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Oceanside Chamber of Commerce Endorses Ryan Keim and Peter Weiss
The Oceanside Chamber of Commerce recently announced its endorsements for the 2020 City of Oceanside Elections. The Chamber Board of Directors voted to support Ryan Keim for District 3 and Peter Weiss for District 4. Both candidates currently serve in appointed roles on the City Council, with Weiss serving as Mayor and Keim in an at-large Council seat. While the Chamber has been very vocal on local business issues for many years, this marks the first time in recent history that the organization has participated in candidate endorsements. Chamber CEO Scott Ashton explains why the Chamber decided to become engaged in the local political process, “The mission of the Oceanside Chamber is to ‘stimulate economic prosperity and foster a vibrant community’. For this to happen, it is critical that our elected leaders have a strong understanding of the importance of creating a business-friendly environment. The Chamber is viewed as an important thought leader on business issues in our community and therefore our input into the election process is critical”. As a 501(c)(6) the Chamber can endorse candidates, with or without a Political Action Committee. The Chamber’s Advance Oceanside PAC is the mechanism that allows the organization to back up its endorsements with financial support.
The endorsements by the Chamber Board followed several months of work by the Advance Oceanside Political Action Committee. Much of 2019 was spent developing policies and procedures and seeking Chamber member input on what issues were most important to them. Chamber Board Chair and PAC member, Debbie Allen
Ryan Keim for District 3
Peter Weiss for District 4
commented on the importance of the work that has been undertaken. “The prosperity of the City of Oceanside is critical and the Advance Oceanside PAC and the Chamber have worked very hard the past couple of years to be able to put into place policies and procedures, to interview and to ultimately endorse business friendly candidates. I am so proud of all the hard work that these men and women have accomplished. 2020 is the first year in many to come, to support those wanting to continue to have a healthy economic environment”. The Advance Oceanside PAC will now focus its efforts on fundraising and helping its candidates secure victories in the two district seats. Chamber PAC members noted that Keim has been diligent to keep open lines of communications with the business community, regularly reaching out to Chamber staff and leaders. He has participated regularly in Chamber events and roundtables and stays in close communication with business leaders. He has advocated for a streamlined permit and approval process for development, increased height allowances and density downtown, and a new program that makes it easier and more affordable for residents to build accessory-dwelling units. Keim has a deep understanding of the challenges that business owners are facing with the criminal behavior
associated with certain segments of the homeless population. He recognizes the need to proactively focus on property and quality-of-life crimes that have a tremendous impact on the livability of our City. Along those lines, he has proactively sought to end safe havens for criminal behavior by holding budget motels accountable for their impact on the community. He advocates for a two-pronged approach that connects homeless individuals with critical services such as mental health treatment, substance abuse recovery, and bridge housing while at the same time addressing crime and the individuals who choose to victimize our residents. The PAC noted in its endorsement recommendation of Peter Weiss that he has consistently demonstrated his support for business and overall economic development to expand the City’s tax base. Having served in various staff roles, including City Manager, consultant and now Mayor, Weiss understands our City from a wide variety of perspectives. Weiss has been consistently available to our business community, participating in the Chamber’s regular updates to businesses on COVID-19 issues, joining our small business roundtable forums last year and attending numerous Chamber events. Weiss has expressed recognition for the need for housing stock for all income levels. He has strong ideas for encouraging developers to build affordable housing units, advocating for a variety of opportunities including infill projects along the coastal corridor to “reasonable and planned development of South Morro Hills”. The Chamber has decided to not make an endorsement in Oceanside’s Mayoral race. The Advance Oceanside PAC interviewed several candidates and noted that Deputy Mayor Jack Feller and Councilmember Christopher Rodriquez both demonstrated that they continue to be strong advocates and leaders for the business community and would continue that support as Mayor. It was noted specifically that both Feller and Rodriguez have been instrumental in streamlining the permitting process for the development of much needed housing in Oceanside. “We have recently seen an unprecedented efficiency in the entitlement of mixeduse projects in our downtown area. It is incredibly important that we keep the City moving in the positive direction that these two leaders have been part of building in recent years”, said Ashton.
