209 Business Journal - Jan 2018

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JANUARY 2018

VOLUME 3 ■ ISSUE 1

IN PROFILE

Get Fit gym settles in to new home in Oakdale.

PAGE 3

GOVERNMENT

Stanislaus County maps out plan for marijuana businesses.

NEW LAWS FOR 2018

PAGE 6

New year rings in minimum wage increase, vote by mail

BY ANGELINA MARTIN 209 Business Journal

A slew of new regulations were rung in with the new year for Californians, from minimum wage hikes to immigration policies.

Workers hoping to earn more for their labor are in for a raise in the new year, as the minimum wage will increase by 50 cents this year. That’s up to $11 per hour for workers at companies with at least 26 employees, and up to $10.50 for those at smaller businesses. Senate Bill 3 brings these changes, which was signed into effect nearly two years ago and will continue to hike the hourly wage annually until it reaches $15 in 2022 for large companies, and in 2023 for all workers.

There’s more good news for those in the workforce under Assembly Bill 168, which requires that the salary history of job ap-

plicants can only be disclosed voluntarily, meaning that prospective employers will no longer be able to base an employee’s new salary off of his or her old wages.

Assembly Bill 1008 is part of the “Ban the Box” initiative that hopes to improve employment options for formerly-incarcerated citizens, banning the box on applications that asks about criminal conviction history. Employers can still conduct a background check once an offer has been made to the employee, but the law is meant to give former convicts a better shot at being considered for a job based on their merits, and not their past mistakes.

A new era of voting in California will kickoff in 2018, with Senate Bill 450 – passed in 2016 – doing away with neighborhood

polling places and replacing them with elections conducted primarily by mail as part of an effort to boost voter turnout. Under the system, every registered voter will receive a mail ballot, and drop-off locations will be available up to four weeks before election day. Temporary regional “vote centers” will be open 10 days ahead of time to register voters and accept ballots.

In Stanislaus County, implementation of SB 450 means that 160 neighborhood polling places will be closed. There are currently 241,000 registered voters in the county, meaning 25 vote centers would be set up in the four days before the election.

Stanislaus County Clerk Lee Lundrigan described the vote center platform as a “new, expensive direction for voting in California.”

Arguably one of the most controversial new laws of 2018 is Senate Bill 54, which makes California a “sanctuary state.” Signed in opposition of President Donald Trump’s plans to increase deportations of illegal immigrants, it limits the ability of state and local police to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement.

Officers cannot ask about someone’s immigration status or detain them unless they have been convicted of one of the crimes from a list of more than 800.

Assembly Bill 291 continues the state’s legislative opposition to Trump by prohibiting landlords from reporting their undocumented renters, and Senate Bill 257 allows students who are deported to continue attending California schools.

Other California laws taking efSEE LAWS, PAGE 10

209 209BUSINESS BUSINESS JOURNAL JOURNAL

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JANUARY 2018

OPINION

Vol. 3 No. 1 ■ January 2018 PUBLISHER

Rank does not confer privilege or give power.

It imposes responsibility.

Hank Vander Veen

GENERAL MANAGER Drew Savage

MANAGING EDITOR Sabra Stafford

NEWSROOM Jeff Benziger Jason Campbell Dennis D. Cruz Eric Escalante Kristina Hacker Teresa Hammond Marg Jackson Glenn Khal Angelina Martin Candy Padilla Vince Rembulat Paul Roupe Virginia Still Dennis Wyatt

­—Peter Drucker

ART DIRECTOR Harold L. George

ADVERTISING DIRECTORS Chuck Higgs

SALES & MARKETING Chris Castro Beth Flanagan Dawn Hamilton Corey Rogers Cathy Tuxson Melody Wann Charles Webber Jennifer Webber

To advertise in 209 Business Journal, call Manteca • 209.249.3500 Oakdale • 209.847.3021 Turlock • 209.634.9141 209 Business Journal is published monthly 122 S. Third Ave • Oakdale, CA 95361 Information: dsavage@209businessjournal.com 209businessjournal.com The Oakdale Leader USPS No 178-680 Is published weekly by Morris Newspaper Corporation, 122 S. Third Ave. Oakdale, CA 95361 ©Copyright 2018. 209 Business Journal All rights reserved.

Reproduction in whole or in part of any text, photograph or illustration without written permission from the publisher of 209 Business Journal is strictly prohibited. The opinions expressed in 209 Business Journal are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the view of 209 Business Journal management or owner.

209 Business Journal assumes no responsibility and makes no recommendation for claims made by advertisers and shall not be liable for any damages incurred.

209MAG A Z I N E.CO M

Regulation is coming to the internet The single most significant historical event in my lifetime is not the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, the 1969 moon landing, the social upheavals of the 1960s or the rise and fall of rock ‘n’ roll. It is the advent of the internet in the early 1990s.

It is difficult for any of us baby-boom geezers to remember what the world was like before the internet (heck, it’s hard for most of us to remember what we had for breakfast, but that’s another story). The internet was a technological change of truly historical proportions. I predict historians 100 years from now will view our era in the same way historians now view the Industrial Revolution of the 1800s.

Back in the 1990s, lawmakers and regulators in the U.S. and elsewhere recognized the enormous potential of the internet and adopted a hands-off approach to its growth and development. Nearly all of the U.S. laws relating to the internet were passed between 1990 and 1998, during its infancy, and gave web-based companies virtually free rein to do whatever they wish online without fear of lawsuits or government meddling.

Now that the internet has been with us for 25 years and is behaving more and more like an obstreperous 20-something, that attitude is changing both here and abroad.

One of the landmark U.S. internet laws is Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996 (47 U.S.C. Section 230).

