State Sen. Tony Strickland Entering the new year, many Californians are still reeling from the economic crisis that’s left many without jobs.

For California to rebound from this crisis in 2010, we must focus on creating more jobs and putting more Californians back to work. Every legislator’s first, second and third priority should be jobs, jobs and jobs!

Californians have seen their state sink further and further into a recession. Each month we receive the updated unemployment numbers, and it vividly reminds us of the extent of the economic crisis. Currently California sits at 12.3 percent unemployment, which is the state’s highest unemployment rate since the Great Depression. More than 2 million Californians are without a job.

If job creation is going to be a priority in California, we must first deal with the cost of state regulations that are strangling small businesses in California.

A recent study released by California State University Sacramento business professors Sanjay B. Varshney and Dennis H. Tootelian titled “The Cost of State Regulation on California Small Businesses” finds that the cost of regulation to the state is $492.99 billion.

The cost of state regulation amounts to almost five times the state’s general fund budget, and nears a third of the state’s gross product. The most troubling part of this study is that these costs amount to an employment loss of 3.8 million jobs.

Small businesses are also feeling the pressure, as small business bankruptcies are up a staggering 81 percent in California. With small businesses constituting almost 99.2 percent of all employer businesses in California, the regulatory cost is almost completely thrust upon the shoulders of small businesses and their employees.

In 2010, we must bring about legislation that not only helps California businesses survive, but expand and flourish once again. Creating a better climate for small businesses will encourage economic growth and put Californians back to work. Through his Jobs and Economic Growth plan, I believe that the governor has laid out the general framework for recovery in 2010.

Gov. Schwarzenegger’s ambitious plan strives to cultivate a bustling green sector through job training grants, and tax incentives will spur many businesses to take advantage of these lucrative opportunities. Streamlining the permitting process and reducing regulatory red-tape for largescale building projects will get shovels in the ground and produce new jobs statewide.

Improving our legal climate and reducing frivolous lawsuits on businesses will help them operate without the fear of future costly litigation.

The strength of our economic recovery in 2010 is based on job creation.

I call on all of my colleagues, Democrat and Republican, Senate and Assembly, to stand up for California and put people back to work.

We have a lot of work to do this year, let’s start with the top priority—job creation.

Strickland represents the 19th district in California’s state sen ate.