HomeMy WebLinkAboutSB 556 LTR to Achadjian 20130702L* QQ¢ cityof sAnluis � o oBispo
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�! OFFICE OF THE CITY COUNCIL
/ g O 990 Palm Street ■ San Luis Obispo, CA 93401-3249 ■ 805/781-7119
July 2, 2013
VIA FACSIMILE ONLY 916-319-2135
The Honorable Katcho Achadjian
California State Senate
State Capitol Building,
Sacramento, CA 95814
RE: SB 556. Agency: Ostensible: Nongovernmental Entities
(as amended July 1 2013)
NOTICE OF OPPOSITION
Dear Assembly Member Achadjian:
The City of San Luis Obispo opposes Senate Bill 556, which would prohibit contractor
that perform labor or services for a public entity from displaying a seal, emblem, insignia,
trade, brand name, or any other term, symbol, or content on a vehicle or uniform that could be
interpreted as implying that the labor or services are being provided by employees of the public
agency, unless specific disclosure requirements are followed.
Specifically, this measure undermines the legal significance of the independent contractor
relationship, by holding a public agency liable for the damages caused by the contractor or the
contractor's employees simply on the basis that the contractor either wore a uniform that looked
similar to the public agency or drove a vehicle with the contracting entity's logo on it.
SB 556 completely undercuts the primary reason for entering into independent
contracting relationships by shifting significant liability to a public agency. We are unaware of
any problems, either in general with public confusion due to uniform or vehicles driven, or
specifically related to wage and labor issues, that would necessitate this dramatic legal shift.
For these reasons, the City of San Luis Obispo opposes SB 556.
erely,
Marx
Mayor
cc: Senator Bill Monning, fax 916-445-8081
Senator Ellen Corbett, fax 916-327-2433
City Council
Katie Lichtig
John Webster
David Mullinax, League of California Cities
Meg Desmond, League of California Cities, mdesmondL&cacities.org