California State Controller Betty Yee gives presentation at Solvang State of the City address

SOLVANG, Calif. – California State Controller Betty T. Yee joined the Solvang city officials for the 2022 State of the City address to discuss labor shortages, inflationary pressures, and other factors that point to the start of a recession.

Yee chairs the state Franchise Tax Board and is a member of the California Public Employees' Retirement System and the California State Teachers' Retirement System boards.

During her presentation at the State of the City address, she noted the importance of small businesses to the health of California and said that the state will need to look at changes such as tweaking the tax structure, creating ways to sustain the workforce, and investing in more public education.

Solvang Mayor Charlie Uhrig and City Manager Zenia Bradford gave updates on the city's finances, projects, and goals, discussing how the small town heavily relies on tourism.

At the end of the event, the Solvang Chamber of Commerce gave a tour to show some of the attractions in Solvang, and local business owners along with Santa Barbara County Third District Supervisor Joan Hartmann and Yee went on the tour.

"Betty Yee admired the newly renovated Solvang Festival Theatre, visited a plethora of specialty shops like Solvang Olive Press, Hanson’s Clock Shop, Rasmussen’s, and congratulated Miguel Limón, a first-generation business owner of SanoPecado," said Tracy Beard, CEO of the Solvang Chamber of Commerce. "On this tour, Betty Yee was able to recognize how much economic development plays a key factor and how much Solvang thrives on it."