Over 150 CAWA members and friends attended the Leadership & Educational Forum last month in Napa. Committee meetings, guest presenters, a YANG Regional Meet-Up, social events and fundraisers were part of the Forum. The next Forum is scheduled for June 21-23, 2023 in Long Beach, CA. A tour of the harbor terminal, a “Jazz in the Beach” social event, committee meetings and guest presentations will highlight the Forum. Watch for details and contact programs@cawa.org with immediate questions.

Ryan Turner, co-founder of Epicgenerators.com, sells portable generators and other backup power equipment. For many customers, those products represent a major, long-term purchase, so the stakes are high. But generators are one of several products that have been in the middle of debates over consumers' rights to repair their products. Some warranties on those generators would have been avoided if they made repairs that didn’t follow strict guidelines. Businesses and consumers have a lot riding on the battle over the right to repair, and experts expect the debate will intensify and expand to even more products in 2023 and beyond. In 2022, the Federal Trade Commission — following a 2021 executive order by President Joe Biden — filed complaints against three separate companies, Weber, which makes electric and gas grills, motorcycle manufacturer Harley Davidson, and MWE investments LLC, which sells Westinghouse outdoor power equipment. Read more here. Source: The Playbook

What are the requirements of California’s new bereavement leave law?

With 2023 in full swing, many employers are reviewing and updating employee handbooks and policies. The new year should include adopting or updating an existing bereavement leave policy to comply with California’s new bereavement leave law. Effective January 1, 2023, California requires employers to provide eligible employees with up to five days of leave upon the death of family member. The law applies to all private employers with five or more employees and all public employers. (Government Code Section 12945.7). See more here. Source: Our Friends at the California Chamber of Commerce

From the show floor to panelist discussions, the global acceleration of electric vehicles and autonomous vehicles has undoubtedly taken off. While taking center stage at CES 2023, here are some key takeaways. CES, the world’s largest tech event, was held the first week of January in Las Vegas and brought in over 115,000 attendees this year. With 300 vehicle tech exhibitors, CES seems to be transforming more into an auto show - but unlike any auto show you've seen before. BMW showing how its latest concept car changes colors. Instead of current or recently released vehicle models on display, the aisles are filled with vehicles from the future and technology to inspire. Some vehicles on display this year were able to change color, follow you on a job site, incorporate augmented reality, achieve 750 miles on a single charge, and more. See more takeaways from CES here. Source: Vehicle Pros

Federal legislation has been reintroduced to protect vehicle owners’ rights to decide where and with what parts they can repair and maintain their vehicles. United States Representatives Neal Dunn (R-FL-02), Brendan Boyle (D-PA-02), Warren Davidson (R-OH-08), and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-WA-03) introduced the “Right to Equitable and Professional Auto Industry Repair (REPAIR) Act” in the House of Representatives, as the result of the advocacy efforts of MEMA Aftermarket, The Auto Care Association, CAR Coalition, SEMA – and a wave of industry support, including CAWA. The bill ensures affordability, accessibility, and a strong supply chain by safeguarding a free and competitive repair market for the nation’s 292 million registered passenger vehicles and millions of commercial vehicles. Tell your legislator to support the legislation. Simply click on this button and show your support.

A SLEW of new laws and regulations that affect California businesses have taken effect for 2023. Last year was a busy one, with ground-breaking new laws on employee pay disclosures, a law prohibiting discrimination against cannabis-using employees and another expanding the circumstances when employees can take leave to care for a loved one. The following are the top 10 laws and regulations that employers in the Golden State need to stay on top of. Source: Armstrong & Associates

I was recently in a sales meeting for a company that I just started working with. One of the subjects that came up was how to handle the first interaction with the prospect. By first interaction, I'm referring to the first conversation with someone who seems to have some interest and has decided to at least give you a few minutes of their time. In sales meetings, I’ll usually ask if someone has an example of what they do in that situation and if they could share it with the group. In this case, Wayne volunteered. He’s a veteran at the company having sold for them for about 17 years. He started speaking and after about 90 seconds of verbal diarrhea, I stopped him. What came out of his mouth was a monolog about their company and their products. It amazes me how much this happens. Most lectures, like the one Wayne was giving, last five to ten minutes, or more, and the salesperson does not ask one question or get any input from the prospect, they just drone on hoping they’ll say something the prospect will find interesting.

The most important part of a first conversation with a prospect is to get them talking as much as possible. See more here. Source: John Chapin

Senate bill 1263 and Senate bill 1276 — two bills designed to provide property tax relief for job creators across the Valley. SB1263 would eliminate the property tax exemption cap and allow the Arizona Department of Revenue (ADOR) to provide more relief for business owners in the desert. The second bill — SB1276 — would alter the depreciation schedule for properties acquired before 2022 and accelerate commercial property assessment reductions. CAWA is monitoring these bills.

Should you have any questions regarding the legislation, contact our Phoenix based legislative advocate, Stuart Goodman at sgoodman@goodmanschwartz.com or 602.617.5708.

This scholarship program supports educational opportunities for you, your family, employees and those interested in a career in the auto care industry. Applying is easy! The online application process allows students interested in auto care industry careers to submit one application each year online at automotivescholarships.com and receive consideration for several scholarships. Preference will be given to those seeking a college level, vocational or technical program pursuing a degree, accreditation or certificate in the auto care industry. A candidate’s permanent residence must be located in the states of California, Nevada or Arizona. Scholarships will be awarded in June, 2023. The applicant with the highest ranking each year will receive the Mort Schwartz Scholarship Award. DEADLINE: March 31, 2023. APPLY HERE!

The oftentimes forgotten individuals in educating and training students in preparation for automotive careers is the high school automotive teacher. Whether it’s their use of personal funds to keep their programs going or their need for certification to keep their instructor and program status, CAWA wants to assist them in achieving success. The Association has established a scholarship program to help these teachers in several ways, including financially. CAWA represents manufacturers, distributors and retailers that could supply these high school automotive teachers with products, tools and other resources for classroom use to assist them in providing relevant, up to date and quality education and training for their students. Access to industry training being conducted by CAWA members could be made available to the automotive high school teachers for their own knowledge and development. Teachers that are interested in applying for a scholarship should complete an application for consideration, found here (PDF) or contact programs@cawa.org. Application deadline is May 31, 2023.