Tuolumne County Chamber of Commerce
Chamber News Newsletter
LARGEST BUSINESS ORGANIZATION IN TUOLUMNE COUNTY
August 2016
CalChamber Offers Employers Guidelines for Political Communications to Employees Courtesy CalChamber
A brochure available online from the California Chamber of Commerce offers employers a concise overview of the do’s and don’ts of communicating with employees about ballot measures. The brochure, “Guidelines for Political Communications to Employees,” points out that informing employees and stockholders about the impact of ballot measures (as well as proposed state legislation and regulations) is within the employer’s rights as a business owner—as long as the communication is done the right way. Caution The brochure emphasizes there should be NO PAYCHECK STUFFERS—employers cannot put any political messages in or on employees’ payroll envelopes. Moreover, there should be no coercion, no rewarding or punishing employees for their political activities or beliefs (or threatening to do so). Acceptable Employers can communicate with their employees, stockholders and their families about the company’s support of or opposition to state legislation, regulations or ballot measures. Also permissible is encouraging employees, stockholders and their families to support or oppose state legislation, regulations or ballot measures. Political messages can be communicated to the business’s own employees and their families through such means as: internal mail systems (separate from payroll distribution), email systems, regular mail, bulletin boards, phone bank messages or employee meetings. There is a distinction between the handling of internal communications (to employees, stockholders and their families) and external audiences (such as nonstockholder retirees, outside vendors, customers and passersby). For more guidelines on political communications to employees, see the brochure at www.calchamber.com/ guidelines. Two for mats ar e available for download: an easy-to-print 8.5”x11” layout and one set up for printing on legal-size paper.
Gary Johnson Photography McCoy Tire & Auto Care* State Farm Insurance—Buzz Garvin Jamestown Kim Hembree—Financial Advisor The Rawhide Saloon
Avalon Care Center-Sonora* Best Western PLUS Sonora Oaks Hotel & Conference Center* Blue Mountain Minerals* Campora Propane Cave & Mine Adventures* Indigeny Reserve* Cutler-Segerstrom Insurance* Donaldson Eye Care Associates* Gianelli & Polley, Law Corp.* HRM Consulting* Inns of California-Sonora* Jeanne Shenefelt* Kiwanis Club of Sonora* L.K. Lehman Trucking* Linkline Transit* Mathiesen Memorial Health Clinic* Maximum Living, Inc.
Mercer Caverns Mike Ayala* Mr. Stor-All* Oak Valley Community Bank Pacific Gas & Electric Royce Construction & Design* Sandvik Thermal Process, Inc. Sierra Resource Management, Inc. Sierra Senior Providers* Sierra Waldorf School* Sonora Aladdin Motor Inn Sonora Dentist Stage 3 Theatre Company* Storer Coachways* Tuolumne Utilities District* Turlock Irrigation District* Umpqua Bank Underhill Sales
A SIP OF WINE EVENT AT SEVEN SISTERS
September 26, 2016
TRIP TO POMPEII & AMALFI COAST
Departs Oct. 20
MISSION - To provide leadership for a healthy and vibrant business environment and encourage responsible economic growth that respects Tuolumne County’s quality of life.
A Sip of Wine, A Taste of Food & A Touch of Business This event will be held at Seven Sisters at Black Oak Casino Resort on Monday, September 26, 2016, beginning at 6:00 pm. Sample the wines of four local wineries and some local hard cider, enjoy amazing food from Seven Sisters Restaurant, and network with county business leaders and local officials at our annual A Sip of W ine, A Taste of Food & A Touch of Business. Tickets are only $30 per person, and will include $10 free play at the casino, available at the Chamber located at 222 S. Shepherd St., Sonora. A portion of the proceeds will benefit our local Infant/Child Enrichment Services (ICES)!
BRUSH UP ON YOUR STREET SMARTS THIS FALL
Are you aware that there is a crisis on our streets, and it involves pedestrians? With more people out walking and more ways to be distracted, last year pedestrians accounted for a full one quarter of all traffic deaths. This month, the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) is encouraging Californians of all ages to help reduce pedestrian related injuries by practicing safe behaviors at all times. OTS encourages you, whether you are a driver or walker, to share and practice the following tips to ensure everyone stays safe: Pedestrians: • Be predictable. Follow the rules of the road, cross at
Employment Poster Updates
crosswalks or intersections only, and obey signs and signals. Walk facing traffic and as far from traffic as
With little notice, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) recently announced two mandatory poster changes.
possible if there is no sidewalk. • Pay attention to the traffic moving around you. This is not the
Beginning August 1, employers must post updated versions of the Federal Minimum Wage poster and the Federal Employee Polygraph Protection Act poster.
time to be texting or talking on a cell phone. • Look left, right, and left again and make eye contact with
The DOL made these changes the last week in July, allowing little time for employers to comply before the August 1st deadline.
drivers as they approach. Never assume a driver sees you.
Federal Minimum Wage Poster • Wear bright clothing during the day and reflective materials
Mandatory changes were made to reflect updated enforcement rules under the Fair Labor Standards Act. The federal minimum wage rate did not change. The updates include:
(or use a flashlight) at night. Motorists:
• New information discussing the consequences of incorrectly classifying workers as independent contractors;
• Look out for pedestrians, especially in hard-to-see conditions
• New information relating to the rights of nursing mothers;
such as at night or in bad weather.
• Updated information regarding enforcement by the DOL; and • Slow down and be prepared to stop when turning or entering a
• Revised information about tip credits.
crosswalk or intersection where pedestrians are likely to be.
