The Brentwood Clarion
Page The Brentwood Voice of Business
May 2010
Vol. 46, No. 5
Come Join us at the Contra Costa Fairgrounds Thursday, May 27, 2010 Location: Sunset Hall 1201 W. 10th Street Antioch, CA 94509 5pm to 7 pm Mix & Mingle 7pm to 9pm Music & More
What’s Inside: Page 2: Director’s Corner Board of Directors and Staff Page 3: Ambassador’s Corner & Chamber Hours of Operation Page 4: Ribbon Cuttings Page 5: April Mixer
Page 6: Women’s Initiative Page 7: Health Care Reform Page 8: Chamber Events Page 9:CornFest Vendors Page 10: Member News
Page 11: Important Phone Numbers Page 12: Cal Chamber Page 13: Upcoming Events for Members Page 14: Farm Tour Page 15: Measure F
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Director’s Message I can’t believe how fast this year is going. What is really amazing is the hope and growth I see in our community. I see new businesses opening their doors all over town as I cruise around between the office, carpool, errands, Chamber events, etc. I have been on a whirlwind these past 6 months or so . Going from a sole proprietor working out of my home to forming a corporation, gaining a business partner, having an office, having staff, hiring staff, finding new office space, and getting ready to move in and out, phew… I’m tired just thinking about how my life has changed in such a short amount of time. To top it off, I went from being an Ambassador with the Chamber to being a new Director as well. I am grateful to have an amazing amount of support from my fellow chamber members to help me through this process. When we take a step back out of our own little bubbles, you really see how our chamber becomes this extended “family” of sorts. Really, we are not just all about networking, but about building relationships, supporting each other personally as well as in our respective businesses. I was so impressed to see such a great turnout at our last mixer at Delta Valley Athletic Club and to look around and see the camaraderie of my fellow business colleagues, both new and old. The more involved you become in our chamber, the more you will see the benefits of membership. In addition to supporting each other, the chamber is here to help educate its members to become more productive business owners, better networkers, and better marketers. I had a great time at our last Good Morning Brentwood. John Smulo of Purple Cow Websites shared some great tools and tips to helping our business utilize social networking as a way to increase business. We all sat around and shared ideas, frustrations, challenges, etc. It really became an interactive round table. I loved it! (and we all learned how to limit the amount of Farmville posts we make and receive … “wink wink”). So what are you getting out of the Chamber? Are you taking advantage of your membership? Getting involved only requires the desire to build relationships, to get to know your neighbors, and to grow your business. Hope to see you soon. Amy Alvis, Esq Alvis Frantz and Associates A PC 181 Sand Creek Road, Ste. K Brentwood, CA 94513 925.516.1617 amy@alvisfrantzlaw.com www.ALVISFRANTZLAW.com
BRENTWOOD CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 2010 BOARD OF DIRECTORS Shayn Cutino, President Anja Wellness Karen Spann, Past President The Monthly Grapevine Joe Trebino, President-Elect Delta Pure Water, Etc. Ken Seamann, Chief Financial Officer Discovery Professional Services Olga Vidriales, V.P. Community Programs, Travis Credit Union Brent Aasen Equus Group Amy Alvis Alvis Frantz and Associates Greg Benner Les Schwab Tires Bill Fee Mazzy’s Fire Protection Specialists Paul Kelly Home One Mortgage Lori Knudsen California Payroll Shelly McMahon Shelly’s Garden Richard Perez-Pacheco Black Sheep Design Marlon Smith Best Buy Donna Spencer Cortona Park Dirk Zeigler Zeigler Insurance Group
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Staff Members Harry York, CEO Lyle Miller, Membership Services Lisa Hurt, Support Services Dir. Jilda Fairhurst, Event Coordinator Bill Putman, Volunteer Pat Trombino, Event Coordinator Kimberly Eubanks, Office Assistant
