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In this issue: |
State of the City News Coverage Goleta Officials Project Budget Will Break Even - Lindberg/Noozhawk |
Goleta Beach Park Issue Before Coastal Commission A long-awaited solution to save Goleta Beach as a community jewel is being presented for final approval. Santa Barbara County’s proposal to replenish the eroding beach and construct additional pilings and deck adjacent to the Goleta Pier – called a “permeable pier piling system” – was slated for the June 10th California Coastal Commission meeting. However the item has been postponed with a hearing expected at the July meeting. This project will cause additional sand along the beach to build up to the west of Goleta Pier, restoring Goleta Beach to its historical width Some project opponents simply want the county to do nothing, and allow the beach to continue to erode. This “managed retreat” option would result in the loss of many features in the park – beach area, lawns and trees, barbecues and picnic tables, restrooms, play areas – and could threaten water and gas lines and cause salt water intrusion into drinking water supplies. Community groups, private citizens, and other organizations, including the Goleta Valley Chamber of Commerce, have been studying the history, the geography, and the environmental context of the Park for many years to help determine the best course of action to protect the Park and minimize any adverse impact on the coastal ecosystem. The Chamber supports the permeable pier piling system proposal and urges the community to support the protection of Goleta Beach Park by contacting the California Coastal Commission in one of the following ways:
For more information on the efforts to save Goleta Beach Park, contact Ed de la Torre at 805-967-1670. |
President & CEO Journal: A group of stalwart business folks and I just returned from our annual trek to Sacramento to meet with our legislators and policy staff to advocate for pro-business actions by the state. Usually the trip is enlightening and even invigorating. Although we are always challenged by the never-ending stream of government laws, regulations and programs that add costs, barriers and unintended consequences that make it even harder and more expensive each year to keep a viable business in California, we usually at least feel heard and feel the power of participating in democracy in action. Not so this year. It was absolutely shocking to be there in the eye of storm, on election day for the propositions, (which everyone seemed to acknowledge were not going to pass and were not a solution even if they did); during the worst fiscal crisis in our state (and nation) and to hear not one word from anyone about stimulating our economy through economic growth. Not one word. Not from our elected officials, not from the gubernatorial candidates, not from the governor (who "phoned it in") and not from the administration staff. The California Chamber of Commerce did present a memo outlining a proposal to start a dialog about stimulating business, but acknowledged that the message was low key and not being heard. Our legislative body is staring at its naval. We heard a lot about its own digestion and circulation (to continue the metaphor) focusing on internal government processes like how term limits make it hard to get good things done and the structure of the budget is a problem and the initiative process is to blame and it's all the voters' fault for voting in spending programs and spending limits. We made a couple of suggestions like temporary lifting of some business fees in order to get some idle businesses back on track and they looked at us like we were speaking Chinese. A big threat we heard several times was that with no money, the state might have to release 40,000 prisoners. Really? So, we'd rather consider releasing prisoners than discuss reversing the job-killing regulations that could spur our economy and bring California businesses back to competitiveness and add revenue to the state through business growth? Something is terribly wrong. At least at the local level, city governments are acting to reevaluate how their policies toward business make economic sense. Our City of Goleta is considering an investment in economic development, the City of Carpinteria has already cut its fees to stimulate new business and other chambers from around the state reported similar local discussions with their cities. The state is on the wrong track and not even facing the right direction. Somebody needs to do something and as usual it probably has to be us. |
