WHEREAS, The month of June is celebrated as California Small Business Month by the California State Legislature, reminding us of the tremendous contributions small businesses make to the economic strength of our nation and state; and

WHEREAS, On June 10, 2013, the Assembly and Senate celebrate “California Small Business Day.” Further, we recognize this day to honor small business owners from Assembly and Senate districts statewide; and

WHEREAS, The nation’s 28 million small businesses are the job creation engine of the American economy, responsible for one-half of all private sector jobs, and the source of roughly 70 percent of all new jobs in the last decade; and

WHEREAS, California is home to three and one-half million of these small businesses, accounting for 99 percent of the state’s employers and 52 percent of the state’s workforce; and

WHEREAS, California is home to the most innovative and competitive businesses in the world, placing the state consistently among the top 10 economies in the world; and

WHEREAS, California small businesses have been responsible for one in every six jobs created nationwide in the last year, ensuring that California remains the leader in the nation’s ongoing economic recovery; and

WHEREAS, California received more than 50 percent of all venture capital financing in the United States in 2011, by far the most of any state in the nation; and our state is also number one in direct foreign investment; and

WHEREAS, California, through the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GoBiz), assists local and regional governments in the attraction, retention, and expansion of small businesses as well as site selection, permit streamlining, trade development, and regulatory requirements; and

WHEREAS, California state government also administers many very successful programs, such as the Small Business Loan Guarantee Program and the California Capital Access Program (CalCAP), that make capital financing available to small businesses throughout the state; and

WHEREAS, The success of California’s small businesses helps drive our state’s innovation economy, including emerging economic sectors such as biotechnology, clean technology, high technology, and renewable energy; and

WHEREAS, California is committed to promoting state and private investments in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education, so that the next generation of Californians will have the tools required to start their own small businesses; and

WHEREAS, This resolution reaffirms California’s commitment to small businesses, and our state’s support for small-scale private-sector job creators is among our most promising strategies to enhance California’s human capital, expand job opportunities, and increase our competitive advantage in the global marketplace; now, therefore, be it