The Brentwood Clarion CHAMBER HOURS Mon. - Thur. 9:00 am to 5:00 pm Friday 9:00 am to 12:00pm
Phone: 925 634-3344 Fax: 925 634-3731 Email:info@brentwoodchamber.com
www. brentwoodchamber.com
ANNUAL CHAMBER EVENTS May 15, 2010 Spring Taste of Brentwood Restaurant Tour July 9,10 & 11 Brentwood CornFest August 21, 2010 Taste of Brentwood Farm Tour September 24, 2010 Golf Tournament Deer Ridge October 23, 2010 Hometown Halloween November 6, 2010 Fall Taste of Brentwood Restaurant Tour November 20, 2010 Holiday Parade
CHAMBER MIXERS May 27, 2010
Contra Costa Fairgrounds
June 17, 2010
Streets of Brentwood– Joint Mixer
July 15, 2010 LA Boxing
August 19, 2010
Cedar Creek Stables
September 16, 2010 Apex Securities
October 21, 2010
Driftwood Yacht Club
November 18, 2010 Shepherd’s Gate
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Ambassador’s Corner Hi Brentwood, It's good to be back! I'm Ashley Guzman, Independent Associate with Pre Paid Legal Services, and partial founder of Maxx Imprints. I am new to the Chamber as my membership was a Christmas gift from my Mom and Dad this past December. I was talking to a mentor of mine about it and he suggested I become an Ambassador. So I looked into what it takes to be an Ambassador and saw that a new friend of mine, Sarah Jamar was also an Ambassador. I asked her about it, she invited me to the next meeting, and I was in. I see being an Ambassador as a way to meet all kinds of new people. It's a way to be involved in the Chamber, which ultimately gets me involved with the community. It has pushed me out of my comfort zone quite a bit but is helping me grow as a person and is opening my eyes as a business woman. I like the feeling of the Chamber, everyone is so welcoming and seems to remember what it feels like to be a new Member/Ambassador. I'm looking forward to getting to know more people and being involved in the future growth and development of the Brentwood Chamber as well as the City of Brentwood. My family and I moved to Brentwood when I was 8. I went to Garin, Edna Hill, Bristow, and then graduated from Liberty in 2002. After graduation I couldn't wait to get out of Brentwood. All the growth and development hadn't happened yet and for me the grass looked greener in so many other places. I was hired at In N Out Burger in Pittsburg, met my future husband, and moved to Reno to open up the In N Outs in Northern Nevada. We were there for about 2 1/2 years. We then moved back to California up by Sacramento and we were there for about 2 1/2 years as well. My husband Gerardo and I were married in September of 2008. Shortly after, we found out we were expecting a honey moon baby. I immediately wanted to move back home to be closer to family. We came back to Brentwood in January of 09. Our daughter Remi was born on my 25th birthday, June 29th 2009, and she is turning out to be quite the present. It's so good to be back in Brentwood. There has been so much growth since we've been gone. Everything is here now, no need to drive to find anything. Brentwood is such a beautiful place and we look forward to raising our family here. Ashley Guzman Independent Associate Pre Paid Legal Services 925-783-3155 aceash11@netscape.net
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The Shrine Event Center With it’s convenient location, the Shrine Event Center is easily within reach for all your personal and corporate needs. Step inside our doors and you will find more than 10,000 square feet of versatile banquet and meeting space. The Shrine Event Center can accommodate everything from board meeting and social events for 10 to larger functions for as many as 1000 guests. The beautiful Lindbergh Ballroom features a permanent stage which is perfect for lectures, seminars, presentations, and banquet functions.
170 Lindbergh Avenue Livermore, CA 94551 (925) 373-4880
Ribbon Cutting The Brentwood Chamber of Commerce would like to Congratulate WR Properties for their Grand Opening that occurred on Tuesday, April 13, 2010. WR Properties is located in Downtown Brentwood at 651 1st Street, Brentwood, CA 94513-1322 and can be reached by calling (925) 634-3100.
