CRA Winter Newsletter II
February 19, 2021 | CRA Winter Newsletter II: Political, Legislative, Regulatory and CRA Updates
Message from the President
Today marks the final day for bills to be introduced in the State Legislature - let the games begin! Based on what we have seen thus far we can expect a very busy couple of months. In addition, the State Senate will be voting on Monday to suspend the 30 day in print rule which will allow bills to be heard sooner than usual, And, while we thought we would see a down tick in terms of the number of bills being introduced, that does not seem to be the case and per usual, we will see hundreds of bills moving through the legislative process.

California continues to focus on vaccine roll out and now the biggest issue being debated is the opening of schools. California still has one of the most restrictive standards when it comes to opening -- to move into the less restrictive RED tier, a county must have seven positive cases per 100,000 residents. To give you a visual, that would be filling up Petco Park, home to the San Diego Padres, and only have seven folks test positive in the entire arena. To move to the next less restricted tier, ORANGE, that requires filling two Petco Parks and only having four positive cases. We are hearing changes may be announced next week allowing more flexibility in the tier structure, but that is only rumor. We will certainly keep you posted if there are changes, but our focus now is to be as helpful as we can with the vaccine roll out. Unfortunately, we took a few steps back this week with distribution as the number of vaccines were reduced due to the supply chain issues, but we hope to be back on track ASAP in getting as many Californians vaccinated as quickly possible.

Another aspect to seeing the state move forward with opening more of the economy is the re-opening of schools. Currently, most of the public schools in the state are still in distance learning. The Legislature is set to vote on their school re-opening proposal on Monday even with a threat of veto from the Governor. Governor Newsom thinks the Legislature’s proposal does not move quick enough to get kids back in the classroom, but the Legislature, in siding with the powerful California Teachers Association, thinks a more conservative approach is needed. It will be interesting to see how this plays out and what impact this will have on other legislation moving through the process.

Also, on the CRA radar is "Hazard" pay that is sweeping the state. We are starting to see it be expanded to general retail, not just grocery or pharmacy. Please let us know if you would like to be added to our update list on this issue.

I encourage you, or members of you team, to join our various work groups that will be helping shape CRA's position on legislation. And a reminder to join us for our policy calls - there will be a lot to talk about and, as I mentioned, things will be moving faster than they have in past legislative cycles. If you would like to get added to the Policy Call list and receive the calendar invite, please email Ryan.

As always, my door (or email) is open. Please do not hesitate to reach out if the CRA team can help in anyway.


Rachel 
Legislative and Political Updates
Regulatory Updates
CRA News and Activities
CRA Testifies on Protecting California Ports, Supply Chain and Economy
California Retailers Association President and CEO Rachel Michelin spoke in the Assembly Select Committee on Ports & Goods Movement Joint Hearing about the need for government, regulatory bodies and the business community to work together to support and protect our supply chain and economy. The goods movement is the backbone of California's economy and CRA looks forward to working with state leaders to ensure the state's supply chain continues to lead the world.

"Across the state, the supply chain kept trucking along to ensure not only Californians, but the nation, had food, medications, toilet paper, supplies and other needed items. We need to work together to ensure our goods market remains strong and we do not see an erosion of market share. I am proud of the partnership retailers have with our ports and logistical community and I look forward to our collective work on ensuring our supply chain continues to operate and provide much needed products to Californians and beyond. The California Retailers Association is here to partner with state leaders to ensure the goods movement in our state remains a strong global leader."
CRA Holds First Legislative Staff Briefing of 2021
The CRA team held the Association's first in a planned series of legislative staff briefings. Included in the briefing was an overview of CRA's response to COVID-19 and vaccine rollout, the retail industry's impact on California, organized retail crime, Cal OSHA update, packaging and other areas of focus for CRA in the legislative and policy arenas. The zoom meeting also discussed ways staff can engage their members in partnership opportunities with CRA.

The next briefing will focus on a more in-depth discussion and analysis of Organized Retail Crime.

