Assemblymember Marie WaldronSpecial to Valley NewsNov. 28 was “Small Business Saturday,” a day to patronize local small businesses. Small businesses are the backbone of our economy. Without them, our state and national economies will never recover.My husband and I have owned our own small business for over 25 years, I know how hard it is to keep a business going in California. Costly, overbearing regulations, high taxes and fees, high rents, energy bills, all make doing business in this state a challenge. Now the pandemic has struck, with a disproportionate impact on small businesses throughout the state. Many have been forced to close or significantly curtail operations while their larger “essential” competitors often remain open. Many small businesses are just one mor