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2010 April Mixer Hosted By
The Brentwood Chamber of Commerce would like to give a big thanks to Mike Davis and the Delta Valley Athletic Club for hosting the April Mixer. We would also like to thank Delta Community Services, Broder Jewelry Design, Wineshop at Home, Delta Valley Athletic Club, The Monthly Grapevine, Kimberly Victor, Energy Unlimited, and the Brentwood Press for all the great raffle prizes that were donated for the 2010 April Mixer. Congratulations to all the winners of the wonderful prizes .
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The Brentwood Clarion
Women’s Initiative Woman Entrepreneur of the Year Awards Nominate Your Favorite Woman Entrepreneur Women’s Initiative for Self Employment, one of the largest microenterprise training organizations in the country, is now accepting nominations for their Woman Entrepreneur of the Year Awards. The awards seek to recognize women entrepreneurs in cities throughout the Bay Area who demonstrate the following: - Have been successful despite the barriers that exist for woman business owners - Exemplify how business ownership and leadership is beneficial for women and their families - Have a positive impact on the local community - Advance their business through innovation. A Leadership Committee from each region will determine the Woman Entrepreneur of the Year based on information provided by the nominee. Winners will be announced in August and honored at one of five regional award celebrations in October. In addition, winners will be recognized in local media and featured on the Women’s Initiative website and newsletter. To be considered for the award, an individual must be indentified as a woman and be the founder or owner of a successful business. Deadline for nominations is May 31. For more information and to nominate a woman entrepreneur, go to www.womensinitiative.org.
Women’s Initiative presents a private collection of graduate-designed products. The collection is an exclusive opportunity for you to purchase beautiful handmade products while supporting Women’s Initiative and its graduates.
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What does the Health Care Reform Law mean to your business, to you, and your family? The Chamber has received a number of outlines regarding the two Health Care Bills. We have started a binder of information that the office has received and we are providing you links to some of the information and links to our two Congressional Offices that have links to information on the Health Care Legislation. Some of the Health Reform Laws go into affect right away and some do not go into effect until 2014. The Chamber office has received many inquiries on this subject and hopes this will help answer some of those questions. As more information arrives we will add that information to our Health Care portfolio. See the links below: http://mcnerney.house.gov/ http://garamendi.house.gov/ http://feinstein.senate.gov/ USI Health Reform Update
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M ay 2 0 10 Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat 1 Farmer’s Market 8am to 12pm
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5 Cinco De Mayo Ribbon Cutting for MinuteMan Press Of Brentwood
6 Business After Hours Downtown Brentwood Car
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8 Farmer’s Market 8am to 12pm
9 Mother’s Day
10 CornFest Leadership Meeting
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13 Good Morning 14 Brentwood Downtown Brentwood Cherries Jubilee/
15 Spring Taste of Brentwood Restaurant Tour Farmer’s Market
16 Peace Day
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20 Downtown Brentwood Dog Show
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22 Farmer’s Market 8am to 12pm
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24 25 CornFest Full Committee Meeting
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27 Downtown Brentwood Food & Wine Festival May Chamber
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29 John F. Kennedy’s Birthday Farmer’s Market
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31 Memorial Day Chamber Office will be closed.
Dates to Look forward To: Join Us on Facebook! Click the Facebook picture to the left to be directed to our page. Also Look for our CornFest Page.
Also Join us on our Linked in page by clicking the link above.
June 3, 2010 Downtown Brentwood Car Show June 10, 2010 Downtown Brentwood Idol
Mission Statement :The Brentwood Chamber of Commerce is a voluntary organization dedicated to the promotion of the civic and commercial progress of the community. We will continuously strive to maintain and foster a healthy business climate for Chamber members and the entire community.
