Business

Opinion: There’s a Sensible Approach to Fix California’s Broken Lemon Law

Access to reliable cars is a fundamental need for consumers, small business owners, and their hard-working employees. California’s Lemon Law is a long-standing consumer protection that allows our community members to replace the family car if they take it to the shop for repairs and it can’t be fixed. This law is a vital tool for consumers that must be protected at all costs; however, there are serious flaws in the current system that must be dealt with, especially with the current increase in the cost of living.

Published

1 year ago

September 13, 2024

Oakland Post

Courtesy of Earl “Skip” Cooper

Earl Skip Cooper, Special to California Black Media Partners

Access to reliable cars is a fundamental need for consumers, small business owners, and their hard-working employees.

California’s Lemon Law is a long-standing consumer protection that allows our community members to replace the family car if they take it to the shop for repairs and it can’t be fixed. This law is a vital tool for consumers that must be protected at all costs; however, there are serious flaws in the current system that must be dealt with, especially with the current increase in the cost of living.

In the last few years, lemon law complaints filed in California courts have increased by many thousands, which has resulted in a court system that is severely backlogged and slows justice down even more for the consumers who need it the most. To show in numbers what this looks like, there were 4,300 cases filed in 2015 – and this year, there will likely be 30,000. This isn’t due to issues with vehicle quality; studies show those ratings are better than ever. Instead, our current law has created a system that allows, even encourages, and rewards bad-acting attorneys to mass-file thousands of lawsuits to force companies to settle and get their big cut. This can’t be allowed to continue any longer.

The backlog in the courts caused by these bad actors results in families waiting years for these cases to resolve, which means they have to spend their hard-earned dollars renting vehicles for months or relying on rideshares and taxis constantly.

The bill is called Assembly Bill 1755, coauthored by well-respected and strong leaders in our State Legislature – Sen. Thomas Umberg (D-Santa Ana) and Assemblymember Ash Kalra (D-San Jose). AB 1755 is a vital bill that gives consumers the right to cut out expensive, unnecessary middlemen and email the auto manufacturers directly to own the resolution of the problem and find out directly whether and how quickly an auto manufacturer will offer a vehicle repurchase or replacement for a customer having a car repair issue that can’t be fixed. Under the deadlines in the bill, manufacturers would have to decide within 30 days of simple customer notice whether they will make it right. And if a vehicle repurchase or replacement is offered, that solution must be completed within the next 30 days.

AB 1755 is supported by our California African American Chamber of Commerce and speaking for myself as a Community activist for over 50 years, and the Chairman of the Board and President Emeritus for the Black Business Association, headquartered in Los Angeles, I wholeheartedly agree. On behalf of the consumers and businesses I work with, I call on Governor Newsom to sign AB 1755.

Consumers should not be forced to wait months or years for a replacement vehicle so that they can get to work, drive their kids to school, and explore everything our great region has to offer in their time off. I would humbly ask for our community to support the common-sense reforms proposed in Assembly Bill 1755, which is on our Governor’s desk awaiting his signature.

Let California be a leader on this issue and provide an example of what good a consumer protection reform can look like.

About the Author

Earl Skip Cooper is the Chairman of the Board and President Emeritus, Black Business Association.

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Oakland Post: Week of March 4 – 10, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of March 4 – 10, 2026

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Chase Oakland Community Center Hosts Alley-Oop Accelerator Building Community and Opportunity for Bay Area Entrepreneurs

Over the past three years, the Alley-Oop Accelerator has helped more than 20 Bay Area businesses grow, connect, and gain meaningful exposure. The program combines hands-on training, mentorship, and community-building to help participants navigate the legal, financial, and marketing challenges of small business ownership.

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3 weeks ago

February 21, 2026

Oakland Post

Bay Area entrepreneurs attend the Alley-Oop Accelerator, a small business incubation program at Chase Oakland Community Center. Photo by Carla Thomas.

By Carla Thomas

The Golden State Warriors and Chase bank hosted the third annual Alley-Oop Accelerator this month, an empowering eight-week program designed to help Bay Area entrepreneurs bring their visions for business to life.

The initiative kicked off on Feb. 12 at Chase’s Oakland Community Center on Broadway Street, welcoming 15 small business owners who joined a growing network of local innovators working to strengthen the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

At its core, the accelerator is designed to create an ecosystem of collaboration, where local entrepreneurs can learn from one another while accessing the resources of a global financial institution.

“This is our third year in a row working with the Golden State Warriors on the Alley-Oop Accelerator,” said Jaime Garcia, executive director of Chase’s Coaching for Impact team for the West Division. “We’ve already had 20-plus businesses graduate from the program, and we have 15 enrolled this year. The biggest thing about the program is really the community that’s built amongst the business owners — plus the exposure they’re able to get through Chase and the Golden State Warriors.”

According to Garcia, several graduates have gone on to receive vendor contracts with the Warriors and have gained broader recognition through collaborations with JPMorgan Chase.

“A lot of what Chase is trying to do,” Garcia added, “is bring businesses together because what they’ve asked for is an ecosystem, a network where they can connect, grow, and thrive organically.”

This year’s Alley-Oop Accelerator reflects that vision through its comprehensive curriculum and emphasis on practical learning. Participants explore the full spectrum of business essentials including financial management, marketing strategy, and legal compliance, while also preparing for real-world experiences such as pop-up market events.

Each entrepreneur benefits from one-on-one mentoring sessions through Chase’s Coaching for Impact program, which provides complimentary, personalized business consulting.

Garcia described the impact this hands-on approach has had on local small business owners. He recalled one candlemaker, who, after participating in the program, was invited to provide candles as gifts at Chase events.

“We were able to help give that business exposure,” he explained. “But then our team also worked with them on how to access capital to buy inventory and manage operations once those orders started coming in. It’s about preparation. When a hiccup happens, are you ready to handle it?”

The Coaching for Impact initiative, which launched in 2020 in just four cities, has since expanded to 46 nationwide.

“Every business is different,” Garcia said. “That’s why personal coaching matters so much. It’s life-changing.”

Participants in the 2026 program will each receive a $2,500 stipend, funding that Garcia said can make an outsized difference. “It’s amazing what some people can do with just $2,500,” he noted. “It sounds small, but it goes a long way when you have a plan for how to use it.”

For Chase and the Warriors, the Alley-Oop Accelerator represents more than an educational initiative, it’s a pathway to empowerment and economic inclusion. The program continues to foster lasting relationships among the entrepreneurs who, as Garcia put it, “build each other up” through shared growth and opportunity.

“Starting a business is never easy, but with the right support, it becomes possible, and even exhilarating,” said Oscar Lopez, the senior business consultant for Chase in Oakland.