Hour 1: Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse (CALA)
About CALA https://californiacala.org/ Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse (CALA) is a nonpartisan grassroots movement of concerned citizens and businesses who are fighting against lawsuit abuse in California. CALA serves as a watchdog to challenge the abuse of our civil justice system, and engages the public and the media to deliver the message that lawsuit abuse is alive and well in California — and that all Californians are paying the price. 
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About our Guest: Victor Gomez, Executive Director CALA
Victor Gómez is a Northern California native with a wealth of experience in local, State & Federal politics both in the Monterey Bay Area and in the greater Silicon Valley/San Francisco Bay area. Born and raised in Hollister, CA. he is the former Mayor of his hometown and recently completed his second term as a City Councilmember. As a son of a Mayor & Sheriff, Victor has always held a passion for politics, community and public service. After immigrating to Hollister from Guadalajára, Jalisco, México, his parents and older siblings lived in farmworker housing in San Benito County. After years of hard work, they were able to purchase a home in a low-income development in west Hollister where Victor was raised. He attended local elementary schools and San Benito High School. After obtaining his degree in Aviation and becoming a private pilot, Victor and his wife purchased a franchise restaurant which they owned and operated for nearly ten years. In 2008, in the midst of running his business, Gómez ran for and won a seat on the Hollister City Council. At the age of 31, Gómez became one of the youngest Mayor's to serve the City of Hollister. Since then, he served eight years on the San Benito County Transportation Authority, Hollister Airport Land Use Commission, Gang Prevention Policy Board, Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments, Hollister Redevelopment Agency, and served as President of the League of California Cities Monterey Bay Chapter advocating for sound policies for municipal government at the state level. Victor also puts in many volunteer hours as he serves as a board member of the San Benito County Chamber of Commerce, Board member for Goodwill Silicon Valley and Board member for news outlet San Jose Spotlight. Victor served as Deputy Chief of Staff for San José City Councilmember Johnny Khamis and Chief of Staff for San José Vice Mayor Magdalena Carrasco. He also served as Director of Public Policy for The Silicon Valley Organization (formerly the Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce). During his free time, Victor enjoys flying and traveling with his family. He lives in Hollister with his wife, three daughters and two dogs, Jack and Gigi. CALA Issues:
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Up for discussion:
- What is lawsuit abuse and why is it an issue that residents should care about? It costs small businesses a lot of money and that goes straight to the cost passed on to consumers or they go out of business
- Do you have any examples of how small businesses might be impacted by lawsuit abuse?
- Why hasn’t the legislature done anything to solve the issue of lawsuit abuse?
- Are there any pending pieces of legislation that would help or hurt small business owners facing lawsuit abuse? SB 84 is in Senate approps this week.
- What steps should legislators take to address the issue of lawsuit abuse? ADA and a curing period, SB 84, changes to private attorney general act (sue your boss act), prop 65 chemical list should be limited and streamlined, 3rd party litigation funding - they raise money through investors who will see a return on a class action suit (gambling through law firms and lawsuits).
- How can small business owners or concerned citizens learn more about lawsuit abuse and get involved in the fight?
Hour 2: Big, Beautiful Bill Should REIN in Regulation
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About our guest: Phil Kerpen
Phil Kerpen, a leading free-market policy analyst and advocate in Washington DC. He was the principal policy and legislative strategist at Americans for Prosperity for over five years. He previously worked at the Free Enterprise Fund, the Club for Growth, and the Cato Institute. Kerpen is also a nationally syndicated columnist, chairman of the Internet Freedom Coalition, and author of the 2011 book Democracy Denied. Phil Kerpen is the president of American Commitment, dedicated to restoring and protecting the American Commitment to free markets, economic growth, Constitutionally-limited government, property rights, and individual freedom. They engage in critical public policy fights over the size and intrusiveness of government through direct advocacy, strategic policy analysis, and grassroots mobilization. Working with key partners, American Commitment delivers timely, effective public policy research to the broader free-market movement. We are dedicated to restoring and protecting the American Commitment to free markets, economic growth, Constitutionally-limited government, property rights, and individual freedom. https://www.americancommitment.org/ |
Previous Shows:
- MAR 9, 2025 HOUR 2: CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION BUREAU - PHIL KERPEN
- JUN 2, 2024 HOUR 1: STOP BIDEN'S ILLEGAL ATTACK ON GAS-POWERED CARS
- JAN 28, 2024 HOUR 2: BAD WI-FI IS NOT A REASON TO REGULATE THE INTERNET
- JUL 9, 2023 HOUR 2: SENIOR HEALTHCARE CONCERNS AND THE INFLATION REDUCTION ACT
- APR 2, 2023 HOUR 1: DEBT AND SPENDING REFORM
- SEP 18, 2022 HOUR 2: DEMOCRATS WANT TO RAID MEDICARE TO PAY FOR OBAMACARE
- JUL 19, 2020 HOUR 2: TESTIMONY TO THE HOUSE SELECT SUBCOMMITTEE ON CORONAVIRUS
Big, Beautiful Bill Should REIN in Regulation
By Phil Kerpen April 30, 2025
https://www.americancommitment.org/big-beautiful-bill-should-rein-in-regulation/
https://cagle.com/columnist/phil-kerpen/2025/04/30/big-beautiful-bill-should-rein-in-regulation
The single most important pro-growth policy change in the “Big, Beautiful Bill” may not be in the tax title House Ways and Means has been working on but in the work of the House Judiciary Committee, which has included a version of a bill called the REINS Act in its section of the bill.