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2010 CornFest Still Accepting Arts & Crafts, Info Alley as well as Commercial Vendors We are also in need of Volunteers!!!!!!!! You can pick up your application at the Brentwood Chamber of Commerce 8440 Brentwood Blvd. Ste. C Brentwood, CA 94513 Or Visit the web at www.brentwoodchamber.com Click on the orange CornFest 2010 link at the top of the home page Or Email one of the following with all your business Information including business name, your name, address, phone number, fax number, and email address: kimberly@brentwoodchamber.com pat@brentwoodchamber.com For info alley please email Jilda Fairhurst Jilda@brentwoodchamber.com
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The Game Sports Pub N Pizza Chamber Members, The Game Sports Pub N Pizza, are now OPEN!! Enjoy the variety of food from Pizza to Potato skins and wings. Pictured at left is Ashton Lunter displaying the Games Supreme Combination. Come down to the Brentwood Chamber and buy your tickets for the Spring Taste of Brentwood Restaurant Tour where you will be able to sample some of the Games Sports Pub n Pizza best food. The Game is Located at 235 Oak Street, Brentwood.
Brentwood Chamber Member News
Congratulations to Jimmy D’Amico, owner of Black Bear Diner for Winning Business Person of the Year & to Cathleen Knight, Jimmy’s niece of Today’s Dreams Tomorrow's Memories for winning Volunteer of the Year. I hope you all will join us on May 22, 2010, at the City Hall in Oakley, to honor the two of them. Dinner and Dance $50.00 per person. Tickets need to be purchased by May 14, 2010 at the Oakley Chamber of Commerce.
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IMPORTANT PHONE NUMBERS City of Brentwood
(925) 516-5400
Parks & Recreation
(924) 516-5444
Community Development
(925) 516-5405
Brentwood Library
(925) 516-5405
Police Non Emergency
(925) 634-6911
Fire Department
(925) 634-3400
Brentwood Aquatic Park
(925) 516-5430
Newspapers Brentwood Press
(925) 634-1441
Contra Costa Times
(925) 757-2525
Brentwood News
(925) 779-7120
Transportation Tri Delta Transit
(925) 754-4040
Hotels Hampton Inn
(925) 513-1289
Holiday Inn Express
(800) 345-8082
Hospital Sutter Delta Medical Center
(925) 779-7200
John Muir Medical Center
(925) 308-8100
Theaters Delta Cinema
(925) 240-7370
Rave
(925) 809-0030
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Higher Property Taxes If ‘Split Roll’ Bill Passes (May 3, 2010) The California Chamber of Commerce is urging legislators to oppose legislation that could dramatically increase the cost of doing business in California for both business property owners and their business tenants and in turn chill investments, jobs and the economy. AB 2492 (Ammiano; D-San Francisco) could lead to higher employer property taxes by removing Proposition 13 protections from business property owners and imposing a volatile, arbitrary system of increasing their property taxes, including a rebuttable presumption that every three years business properties have changed ownership and need to be reassessed. The proposal is scheduled to be considered on May 10 by the Assembly Revenue and Taxation Committee.
Faulty Premise AB 2492 is based on the faulty assumption that there has been a major statewide shift in tax burden from businesses to homeowners. It proposes a split roll property tax by dramatically revising a number of change of ownership rules for business properties, including: Significantly expanding the change of ownership definition so that even small or partial ownership transfers (such as sales of stock) of less than 50 percent trigger a reassessment. Requiring taxpayers to prove every three years that they did not undergo a change in ownership that would trigger reassessment.
Proposition 13 Protections Proposition 13 protects both residential and commercial property owners by capping property tax rates at 1 percent of assessed value and to a growth rate of 2 percent a year. A “split roll” property tax seeks to divide the tax treatment of commercial and residential properties by removing Proposition13 protections from commercial properties, while leaving those protections intact for residential properties.
Change of Ownership Only when ownership changes or there is new construction may the value of the property be reassessed at more than 2 percent. Corporate property often is owned by multiple interests such as through shares of stock. Under current law, when an individual obtains more than 50 percent of ownership or control in a corporation, a property reassessment is triggered.