The purpose of these forums is to continue to engage state legislative offices on the latest issues and concerns for our members while also promoting the important role the retail industry has in protecting California's consumers, economy and jobs.
CRA President and CEO Rachel Michelin Joins Business Leaders Across the State in a Virtual Press Conference Calling for Schools to Reopen

Michelin joined business organizations from across California to deliver a unified message that urged Governor Newsom and state and local leaders to follow the science and the lessons learned over the last 11 months to reopen public schools immediately. "The prolonged closure of California public schools is hurting the current and future workforce, economic recovery and the mental, physical and emotional wellbeing of children."
CRA Member Survey- Feedback Requested
The CRA Team is requesting feedback to help the association continue to best serve our members and California's retail industry. Click on the button below to be taken to a short list of questions that will take five minutes or less to answer. Thank you to those members who responded. We appreciate your time and attention!
CRA 2021 Policy Calls 

The planned 2021 monthly policy call calendar covering this year's legislative session is listed below (dates are subject to change). For CRA members' designated contacts who are not regularly receiving these policy call reminders and calendar invites, please email cra@calretailers.com to be added moving forward. Policy calls are held on Fridays at 10:00am PT.

  • March 12
  • April 16
  • May 21
  • June 18
  • July 9
  • August 20
  • September 10
CRA Member Highlights
The CRA team continues to proudly share member updates and news surrounding the critical work and above and beyond contributions the retail industry is making around COVID-19 vaccine distribution. From the start of the pandemic, retailers have prioritized their employees, consumers and communities providing increased safety measures, PPE, face coverings, special shopping hours for seniors and more. Ensuring employees have incentives and the resources to get vaccinated is the next frontier and, as usual, retail is stepping up across California and nationwide.
Target offers extra pay, free transportation to employees who get Covid vaccines.

Target's Chief Human Resources Officer Melissa Kremer: “As more vaccines become available, especially for frontline and essential workers, we'll help our team members across the country get the information and access they need.”
Walgreens is teaming up with Uber to offer free rides to expand Covid vaccine access in underserved communities.

Walgreens and Uber also plan to work together in other ways with Uber adding in-app features that make it easier for Uber drivers, delivery people and freight workers to book a vaccine appointment when they are more widely available. The companies are also developing an educational program with the National Urban League to reduce vaccine hesitancy.
CVS to start offering COVID vaccine at 100 pharmacies across California

Modesto and Yuba City are just a couple of the cities throughout California where the 81,900 total doses will be distributed. “One of our greatest strengths as a company is our presence in communities across the country, which makes us an ideal partner for administering vaccines in a safe, convenient and familiar manner,” said Karen S. Lynch, President and Chief Executive Officer of CVS Health.


The Home Depot continues to step up in a big way for their employees & communities.

The retailer donated nearly $1 million dollars worth of face coverings and PPE ( 1,128,600 in supplies) in 2020. 
CRA member Albertsons' CEO Vivek Sankaran shares with Time Magazine insights into how the pandemic has effected shopping, the company's ability to pivot, and how retailers can help with the vaccine distribution.

"One potent frontline presence is Albertsons, the nation’s third largest food retailer, with operations in 34 states, employing 11,000 pharmacists and pharmacy technicians, which is gearing up to hire hundreds more to help the vaccine effort."
Walmart’s Covid-19 Vaccine Rollout Heads to Small Towns

The U.S.’s largest retailer and private employer is set to become one of the biggest distributors of the Covid-19 vaccine as the federal government enlists retail pharmacies to accelerate what has been a choppy rollout.
It's Black History Month and the CRA team is sharing highlights of our members' commitment to ethnic diversity through company culture, workforce and products.
COVID-19 Resources and Updates
The CRA team continues to send updates to our members with the latest information and resources related to COVID-19 including city, county and statewide executive orders and guidance, status of color-coded county tier system, latest sector updates and more. This information is also compiled on CRA's COVID-19 Resources and Updates web page. To receive this proprietary information, members can send an email to cra@calretailers.com.
CRA Member Portal
CRA members get access to CRA's exclusive online member portal, which contains coalition letters, floor alerts, regulatory comments and testimony that California Retailers Association authored or signed on to during previous Legislative sessions as well as the latest updates on the 2021-2022 legislative session. The portal also contains newsletter, news alert archives and important association governance documents for your reference. If you have not yet received your login credentials and access instructions please email cra@calretailers.com. We are also available to answer any questions you may have regarding portal navigation.