FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Lorie Zapf (619) 295-6059

(Sacramento, CA) – Small business owner and California Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse Co-Chairman David Houston released the following statement today in response to the Governor Schwarzenegger’s State of the State address.

“California Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse applauds Governor Schwarzenegger for reinforcing what so many consumers and small business owners across our state know: we will not get out of this economic nightmare without policies to support job growth, including reforming our legal system to prevent abusive lawsuits from crippling California businesses.

“The threat of abusive lawsuits increases the cost of doing business in our state. Yet, in a recent poll by Charlton Research Company, a majority of California’s registered voters said the state has too many lawsuits and that these lawsuits are costing jobs. Two in three small business owners report that greater protection against abusive lawsuits would allow them to hire more employees in a recent CALA/NFIB survey.

“Now is not the time for more lawsuits. We look forward to working with the governor and the legislature to enact common sense reforms to stop lawsuit abuse and encourage job growth throughout California.”

California Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse (CALA) is a nonpartisan, grassroots organization dedicated to educating the public about the negative effects of lawsuit abuse and challenging those who abuse our legal system for personal gain. For more information, visit www.cala.com.

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