Short and Sweet: Twitter & 140 Characters are Changing the Face of Business Twitter, a free social networking and micro-blogging service is changing the face of business by allowing users to communicate short bursts of information to a group of people interested in what they have to say. These posts, also known as “tweets”, are just 140 characters long. The Goleta Valley Chamber of Commerce is now using Twitter.com to post business news, local happenings, photos, and member information. Recent “tweets” have included information about Venoco’s 2008 Safety Award, links to Chamber events, and infrared photos of the Jesusita Fire (courtesy of FLIR Commercial Vision Systems) while it was happening. What is Twitter? Kristen Amyx, President & CEO, said, “We see Twitter as a new and exciting way to connect with our members and our community. As this type of media evolves, we look forward to sharing useful, timely information and ideas.” Ignacio Gallardo, Employer Relations Coordinator for UCSB Career Services explained that his office uses Twitter to tweet about timely employment opportunities as well as distribute information on events such as career fairs, workshops, and employer information sessions. He said, “In today’s demanding economy, being connected is integral to maintaining a competitive edge. Its ability to provide information in real-time and connect with potential recruiters and employers can be a huge benefit for students.” Twitter is famous for instant feedback because Tweets are posted as they occur. This is beneficial to businesses because they can see what people are talking about as they are talking about it, providing your company with an insight into how to best meet the customer’s needs. It also allows businesses to be nimble and responsive to trends and deal with public relations issues before they become real problems. During the Jesusita fire, the America Red Cross, Santa Barbara Chapter did a wonderful job providing information on Twitter regarding evacuation centers, containment levels, and volunteer opportunities. Kocis said, “Because we are able to continually put out information on what we’re doing - donors no longer have to wait for a newsletter to arrive to see how they are making a positive impact in their community.” Who Tweets? Get involved in the conversation by following @GoletaChamber on www.Twitter.com or by visiting our website at www.GoletaValley.com where our tweets are scrolling on the home page. Look for the Goleta Chamber group on Facebook as well. |
By Michelle Bischoff, Mary Kay Director and Co-Chair of the Ambassador CouncilThe Goleta Valley Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors are a very unique diverse group of professionals that help facilitate business connections within our community. The Ambassadors are always in attendance at the Business to Business breakfast, which falls on the first Tuesday of the month, the Business after Hours mixers, and at ribbon cutting ceremonies. We are here to support local business and be involved in our community. We saw some of this during a fantastically rewarding ribbon cutting ceremony at the Isla Vista Youth Project on May 15th. This ribbon cutting ceremony was to display the new outdoor learning center at the IVYP. Thank you to Ambassadors Drew Wakefield, Christine LeBon, Clara Van Meeuwan, and especially Cynthia Estrella for your support. Cynthia is a 2009 class member of the Leadership Santa Barbara County who chose the submission from LuAnn Miller, Executive Director of IVYP, as their project this year. Michael Osborne who acted as the project manager for the ribbon cutting ceremony, also a 2009 class member of LSBC, opened the festivities with a little history as to how the project came into fruition. Also letting the attendees know that they were still $500 shy from reaching their goal of $5000. Mayor Roger Aceves spoke, and to our surprise, challenged the crowd to raise the funds. Within two minutes the goal was met --an awesome community effort! The IVYP is still in need of help and donations, if you are interested to see how you can contribute, please visit http://www.Ivyp.org/outdoor-classroom.html. |
RLA Confronts Fiscal Storm in Sacramento The Regional Legislative Alliance’s (RLA) annual advocacy trip to Sacramento coincided with the resounding defeat of the budget reform initiatives on May 19. Despite the blue mood about California's future, RLA's 18-member delegation participated in the Cal Chamber's annual Business Summit and met with various lawmakers and business leaders including Sen. Tony Strickland and Assembly members Pedro Nava and Cameron Smyth. With the state facing a $24 billion budget deficit this year and declining tax revenues, there is little consensus in Sacramento on how to enact a balanced budget. RLA was told that dramatic spending cuts would occur and further impact local infrastructure projects. Meanwhile, there is a strong likelihood that additional "fees" will be increased on visits to state parks, vehicle licensing, and other government services. Furthermore, the Obama Administration has indicated that it will not "bail out" any states or municipalities. With the tough economy and legislative stalemate, it is important for RLA to engage lawmakers more than ever. Last month, RLA developed a new policy platform that outlines core positions on a variety of public policy issues that directly impact our business climate. Looking ahead, RLA will be working to expand on its policy platform and communicate many suggestions on economic recovery and fiscal prudence. A number of RLA members want to return to Sacramento this summer so that we can better represent the needs of our region's employers and influence the legislative process. Stay tuned! Brendan can be reached brendan@huffmanpa.com |