Seeking to end domestic violence and sexual assault in our community by spreading awareness, reviving courage, and rebuilding lives. WRC provides holistic, wrap-around support services to survivors of gender-based violence and their children.
Assistance is available 24/7 via our crisis hotline: 760-757-3500 Visit our website at www.wrcsd.org
Helping Elect Business-Friendly Candidates for Oceanside. Pro-Business is Pro-Community
The quality of life in our community is directly impacted by the quality of individuals leading our City. That is why the Oceanside Chamber of Commerce actively endorses and funds local candidates with a strong vision and demonstrated strategies for creating a prosperous community. OUR GOAL:
The goal of our endorsement process is to support candidates that share the core values of the Chamber, including the support of free enterprise, a streamlined and predictable regulatory system and an overall environment in which business can thrive.
HOW YOU CAN HELP:
It is critical that we back up our candidate endorsements with financial support in order to help our candidates successfully cross the finish line. Your contribution will help us build a broad base of supporters. Can we count on your support?
NOTE: It is important to note that Chamber membership funds or general funds ARE NOT used for contributions to candidates. Advance Oceanside Political Action Committee (AOPAC) will undertake fundraising campaigns in order to provide financial support to candidates.
Please make Checks Payable to… Oceanside Chamber of Commerce Advance Oceanside PAC PO BOX 424, Oceanside, CA 92049 FPPC # 1260474 DONATE ONLINE AT… www.AdvanceOceansidePAC.com
MEMBER FALL 2020 AND COMMUNITY NEWS Frontwave Credit Weathered Souls, a black owned brewery in Texas, Union Wins Six MAC and put their own spin on it all under the same Black Awards for Marketing Is Beautiful label. To date, more than 1000 breweries Excellence have committed to participating. Frontwave Credit Union Oceanside Restaurant Blade 1936 Becomes was recently honored Second in the County to Become AVPNwith six MAC Awards for Certified excellence in marketing from the Marketing Association of Credit Unions, which recognizes outstanding marketing achievements in the credit union industry. Frontwave received Gold Awards for its “Value Lasts a Lifetime” Comprehensive Campaign, Outdoor Media (train wrap), Online/Print Media, and Team Store Point-of-Sale Display. Frontwave also received Silver Awards for its General Awareness Campaign, and Business Development. In addition, for the second year in a row, Frontwave was among Blade 1936 becomes the 20th Californian restaurant and 10th restaurant in Southern California to become a member of the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana (AVPN). Blade 1936 is only the second restaurant in San Diego to receive the hard-earned certification, thanks to the efforts of Master Pizzaiolo John Carlo Ferraiuolo, who brought the art of Pizza Napoletana to San Diego. The AVPN certification shows Blade 1936’s pizza program meets the standards of a true, traditional Pizza Napoletana, in accordance with international AVPN regulations. five credit unions nominated for the MAQUEE Award, MAC’s signature award for the best marketing campaign of the year.
Ballast Point, Kilowatt Brewing and Friends Team Up to Brew Black is Beautiful Chicory Stout
Ballast Point, Kilowatt Brewing, Mujeres Beer House, San Diego Beer News and several of their friends in the San Diego craft beer community have joined forces to brew their version of the Black Is Beautiful collaboration brewing project organized by Weathered Souls Brewing. The Black is Beautiful project is a nationwide collaborative effort to raise awareness for the injustices people of color face daily, social justice, equity, and inclusion. Each participating brewery is asked to brew an imperial stout recipe developed by www.oceansidechamber.com | Fall 2020
www.oceansidetherapygroup.com
Pediatric Speech/Language Therapy Pediatric Occupational Therapy Pediatric Physical Therapy
3355 Mission Avenue, Ste. 123, Oceanside, CA 92058
MEMBER FALL 2020 AND COMMUNITY NEWS
The regulations have strict specifications for every part of the pizza-making process, from sourcing, to ingredients, dough preparation, fermentation, ingredient presentation, and cooking temperature.
