Op-Ed: Why California’s small businesses may not survive the coronavirus pandemic

WASHINGTON (Nov. 18, 2025) — 3C Executive Director Rob Retzlaff released the following statement in support of the AI for Mainstreet Act, a bipartisan bill that directs the Small Business Administration’s nationwide Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) to provide small businesses with the resources and training they need to evaluate, adopt, and use AI-powered tools.…

This fall, after a years-long antitrust battle, a federal judge rejected the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) request that he force Google to break apart its integrated search tools. Many high-profile commentators called the decision a disappointment, but I saw it as a major win for small businesses. Let me explain.

When Michele Azan and Elisabeth Perez visited North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains in 2007, they fell in love with the area’s natural beauty. In 2015, they purchased a century-old property near picturesque Hendersonville that had once been part of a mountain resort. After transforming the property’s two-story stone guesthouse and several other rundown buildings into…