There is nothing better than getting out of Sacramento and hitting the road to see and hear how consumers and business people are feeling about the times we live in. So on Monday, May 10, I hit the road to start the first phase of the "We Need More Jobs, Not More Lawsuits" tour. The main point of this tour is to get consumers and business people to start asking their candidates where they stand on legal reform. We have a state that is ranked the 46th worst legal climate in the United States and things do not seem to be getting better.

The Central Valley seemed like a good place to start. A lot of key races are going on in that region and people need to get answers from the candidates running for the State Senate and Assembly.

So I hit the road and traveled to communities like Ripon, Modesto, Turlock, Livingston, Atwater, Merced, Chowchilla and Madera. I talked to the media that covers these communities and also to small business people and the various Chambers of Commerce. Everyone seemed responsive to our message. Of all places in the state, the Central Valley definitely understands the need for jobs.

When I pulled into Merced, I needed some money so I went over to the local Bank of America and saw this huge construction project. I saw a trailer marked "ADA Compliance" and asked the project manager what was going on. The angle of the ramp in this B of A parking lot was not compliant with the ADA. It looked like quite the undertaking and this company said they were busy all over the state. I think it is fair to say that there are a lot of jobs in ADA compliance.

The first phase of the tour was a success. Next week it is on to Taft, Bakersfield, Wasco, Delano, Coalinga and other towns along the way. We want to hear your stories and get you involved in CALA. People and businesses need to ask their candidates where they stand on legal reform. Because quite frankly there is not a lot of it occurring in Sacramento.