Federal regulation now nearly rivals taxation as a burden on the US economy, with a total burden north of $3 trillion per year. Recent Democratic administrations have stretched decades-old laws to within inches of their breaking points to impose vast costs, with Biden setting a new world record of about $47,000 per family in new regulatory costs during his four year term. Much of that has already been reversed by President Trump – but absent a legislative fix, it can snap back into place, and more, as soon as a Democrat is back in the White House.
The REINS Act would stop the swinging of this exorbitant regulatory pendulum by fixing the Congressional Review Act’s fundamental design flaw. Right now, even if Congress votes to overturn a harmful regulation, a sitting president can veto it and keep the rule in place. This fix flips the default.
Going forward, any regulation with a budgetary impact would require affirmative approval from both the House and Senate before it could take effect. The language is similar to the note that Tea Party activist Lloyd Rogers handed to then-Congressman Geoff Davis back in 2010, when the REINS Act was invented.
Congress is more than capable of approving stupid regulations, of course, but this system would put a critical check on the process and would likely stop most of the worst and most destructive regulations. At a minimum, when bad rules and regulations do pass, voters would know who to hold responsible on election day.
This is precisely the legislative process the Constitution describes – regulations significant enough to have an impact on the federal budget would be treated like laws, and would require majority approval of the House and Senate and a presidential signature or a veto-override before they could take effect.
This would unleash economic growth and likely slash the federal deficit by as much as $1 trillion over the next decade, according to research from Heritage Foundation. Democrats will be hard-pressed to argue that deficit reduction on that order of magnitude is not germane to a budget reconciliation package, which will procedurally protect it from filibuster.
I asked President Donald Trump about the REINS concept in 2015, when I surveyed the presidential field on the issue.
“I will sign the REINS Act should it reach my desk as President and more importantly I will work hard to get it passed,” Trump responded. “The monstrosity that is the Federal Government with its pages and pages of rules and regulations has been a disaster for the American economy and job growth. The REINS Act is one major step toward getting our government under control.”
And, I would add, keeping it under control after President Trump has left office.
REINS has passed the House many times but never the Senate. Including it in this year’s reconciliation package is a brilliant move by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan to get it over the line. It deserves the strong support of every member of Congress who is up to the job of actually voting on major regulations. And anybody not up to that job should probably seek other employment.
Mr. Kerpen is president of American Commitment and Unleash Prosperity.
By Phil Kerpen April 30, 2025
https://www.americancommitment.org/big-beautiful-bill-should-rein-in-regulation/
https://cagle.com/columnist/phil-kerpen/2025/04/30/big-beautiful-bill-should-rein-in-regulation
The single most important pro-growth policy change in the “Big, Beautiful Bill” may not be in the tax title House Ways and Means has been working on but in the work of the House Judiciary Committee, which has included a version of a bill called the REINS Act in its section of the bill.
Federal regulation now nearly rivals taxation as a burden on the US economy, with a total burden north of $3 trillion per year. Recent Democratic administrations have stretched decades-old laws to within inches of their breaking points to impose vast costs, with Biden setting a new world record of about $47,000 per family in new regulatory costs during his four year term. Much of that has already been reversed by President Trump – but absent a legislative fix, it can snap back into place, and more, as soon as a Democrat is back in the White House.
The REINS Act would stop the swinging of this exorbitant regulatory pendulum by fixing the Congressional Review Act’s fundamental design flaw. Right now, even if Congress votes to overturn a harmful regulation, a sitting president can veto it and keep the rule in place. This fix flips the default.
Going forward, any regulation with a budgetary impact would require affirmative approval from both the House and Senate before it could take effect. The language is similar to the note that Tea Party activist Lloyd Rogers handed to then-Congressman Geoff Davis back in 2010, when the REINS Act was invented.
Congress is more than capable of approving stupid regulations, of course, but this system would put a critical check on the process and would likely stop most of the worst and most destructive regulations. At a minimum, when bad rules and regulations do pass, voters would know who to hold responsible on election day.
This is precisely the legislative process the Constitution describes – regulations significant enough to have an impact on the federal budget would be treated like laws, and would require majority approval of the House and Senate and a presidential signature or a veto-override before they could take effect.
This would unleash economic growth and likely slash the federal deficit by as much as $1 trillion over the next decade, according to research from Heritage Foundation. Democrats will be hard-pressed to argue that deficit reduction on that order of magnitude is not germane to a budget reconciliation package, which will procedurally protect it from filibuster.
I asked President Donald Trump about the REINS concept in 2015, when I surveyed the presidential field on the issue.
“I will sign the REINS Act should it reach my desk as President and more importantly I will work hard to get it passed,” Trump responded. “The monstrosity that is the Federal Government with its pages and pages of rules and regulations has been a disaster for the American economy and job growth. The REINS Act is one major step toward getting our government under control.”
And, I would add, keeping it under control after President Trump has left office.
REINS has passed the House many times but never the Senate. Including it in this year’s reconciliation package is a brilliant move by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan to get it over the line. It deserves the strong support of every member of Congress who is up to the job of actually voting on major regulations. And anybody not up to that job should probably seek other employment.
Mr. Kerpen is president of American Commitment and Unleash Prosperity.