Temecula business owners will get a chance to hear how state and federal policy could affect their operations at a legislative forum on Oct. 15.

The Temecula Valley Chamber of Commerce is hosting its October Legislative Advocacy Forum from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. at the Temecula City Hall Conference Center, 41000 Main St. The event is open to business owners looking to understand how decisions in Sacramento and Washington, D.C., could shape local operating costs, according to the Chamber's event page.

No speakers have been announced.

But meetings in the same advocacy series have tackled pocketbook issues for Temecula employers. At a Southwest California Legislative Council meeting, state Sen. Kelly Seyarto, who represents the 32nd District including Temecula, flagged California's roughly $19 billion unemployment insurance debt, which he said carries more than $650 million a year in interest costs alone, according to a Chamber recap. Seyarto also raised rising insurance costs for businesses and property owners, wildfire prevention gaps and the potential impact of refinery closures on fuel prices and transportation costs.

The forum is part of a broader advocacy push by the Chamber and the Southwest California Legislative Council, a coalition of chambers serving Temecula, Murrieta, Wildomar, Menifee and Lake Elsinore. Adam Ruiz of Rincon Strategies serves as legislative consultant for the coalition, which took formal positions on about 70 bills in a legislative session, according to Chamber reporting.

Brooke Nunn, the Chamber's president and CEO, wrote in a Chamber article that the organization monitors legislation on behalf of members so individual business owners don't have to track Sacramento day to day.

The forum is a smaller, more practical format than the Chamber's annual Legislative Summit. That summit drew more than 165 legislators, community leaders and business owners to Wilson Creek Winery on Oct. 7, 2025. At that event, Rana Ghadban, vice president of small business advocacy at the California Chamber of Commerce, told attendees, "Legislators respond most to real stories from real businesses."

Ghadban noted the California Chamber reviews more than 2,000 bills per year and highlighted wins in defeating costly compliance bills and labor mandates on behalf of employers.

Registration for the Oct. 15 forum is available through the Chamber's website at members.temecula.org.