Why Oppose ‘Split Roll’? A “split roll” tax would undermine the intent of the protections cemented in Proposition 13, and have a negative effect on job-producing operations and the state’s well-regarded property tax structure. Commercial properties already contribute significantly in tax dollars—generating approximately two-thirds of the property tax revenues, just as they did before the passage of Proposition 13. Implementation of a “split roll” tax would mean significantly higher property taxes for California businesses, likely exceeding $3 billion or more. Property owners may be forced to pass along some of the increased costs in the form of higher rents and higher consumer prices. Since many small businesses rent rather than own building space, they will be hardest hit. Higher property taxes reduce capital available for investment in rental housing and business plants and equipment within California, meaning fewer jobs. AB 2492 would also result in a tremendous paperwork and tracking burden for both companies and assessors.
Action Needed Contact members of Assembly Revenue and Taxation and your Assembly representative to ask them to oppose AB 2492. A sample letter is available at www.calchambervotes.com. To sign on to the coalition letter opposing AB 2492, e-mail laurie.lively@calchamber.com.
Staff Contact: Kyla Christoffersen
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New Members as of April AJ’s Landscaping Chris Jehs 708 Marjoram Drive Brentwood, CA 94513 (925) 382-2139 www.ajslandscaping.biz A=Pro Pest Control, Inc. Chuck Payton P.O. Box 1899 Brentwood, CA 94513 (408) 559-0933 Sugar Barge Resort David Riggs 1440 Sugar Barge Rd. Bethel Island, CA 94511 (925) 684-8549 www.sugarbarge.com Virtual Planet Hafid D. Ayllon 3291 Walnut Blvd. Ste. 160 Brentwood, CA 94513 (925) 234-4489
CornFest July 9, 10 & 11 Event will be held on First Street and the surrounding area
Applications are available at the Chamber office for Art & Crafts, Non Commercial Food Vendors & Info Alley If you would like to be considered to play at the CornFest or know some one who would, send promo packet to
CornFest Entertainment 8440 Brentwood Blvd, Suite C Brentwood, CA 94513 If you would like to Volunteer at the CornFest Contact Jilda at Jilda@brentwoodchamber.com
All Sports Trophies Advertising Specialties Custom & Corporate Awards
(925) 516-8880 • Fax (925) 625-5316 Email: starawards@sbcglobal.net
Bob & Sharon Sherriff, Owners
Upcoming Events For Our Chamber Members 17th Annual Brentwood Rotary Golf Tournament Monday, May 10th, 2010 For more information please call (925)813-2699 or visit the website @ www.brentwoodcarotary.org/golf Girls Night Out Friday, May 14th 7-10pm 50 Birch St Call Chris for More information (925) 634-1736 4-H 1st Annual Golf Tournament Saturday, May 15, 2010 at 9:30am Roddy Ranch 1 Tour Way, Antioch , CA For more information call (925) 778-6950
Score Counselors
At your service! Now at the Brentwood Chamber Office 1st and 3rd Monday’s 1:30pm and 2:30pm Call (925) 634-3344 for your appointment today or email info@brentwoodchamber.com
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“YES ON F PUT BRENTWOOD IN CON-
Page 16 The Brentwood Chamber of Commerce is now offering:
2010 California and Federal updated Labor Posters. Pick yours up today at 8440 Brentwood Blvd. Ste. C
The Brentwood Clarion
Stop by the Brentwood Chamber of Commerce today for your very own copy of “Images of America Brentwood.” Cost: $21.65
Paper Version: $23.00 Plastic Version: $39.00
The Brentwood Clarion Brentwood Chamber of Commerce 8440 Brentwood Blvd., Suite C Brentwood, CA 94513
Phone: 925-634-3344 Fax: 925-634-3731 Email: info@brentwoodchamber.com www.brentwoodchamber.com