Women in business bill faces little opposition in its legislative travels.

A bill designed to remove barriers for women in business is waiting only for a vote on the floor of the state Senate, having faced little opposition this year since its recent introduction in the Legislature, and already amended to satisfy Gov. Pete Wilson, who is now expected to sign it.

Although women own more than 900,000 businesses in California and contribute annual sales receipts of more than $7 billion, they continue to face obstacles in the business arena. According to the Los Angeles County Commission for Women, women still encounter difficulties "securing capital, acquiring managerial talents and capturing marketing opportunities."

The California Women's Business Ownership Act was designed to begin the process of removing those barriers and allowing for increased development of small businesses by women. The bill calls for the formation of a nine-member council to identify where the problems exist, with separate focus studies statewide to determine why.

The council would exist until Jan. 1, 1997. During its term of existence, the council would conduct hearings and issue annual reports on the status of women business owners to the governor and state Legislature.

The council will be authorized to prepare a demographic survey of women business owners. Considered the first of its kind, the survey will identify where such businesses are located throughout the state and what types of industries they represent.

"It is important that the state recognize the special needs and problems of women in business," said Mel Assagai, chief assistant for Sen. David Roberti, who represents the 23rd District and is listed as one of the bill's co-authors.

A separate study will address state contracts and why they are being awarded in fewer numbers to women than to men. In 1988, the state set a goal of awarding 15 percent of state contracts to racial minorities and 5 percent to women, said Maxine Weinman, owner of Maxine's Seafood Cafe, who is a national board representative for the Los Angeles Chapter of National Association of Women Business Owners and the original creator of the bill. But the state fell far short of this goal, instead coming up with a nominal 1.5 percent for women, she said.

Assembly Bill 1488 was introduced in the Legislature in March by Rep. Jackie Speier, a Democrat representing San Francisco and San Mateo counties. Patterned after the National Women's Business Ownership Act, it addresses similar issues, but on a much smaller scale. A list of backers includes the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, Los Angeles Commission on the Status of Women and the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce.

The authors faced an uphill battle when they prepared the initial offering. Resistance to proposed state funding of the specially designed task force removed this provision from an earlier draft of the legislation, said Rep. Richard Katz, D-San Fernando Valley, a co-author of the bill. New provisions call for money to be drawn from the Department of Commerce's existing budget if private sources cannot be found.

The council also will seek private donations to support its activities, which will be placed in the California Women's Business Ownership Fund.

Concerned about funding, Rep. Chuck Quackenbush, R-Cupertino, voted against the bill when it reached the Assembly floor in late January. Legislative assistant Chris Reynolds explained the politician did not support the idea of tapping state resources. Suggested costs would include an estimated 15 per cent of one annual state salary and $22,000 for council meetings and travel expenses, taken from the Department of Commerce's budget. The assembly member considered these line items superfluous and the legislation an unnecessary effort to boost a woman's prominence in the business world, Reynolds said.

But Carolyn Denny, president of the NAWBO, said the council and its directives will help to boost industry. The trade group includes about 250 women business owners in its local chapter and was the impetus behind the legislation.

"What it means to our organization is we will have a data base of women-owned businesses in the state to tap into," Denny said.

Another primary objective of the bill is to pinpoint areas where women have made headway and identify barriers to future progress. It will assess capital demands and look at whether or not these needs are being met.

"It will help assure equity in the marketplace, particularly for small business owners," said Jo Linda Thompson, senior director of government affairs and general counsel for the California Restaurant Association, which also supports the bill. While the trade organization includes many women members, not enough aspire to the ownership and management side, she said.

Under the current draft of the legislation, which has passed the state Assembly and two Senate committees, five members of the council are to be appointed by the governor, two by the speaker of the Assembly, and two by the Senate President, with the chairperson selected by the members of the council.