s population and economic growth.
POSITIONS:

• Support policies to enhance Oceanside’s ability to maintain local control by enabling housing production to meet legal requirements and stay ahead of state mandates.
• Support the updating of the City’s General Plan Land Use and Housing Elements and the City’s zoning codes to promote new housing within the City.
• Support the use of Programmatic EIR’s that allow for streamlined environmental review for implementing projects.
• Support predictability and expedited processing for projects consistent with local ordinances
• Support growth in transit-friendly areas, which also supports the goals of the City's Climate Action Plan.
• Support a professional planning staff that provides leadership and approaches projects in a predictable and objective manner based upon City codes and other legal requirements.
• Support implementation of programs to require Planning Commission, Economic Development Committee and Downtown Advisory Committee to stay within prescribed parameters when reviewing projects.
• Support a policy in which City staff reports would clearly distinguish issues of code compliance versus stakeholder/community feedback and would include the following in distinctly defined sections: - Objective Professional Staff Analysis - Comments from applicants - Comments from project opposition
• Support a policy of allowing applicant to view and comment on staff reports before reports are finalized.
• Support city-wide expansion of mixed-use projects to include light industrial/incubator industrial.
• Support expansion of “Live/Work” spaces into underutilized commercial or office spaces.
• Support the construction of low-income, moderate-income and middle-income housing through incentives.
• Support policies that streamline processing and reduce fees associated with adding Accessory Dwelling Units to our housing stock.

INTERNATIONAL TRADE

POLICY OBJECTIVE: Promote international investment in Oceanside and trade with Oceanside businesses.
POSITIONS:

• Support legislation that allows open and fair competition and enhances the local business environment at the local, regional, and international levels of trade.
• Support legislation and programs that promote business investment in California and/or Oceanside.

PUBLIC SAFETY

POLICY OBJECTIVE: Promote measures enhancing the public safety of the businesses and residents of the city of Oceanside.
POSITIONS:

• Support a strong state, county and local public safety emergency response system including police, fire and medical treatment components that enhance community safety.
• Support programs that provide education about business, home and personal safety and protection.

PRIVACY AND CYBERSECURITY

POLICY OBJECTIVE: Support legislation that protects consumer privacy without imposing unreasonable burdens on business.
POSITIONS:

• Support efforts to clarify the definition of consumer to exclude employees or job applicants.
• Support legislation that protects businesses from unreasonable burdens associated with the California Consumer Privacy Act and other privacy related issues.
• Support legislations that mitigates against unintended negative impacts of CCPA and other privacy related policies on businesses and consumer.

REGULATORY REFORM

POLICY OBJECTIVE: Promote a simplified regulatory environment that is business-friendly.
POSITIONS:

• Support measures that reduce administrative burdens on businesses created by regulations and permit requirements.
  
• Support mandatory periodic reviews of existing regulations.
  
• Support measures that require governing bodies to include input from the impacted businesses before promulgating regulations.
  
• Support measures that increase government accountability, including adequate opportunities to appeal regulatory decisions.
  
• Support programs that educate businesses on regulatory and permitting requirements and assist businesses in complying with those requirements.

SOLID WASTE/RECYCLING

POLICY OBJECTIVES: Promote a balanced approach to solid waste management that does not unfairly burden the business community with high fees.
POSITIONS:

• Support an equitable approach to solid waste handling fees.
  
• Support the partnership of the solid waste providers, the cities and private enterprise that recognize business’ efforts to recycle.

TAXES AND FEES

POLICY OBJECTIVE: Promote a tax structure that encourages economic growth.
POSITIONS:

• Support balanced local, state and federal budgets that reduce spending without shifting costs to or imposing mandates upon other levels of government.
  
• Support simplification of the tax code.
  
• Oppose taxes, fees, or burdensome regulations that would have the effect of stifling competition and commerce.
  
• Support measures that reduce tax burdens on veterans and veteran-owned businesses.
  
• Support legislation that compels EDD to address issues of fraud to ensure Unemployment Insurance is going to those actually eligible. Oppose efforts to fund the system through additional taxes on business.

TRANSPORTATION

POLICY OBJECTIVE: Promote a well-maintained community infrastructure supporting economic expansion, and the efficient movement of people, goods and services.
POSITIONS:

• Support for a comprehensive and cost-effective transportation network.
  
• Support measures that ensure transportation related taxes are used for transportation projects.
  
• Support for allocation of State funding for transportation projects in our region.
  
• Support for public-private partnerships when appropriate, sustainable and cost-effective.
  
• Support for private sector participation in the planning and oversite of transportation related projects.

WAGE COMPENSATION AND EMPLOYMENT

POLICY OBJECTIVE: Promote a robust economic environment with a strong diverse labor pool.
POSITIONS:

• Support legislation that promotes flexibility in the employer/employee relationship.
  
• Support legislation that promotes flexibility and clarity in the relationship between businesses and independent contractors.
  
• Support measures that encourage efficient, fair resolution of wage and employment disputes.
  
• Support measures that establish and maintain a sound, efficiently operated unemployment insurance fund.
  
• Oppose legislation that creates additional burdens on employers with regard to paid and unpaid leave.
  
• Oppose legislation that impose benefit mandates on the employer.
  
• Oppose mandated “hazard pay” for private sector employers.
  
• Support broadening of “business-to-business” exemptions to AB 5 to allow for flexibility in engaging with independent contractors.
  
• Oppose forced unionization process that limits an employee’s ability to independently and privately vote for unionization in the workplace.

WATER AND WASTEWATER

POLICY OBJECTIVE: Promote proper maintenance and management of water resources and water facilities.
POSITIONS:

• Support legislation, policies and local projects leading to cost-effective water reliability and independence.
• Support cooperation among water agencies leading to water management efficiencies and ultimately savings to ratepayers.
• Support for policies and local projects leading to water source and storage diversification.
• Support City efforts to leverage federal and/or state grants and financial assistance to improve Oceanside’s infrastructure.

​WORKERS’ COMPENSATION

POLICY OBJECTIVE: Promote workers’ compensation system that efficiently provides timely and fair benefits to injured workers and minimizes administrative and frictional costs to employers.
​POSITIONS:

• Support policies calling for aggregation and centralization of data from the entire system supply chain.
  
• Support use of advanced analytics to detect fraud.
  
• Support the use of the Medicaid model of suspending fraudulent providers.
  
• Support policies that minimize costs associated with permanent disability claims and prolonged treatment.
  
• Support policies the encourage efficiency in handling of claims and delivery of benefits.
  
• Support policies that effectively address the costs associated with cumulative trauma claims.