About HBC

The Humboldt Business Council is a California nonprofit corporation working to improve the ability to start and operate a business on the North Coast in order to create jobs and a healthy local economy.

Businesses operating on the North Coast already suffer from two strikes:
1. Merely doing business in California - The National Federation of Independent Business (www.nfib.com), the nation's largest small-business advocacy group, rated California as the worst regulatory and tax environment for business of all the 50 states.
2. Lack of transportation infrastructure - which makes is more costly to ship raw materials or finished products in and out of the area because:
a) The STAA (Surface Transportation Assistance Act of 1982) allows large trucks to operate on certain highways, but these trucks can't make it through the Richardson Grove on Hwy 101 or through Hwy 299, which makes truck transport more costly;
b) Our airport has runway limitations that can't accommodate larger aircraft for passengers and freight;
c) Our fiber optic link for high speed data transmission lacks a back-up and competition, which drives up the cost and makes telecommunications-dependent businesses less feasible; and
d) Our railroad has been out of commission since 1997 and there is considerable debate over the cost and feasibility of repairing it.

The Humboldt Business Council will work to address these problems and ensure that we don't add a third strike by creating a hostile local business climate that places employers at a further competitive disadvantage. If it's easier to make a living and raise a family elsewhere, that's just what business owners will do.

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Welcome to Humboldt Business Council. The Humboldt Business Council is a nonprofit corporation advocating at the local level for business-related issues to insure that local business leaders have a voice with government agencies, the media and the public to articulate what is needed to attract, retain and expand jobs in Humboldt County. This website contains information about the various positions we have taken, resources concerning business issues and the impact on our local economy, the business-related voting record of local elected officials and how to join as a member. We also encourage visitors to sign up to our "Citizens for Job Growth" email bulletin where you will receive updates about HBC positions and initiatives. The bottom line is that we're all in this together ... without good paying local jobs, our youth can't afford to stay here and raise their families. A healthy local economy will reduce crime, reduce blight and provide necessary taxes to fund local government. With your help we can protect our environment, maintain our high quality of life AND encourage business growth.

Press Releases

HBC Annouces New Website EUREKA (02/02/06) – The Humboldt Business Council (HBC) announces the launch of its new website www.HumboldtBiz.org. The website will enable the new business advocacy organization to convey its positions and communicate effectively with members, the public and the media. HBC is a California nonprofit corporation formed in early 2005 as a voice for community leaders and the public concerned with the need for good paying local jobs. HBC believes that employers suffer a disadvantage conducting business in California by virtue of high regulations and taxes in comparison to other states. Employers on the North Coast suffer a second strike by virtue of our transportation limitations, making it more expensive to ship raw materials and finished products in and out of the area, and relatively high travel costs. By speaking out on behalf of those who create jobs, we hope to avoid a third strike … a local environment that discourages the attraction, retention and expansion of business. The new website contains several features such as information about HBC, links of interest, a newsletter, hot topics and a place where interested parties may either join as dues paying members or sign up to an email notification list as "citizens for job growth." The "Where we Stand" page contains descriptions of various positions and actions taken in the past year to advocate for jobs, including: • Assisting Evergreen Pulp in their quest to continue operations and provide 180 living wage jobs and employ hundreds of local contractors; • Advocating for approval of the Hampton Suites Inn project adjacent to the Wharfinger Building in Eureka; • Opposition to the so-called "Fair Elections and Local Democracy Initiative" as a patently unfair attempt to disenfranchise the voice of business while failing to address the actual need for local campaign finance reform; • Opposition to Arcata's proposed requirement for a public referendum to approve "chain" stores. Future plans for HBC include formation of a Political Action Committee to fund local candidates and initiatives that support business, and development of a grading system to rate local elected officials on their votes concerning business. The website was developed and is hosted by Precision Intermedia (www. precisionintermedia.com) of Fortuna. The chair of HBC is Chris Crawford, owner and operator of Justice Served (www.justiceserved.com). Crawford said, "I'm happy to be part of a new organization that gives a voice to those who create the jobs that allow our youth to stay in Humboldt County and raise families. We won't just be a shrill counterpart to those who want to stop progress on the North Coast … we will simply articulate what is needed for local employers to create jobs and stay in business." # # #