Polygraph Protection Act The Federal Employee Polygraph Protection Act poster was updated to change the DOL contact information and to remove reference to the penalty amount for violation of the law.
• Stop before the crosswalk stop line to give drivers in other lanes an opportunity to see and yield to the pedestrians, too.
The CalChamber 2016 California and Federal Employment Notices Poster and 2016 Required Notices Kit will be updated with the revised federal notices.
For more information and safety tips, please visit the OTS Facebook page at facebook.com/CaliforniaOTS or the OTS website at www.ots.ca.gov. 3
4
Why I Belong to the Chamber By Margaret Davis, The Junction Shopping Center
Advertise on the Union Democrat’s Chamber Page
There are many reasons I belong to the Tuolumne County Chamber of Commerce. One is being able to talk with other business people and to keep your business name out there. I enjoy attending the mixers and all the meetings that I can attend. I enjoy attending all the fundraising events like the Taste of the Islands Luau, “A Sip of Wine” at Seven Sisters, and the Awards Banquet in November. I know we have other Chambers in the county, but they are promotional Chambers for their area and that is needed to promote their area. Our Chamber keeps on top of the legislation coming down from Sacramento, Washington D.C., and what is happening in Tuolumne County through our Government Affairs Committee (GAC). We are your eyes and ears for small and large business. I enjoy being part of the Chamber because I have been involved since the 1970’s. This is my last year on the Chamber’s Board because I term out and I will miss the Board interaction very much. I will still attend the GAC and the Mixers to keep informed, but I challenge each member to bring in one new business and also bring them to a Mixer. This way our Chamber will grow and we can get more businesses involved and be a more powerful voice for you! Thank you to the Chamber staff and Mike Ayala for doing what you do to keep us informed. I know all of you work very hard and we are thankful for you.
Call The UD’s Sales Department for more information &/or to be included on this page 209•588•4555
REACHING OVER 25,000 READERS
New Member Introductions The Strawberry Property Owner’s Association (SPOA) is a non-profit membership association established in 1997 to support the common issues facing the Strawberry community. SPOA provides a means to respond in a thoughtful and coordinated manner on issues within the Stanislaus National Forest related to the public services, laws, regulations, and those that affect the preservation, enhancement and enjoyment of privately owned properties in Strawberry. The underlying purpose of SPOA is to promote the common interests of its residents and to inform and educate our members and the general public on matters affecting the use, improvement, and preservation of Strawberry. SPOA is governed by a Board of Directors, and holds an Annual Membership meeting each year. Membership is on an annual basis and any owner or partial owner of real property in the Strawberry area is eligible for membership in the Association. The Board of Directors is responsible for monitoring all activities, actions, decisions, plans, programs, proposals, service and maintenance issues and other matters that affect or may affect the Strawberry community. At the Annual Meeting. members discuss positions in support or opposition on issues affecting the Strawberry area, including water, fire protection, land use and others impacting the health, safety, and general wellbeing of our members. Some of the key issues that SPOA has engaged in and advocated for include improvements to the entire Water System owned and operated by the Del Oro Water Company, overhaul of the Strawberry Volunteer Fire Department, forest debris removal, and efforts to improve fire safety. SPOA serves as an objective source of information for its members on all aspects of the Strawberry community. Through this website and external email service, SPOA keeps in regular contact with its members to ensure everyone is kept abreast of pending community issues and activities. 5
Hello, I am Gary Johnson of Gary Johnson Photography. Gary Johnson Photography is a full-service family portrait photography business both in studio and on location. I begin each customer experience with a preconsultation appointment wher e we discuss clothing choices, shooting locations, and how these images will fit in with your home decor. During the capture appointment, we combine both posed and candid moments with natural expressions that you will love. After a few days, I will invite you back to our studio for your selection appointment. You will get to look at your completely re-touched images as they are projected on our 60inch screen. This is the best time of your experience as you select your favorite images and place them into albums and on computer-generated walls in your home. I will use my expertise to help guide you through the selection process. The final step in the process is when I hang your wall portraits in your home so they will match how you envisioned them to look. It is a privilege for me to regularly photograph your family, capturing the “unconditional love” that you have for each other. As your family grows, I will be capturing images of the different stages of your family’s life that you will cherish forever. Please call Gary at 536-1760 to start the planning of your next photographic experience.
Congratulations to all the Raffle prize winners at our Mixer
Hosted By: Hurst Ranch
Raffle Prize
Donated By
Winner
Host—Hurst Ranch Depot Gift Basket Faux Orchid Plant Bray Vineyards Primitivo SanGiovese Wine Bumblebee Basket Hovey Rosato Wine Gift Card Auto Tech Package Succulent Plant AT&T Tile The Works Auto Service and Cap Inner Sanctum Bubbly & Malibu Rum One Month’s IDShield $40 Black Oak Gift Certificate/$25 Slot Play Half of the Evening’s Raffle Proceeds
Hurst Ranch Tricia Thompson Design Let’s Go! Travel Gianelli Vineyards Tuolumne County Chamber Ambassadors Signal Service Gary Johnson Photography Auto Tech & Tires Three B’s Event Planning AT&T Sonora Ford Jatco Water Systems LegalShield Black Oak Casino Resort Chamber Ambassadors & Our Guests
Teri Brockmire Gina Prock Rebecca Garcia Rebecca Garcia Gina Prock Arnie Brockmire Gina Prock Janis Huckabee Thomas/Nature’s Whole Food Amelia Harrison Shelly Schubert Kim Hembree Gina Prock Nancy Gottschall Carlos Hill
Thank You To All Prize Donors and Everyone Who Attended