Boys & Girls Clubs of Oceanside Receives Oceanside Charitable Foundation Grant for Culinary Arts Equipment
Boys & Girls Clubs of Oceanside (BGCO) has received a $5,000 grant from the Oceanside Charitable Foundation to purchase a commercial freezer for their Culinary Arts Teaching Kitchen. The freezer will increase food storage capacity for the Culinary Arts Program, which is especially important as the Club continues to provide an Emergency Food Program for youth. All BGCO meals are prepared by our accomplished Culinary Arts staff and are fresh, nutritious, and most importantly, delicious! Youth attending summer camp receive a daily lunch and snack. In addition, BGCO offers curbside pickup each weekday through the Emergency Food Program. Each pickup includes a lunch and snack for each child. We are proud to provide our community with this crucial resource during the pandemic, and to provide consistency to youth by providing delicious, healthy meals each weekday. BGCO has provided over 19,000 lunches and snacks during the pandemic.
Kaiser Permanente Sponsors Mini-MBA Program
Kaiser Permanente San Diego is partnering with the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City (ICIC) to support small businesses, with the goal of increasing highquality jobs and improving community health in underserved communities. Kaiser Permanente sponsors the organization’s InnerCity Capital Connections (ICCC) program, which offers local business owners a tuition-free, 40-hour miniMBA program that combines executive education, webinars, coaching, and avenues to seek capital.
Cox Enterprises and the Trust for Public Land Launch National Cox Conserves Heroes Awards
Cox Enterprises and The Trust for Public Land recently accepted nominations for the Cox Conserves Heroes program. This year, the program has expanded nationwide, with nominees grouped into four regions: West, South, Midwest and Northeast. The Cox Conserves Heroes program serves to honor environmental volunteers who create, preserve or enhance shared outdoor spaces in their local communities. “Each year, it’s amazing to see how people across the U.S. are making a positive impact on the planet,” said Maury Wolfe, assistant vice president of corporate responsibility and public affairs for Cox Enterprises, parent company of Cox Communications. “From coordinating cleanups to reduce our impact on the environment to restoring seal life and regional fisheries, each volunteer’s contribution is vitally important to our ecosystem.”
MEMBER FALL 2020 AND COMMUNITY NEWS
Her World was Falling Apart: Meet Sophia (Solutions Overcomers)
Sophia and her children joined Solutions for Change 3 years ago, after Sophia suffered through a mentally, emotionally, physically, and sexually abusive relationship. “I was falling apart on every level.” Sophia was in banking but found herself unemployed and at a crossroads with her career. She had a dream to be a hairdresser and “Solutions for Change allowed me to take the time to go to school and become a licensed barber and cosmetologist. Solutions for Change has made me feel like Sophia. I am still me, but wiser, stronger and better than when I began. Before Solutions, I felt like I was losing everything, but in the end, I gained so much more.”
David’s Harp Foundation Receive More than $60,000 from Cox Communications to Help At-Risk, Homeless Youth Connect to Music Education and Multimedia Production
Cox Communications awards a grant totaling more than $60,000 to David’s Harp Foundation, a San Diego nonprofit organization that uses music education, sound engineering and multimedia production to help teens and young adults achieve academic success. The grant will help David’s Harp Foundation create a distance learning hub at its facilities in downtown San Diego’s East Village so that at-risk and homeless students can have access to high-speed internet, academic accountability, and arts programs while social distancing during the 2020-2021 school year.