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The Chamber celebrated three ribbon cuttings in May. Monarch Wealth Strategies opened at 1501 State Street, Best Buy opened in Camino Real Marketplace, and a new playground was unveiled at Isla Vista Youth Projects. Fast Facts About Our Website - www.GoletaValleyChamber.com The most displayed categories displayed in our businessdirectory during May were: If you’d like to make your listing more prominent, advertise on one of these pages or purchase a $99 email banner ad, please contact Max at the Chamber at 967-2500 ext. 102. Travel to China with the Chamber Next MarchThe Goleta Valley Chamber of Commerce is offering a Trade Mission to China visiting Bejing and Shanghai in March 2010. This 9-day trip is a once in a lifetime opportunity to see the Great Wall of China, the Forbidden City, and many other sights. Your price of $1999 includes hotel, airfare, meals and more. We will be holding an informational meeting on Tuesday, June 30th at 5:30 p.m. at the Ramada Limited. RSVP to 805-967-2500 or shawn@goletavalley.com. Download the brochure today. Make Your Mark – On the Goleta MapThousands of people contact the Chamber for a map of the Goleta Valley each year and we’re working to publish an updated one so that we can continue to distribute this valuable resource. We have partnered with Village Profile to offer an updated Goleta map. Sally Jennings from Village Profile will be contacting all Goleta businesses about the opportunity to promote your business in this excellent publication. If you have any questions, contact Sally at 967-2500 ext. 140. Keeping in Contact with Your Clients and CustomersIf you’re not keeping in contact with your clients and customers via email, or are looking at changing the system you have, consider Constant Contact. This system is a trusted email marketing and online survey service that is easy to use. Chamber members receive a discount on this service (click here) and the Chamber has recently begun using it to distribute our emails. We love the ease of use and the ability to track the click through and open rates. It also handles the additions and removals seamlessly. Click here for more information (and a Chamber member savings). Kushnerov PromotedValerie Kushnerov has been promoted to Vice President of the Goleta Valley Chamber of Commerce. In this role she will continue to oversee operations and communications and take on additional responsibility in the area of finance and Chamber policy. Kushnerov has been on staff with the Chamber for one year and worked as a consultant to the Chamber for two years prior. Member NewsWelcome New Chamber Members Venoco Receives Safe AwardThe Interior Department’s Minerals Management Service (MMS) announced that Venoco, Inc. is the recipient of the 2008 District Safety Award for Excellence (SAFE) in the Pacific Region. The award recognizes the company’s operational standards and overall safety record on its offshore oil and gas facilities, Platforms Gail and Grace, located off the Ventura County coast in California. “We’ve always known that we have a tremendous workforce on our offshore platforms, outstanding leadership and a first class operation. And we augment that with outstanding engineering, safety and environmental support from the Carpinteria office. We are very proud of our entire workforce and our offshore operations, and we are very proud of being the 2008 recipient of this award,” said Ed O’Donnell, Senior Vice President, Southern California. Read more here. Fiesta Ranchera at Rancho La Patera - June 25th Celebrate Fiesta in Goleta at Fiesta Ranchera. Sample appetizers from local restaurants with award winning wineries and margaritas on site.Enjoy performances by the 2009 Spirit and Junior Spirit, Spanish Guitarist Anthony Ybarra, and dancing under the stars with local music favorite AREA 51.This event will be held on June 25th from 5:00 - 10:00 pm. This event is co-hosted by Goleta Valley Historical Society and Old Spanish Days. Register now. EDD Hosts Federal/State Basic Payroll Tax Seminar June 30th from 9 a.m. – 2:30 at the Southern California Edison Building, 103 David Love Place in Goleta. More information available here.
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