Cabia, the business group that started in the San Fernando Valley six years ago, is growing up. Officially named the California Business and Industrial Alliance, the organization last week opened its first office. Since its founding in 2017, it had been operating virtually. “We were kind of like nomads out there,” joked Tom Manzo, the founder and president of Cabia, saying “we would have meetings wherever we could.”
That should no longer be a concern; the new office has a conference room that seats 20 in its 2,500 square feet of space. It will house Cabia’s three staff workers. It is at 8138 Foothill Blvd. in Sunland.
Cabia’s mission is to fight the state’s Private Attorney General Act, commonly called PAGA. Businesspeople often complain that PAGA can transform routine labor-code violations that could be resolved fairly inexpensively into multimillion-dollar settlements that can destroy a small or midsized business.
Manzo, who was and remains president of a manufacturing plant in Pacoima, had never heard of PAGA until his plant was hit by a PAGA lawsuit that cost his operation more than $1 million.
Cabia has expanded into providing human resource services to help businesses stay compliant with the state’s labor laws. Cabia has about 500 members, Manzo said.