Oceanside is One Step Closer to Zero Waste with the City’s NEW Food Scraps Recycling Program
The City of Oceanside is excited to introduce the new Commercial Food Scraps Recycling Program to our local business community! This program will recycle food scraps, often referred to as organics, and food-soiled paper into its own bin - separate from landfill, recyclable, and landscape materials. The Food Scraps Recycling Program supports the City of Oceanside’s Climate Action Plan and Zero Waste Strategic Management Plan’s goals of reaching 75-90% diversion by 2020, and the City expects to achieve over 80% of landfill diversion within the first year of implementation. Not only does this program ensure less materials are sent to our landfill, but it also allows businesses the opportunity to right-size or down-size their current services to mitigate cost impact, if not provide overall cost savings. In Oceanside, recycling and food scraps services are more affordable than landfill services, thus creating savings when you minimize your landfill services and strive for zero waste. By participating in the Food Scraps Recycling Program, businesses can receive technical assistance, find potential cost savings, and positively impact the environment. What is the Food Scraps Recycling Program? Californians throw away nearly 6 million tons of food scraps or food waste each year. This represents about 18 percent of all the material that goes to landfill. There are new state regulations that requires each City and its businesses to divert food scraps and other organic material and combat this growing issue. The goal of this program is to reduce the amount of organics materials sent to our landfill to minimize greenhouse gas emissions, and get our City and State one step closer to zero waste. Does the Food Scraps program include waste prevention and food donation resources? Yes! The City has developed tools, guides, and offers technical assistance to help Oceanside businesses reduce their food waste at the source. Food Service Businesses generate 11.4 million tons of food waste each year, equaling $25 billion worth of food! By reducing what goes to waste, businesses can save money and improve their overall operations. Did you know that as many as 1 in 2 Oceanside residents are considered food insecure and do not know where their next meal will be coming from?
If you find yourself with excess edible food that can be donated or recovered to feed people, not your food scraps bin, we are here to help. Visit GreenOceanside. org to find our Food Donation Information and Source Reduction Guide, or contact our Green Oceanside zero waste/food recovery team, by emailing us at OceansideFoodRecovery@oceansideca.org for additional support and resources.
What businesses are participating? All commercial businesses, including City Facilities, are required to participate in the Food Scraps Recycling Program. In Oceanside food scraps/food soiled paper represent roughly 30% of the waste going to landfills, and services are 75% of the cost of landfilling for commercial customers. Participation by all generators of all sizes allow the City to ensure compliance as well as meet our zero waste goals. Where does the food scraps and food soiled paper go? Waste Management utilizes its CORe technology that will use the food scraps and food soiled paper collected in Oceanside to create an EBS organic slurry that will be used to generate renewable, green energy through co-digestion at municipal wastewater treatment plants. How can Oceanside residents recycle food scraps? The City and its partners offer multiple opportunities and resources to support home composting, sustainability and zero waste. These resources include but are not limited to zero waste cooking classes, sustainability workshops, free backyard compost bin programs, virtual training, and more. For more information
What materials will businesses be placing into the food scraps bin? Oceanside’s commercial food scrap recycling program accepts all food scraps and food soiled paper. This includes the following items:
Meat
Dairy
Bread
Fruit Vegetables
Pits
Peels
Cobs
Coffee Grounds
Food-soiled paper
Paper towels
Napkins
Paper cups
Paper egg cartons
Paper plates
Paper takeout containers
Pizzeria boxes
regarding these programs and resources, please visit the Green Oceanside website at www. GreenOceanside.org. How can I learn more about the Food Scraps Recycling Program? The City’s Zero Waste Team is here to answer any questions businesses or the public may have. Food Scraps recycling educational resources including FAQ documents, signage, and other digital training materials and videos can be found at www.business. wm.com/oceanside or www.greenoceanside.org. For questions or comments regarding service adjustments, bin deliveries or the program as a whole, or to schedule an in-person training or virtual oneon-one technical assistance appointment, please call the Zero Waste team at (760) 435-5457 or via email at oceansidefoodscraps@wm.com.
YES ON PROP 22 Save App-Based Jobs & Services
Prop 22 on California’s November ballot is needed to save hundreds of thousands of jobs for app-based drivers, and app-based food delivery and rideshare services that millions now rely on. That’s because drastic legislation passed by Sacramento politicians puts these services at risk of shut down. More than 1 million Californians choose to work as independent contractors with app-based rideshare, food and grocery delivery platforms. Eighty percent (80%) of app-based drivers work part-time, fewer than 20 hours per week, and rely on flexible work to supplement income and provide for their families. They are parents who work while their kids are in school, family members who need the flexibility to care for aging parents or loved ones, students who earn income around class schedules, working families, or retirees.
Access to these flexible earnings opportunities and the convenience and affordability of these
on-demand services is at risk. Last year Sacramento politicians passed drastic legislation (AB 5) that makes it illegal for Californians to work as independent contractors with app-based rideshare, food and grocery delivery platforms - instead forcing drivers to be classified as employees. In multiple surveys, more than 70% of drivers say they want to remain independent contractors. They do NOT want to be employees.
The Solution –
The Oceanside Chamber of Commerce along with a coalition of small businesses, public safety groups, advocates for those in underserved communities and many more, plus nearly 100,000 Californians who drive with app-based platforms, are fighting back by supporting Proposition 22 – a November ballot measure that protects driver flexibility and provides historic new wage and benefit guarantees, like health care. Learn more and support Prop 22 by visiting YesOn22.com.
CA Legislative Session Wrap-up
Following are some of the key bills impacting business and how your legislators voted.
SB1383
Significantly burdens small employers by requiring small employers with only five employees to provide eligible employees with 12 weeks of mandatory family leave, which can be taken in increments of 1-2 hours, and threatens these small employers with costly litigation if they make any mistake in implementing this leave. Chamber Position: Oppose
How your legislators Voted:
• Assemblymember Tasha Boerner Horvath: Support • Senator Patricia Bates: No Vote Recorded
SB1731
Streamlining California’s Workshare Program. Streamlines the application process for California’s workshare programs, including shortening application timelines and guaranteeing initial approval, in order to make it easier for employers to voluntarily utilize the program to keep staff on at a reduced schedule. Chamber Position: Support
How your legislators Voted: • Assemblymember Tasha Boerner Horvath
(Bill Author): Support • Senator Patricia Bates: Oppose
AB1066
Shortens employers’ timeline to respond to inquiries from EDD and punishes employers who fail to respond with maximum benefits for all employees. Particularly punishes employers who use independent contractors by cutting short the ability to appeal any claims of “misclassification.” Also adds Attorney General enforcement to pursue employer contributions. Chamber Position: Oppose
How your legislators Voted:
• Assemblymember Tasha Boerner Horvath: Support • Senator Patricia Bates: Oppose
North County Cares Gains More Support from Local Business Community
Corporate and local sponsorships continue to assist North County families and our local restaurants through the North County Cares program. North County Cares was designed by the Oceanside Chamber of Commerce, the Vista Chamber of Commerce, and the San Diego North Economic Development Council. The purpose of the program is to support families in need while helping local restaurants who have been impacted by COVID-19 restrictions. Recently Chase Bank, Walmart and Tri-City Medical Center have made sizeable donations to North County Cares. Monies are used to purchase gift cards “in bulk” at participating member restaurants, which provide much needed revenue for struggling businesses. The gift cards are then distributed to the local school districts and other organizations, who put the gift cards in the hands of those who need them most to feed their families. It’s a win-win situation. The program began with a generous donation from Genentech. With the continued support of corporate and local donations, nearly $40,000 in gift cards have been purchased, so far from local restaurants, with more to come in the near future. In turn, nearly 2,000 gift cards have been distributed to hundreds of families. Please visit the North County Cares website at www.sdnedc. org/north-county-cares/ to learn more about the program.
Venetos Cucina Italiana participated in North County Cares.
North River Farms
Vote YES on Measure L to support San Diego County’s first farm community designed for Oceanside that preserves agriculture by creating a working farm within a neighborhood that will produce locally grown fruits and vegetables for thousands of Oceansiders. More than half of North River Farms’ 268-acre site is farmland and open space. If approved by voters this November, Measure L will: • Produce locally grown fresh food for Oceanside, along with U-pick orchards. • Preserve agriculture with an 88-acre working farm –
THE SIZE OF 67 FOOTBALL FIELDS. • Build a new fire station with funding for equipment and staffing. • Establish an agricultural education center for young children to learn about farming and the value of agriculture. • Create 10 miles of public hiking and biking trails. • At no cost to taxpayers, provide $7.5 million to widen
North River Road and College Bridge, and improve all roads connecting to the site.