That statute prohibits people

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from suing websites based on the activities of third parties. For example, if someone were to say false and misleading things about you online, you could sue that someone for defamation but not the website on which the bad things were posted. There are hardly any exceptions.

Now, that hasn’t prevented people from suing websites anyway, but almost all of the cases to date were dismissed out of hand because of the broad immunity granted by Section 230.

However...

Some recent federal court cases have begun to whittle away at the broad immunity imposed

by Section 230 in an effort to curb abusive behavior online.

The facts in some of these cases are truly horrific — people who respond to online dating posts getting raped, people being threatened with death or physical injury, websites that remove content in a discriminatory or arbitrary manner — and one can understand the desire to make websites more responsible for screening and editing what is posted. But at what point does that screening and editing become censorship? At what point does it threaten the uninhibited and free speech that the U.S. holds especially sacred or make

it impossible for small businesses to run their websites? We don’t yet have the answers.

A U.S. Supreme Court case from 1992 prohibits states from imposing their sales tax and other taxes on internet commerce. A 1959 federal law prohibits states from imposing their income taxes on internet commerce. At least one Supreme Court justice has indicated that these precedents should be reconsidered in light of the growing dominance of e-commerce in American retail, which has cost states trillions of dollars in tax revenue.

If the U.S. has been slow to regulate the internet, foreign countries and groups, especially the European Union, have been rushing to fill the void.

In May 2018, the EU will put into effect the General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR (Regulation (EU) 2016/679), a comprehensive internet regulation that restricts the export of EU residents’ personal data outside the EU and enables them to force websites to remove online information about them under certain circumstances. These new privacy rights are referred to commonly as the “right to be forgotten,” but the extent to which they will permit EU residents to become invisible online remains to be seen.

A recent decision of the European Court of Justice held that luxury-goods manufacturers based in the EU could prohibit re-sales of their products by third-party sellers on eBay,

Amazon and other online retail platforms operating in EU countries (see http://curia.europa. eu/jcms/upload/docs/application/pdf/2017-12/cp170132en. pdf). This is contrary to U.S. law, which expressly permits such re-sales (see Kirtsaeng v. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.).

Last year, the People’s Republic of China passed a comprehensive cybersecurity law requiring websites to store certain data about Chinese citizens on servers located in China, ostensibly to preserve the security of that information but probably to also ensure that the Chinese government can keep tabs on its citizens’ activities (see www.chinalawtranslate.com/ cybersecuritylaw/?lang=en).

Whenever you give somebody (or something, such as the internet) the freedom to operate without government involvement, there is always the risk that freedom will be abused.

There can be no question the internet has been abused over the past 25 years. And wherever freedom is abused, regulation follows.

We must accept that the internet will be more heavily regulated in the years ahead. The question is whether a single government or body (whether the U.S. or the European Union) will set the parameters for future regulation that other countries will follow, or small businesses operating online will face a crazy quilt of conflicting and inconsistent regulations. We’ll see.

209 BUSINESS JOURNAL

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JANUARY 2018

IN PROFILE

GET FIT SETTLES IN TO NEW HOME IN OAKDALE

BY TERESA HAMMOND 209 Business Journal

Allison Walters is happy to be ‘home.’ The Oakdale High School alum and mother of two has returned to Oakdale with not just her family, but her passion.

In December, Allison, along with her husband Bear, opened the doors to Get Fit Oakdale. The opening of the gym facility at its 120 East F Street location was long awaited by many in the community, thanks largely in part to the reputation and teachings of Get Fit Modesto.

As prior members and trainers of the Modesto gym, the couple has partnered with founders and owners of Get Fit Modesto, Jonathan and Tara Crenshaw, to replicate the same atmosphere, as well as workout at the Oakdale location. Each location is individually owned by the husband/wife teams.

“For a couple of years it really felt like the Lord was tugging on our hearts to get back out here,” Allison said of the couple’s relocation from Modesto, back to Oakdale two and a half years ago. “We wanted to raise our girls in a smaller community. I loved growing up here.”

As the couple set their sights on returning to Allison’s childhood home, the Crenshaws planted the seed in their ear for a future endeavor.

“Jon and Tara thought there was opportunity for Get Fit beyond Modesto,” Bear said. “We really like the small community feel of Oakdale. Modesto is a great city, it’s just so big.”

Leaning on their faith and prayer, the couple shared they began to walk the path to bring Get Fit to Oakdale.

Noting the importance of doors opening at the right time and as they should, one such door brought them to their current location one year ago this month. By April of this year, they had a deal with the building owner and renovations to the steel framed shell began.

Essentially what appears to be ideal office space from

the street was transformed into a spacious workout facility right in the center of town.

“This is such a tight knit community,” Bear stated, “we thought, let’s get in and get involved. We love the idea of being in the center of town.”

The couple learned that the community loved the idea just as much. In midSeptember, anticipating an October opening, the couple hosted an open house.

Inside the East F location was still just a shell, and there was little to be seen by way of gym equipment and set up at that time. Shockingly, people signed up sight unseen.

“There wasn’t even sheet rock,” Allison shared of the building state in September, noting that it quickly became apparent that the reputation of the Modesto location was adding to the early interest of having a Get Fit in the Cowboy Capital.

Just one week after opening their doors officially earlier this month, the gym has over 100 members utilizing its services.

“It’s just exciting,” Allison said. “People are loving coming in. We’re getting to know them and it’s exciting seeing them do something for themselves.”

The Walters, however, are not set on offering a typical gym experience – the traditional get in, get your sweat on and get out. Their focus and the team of trainers, which they wish to build is more focused on community and support of one another. Currently the Walters, along with Shonna Orique, coach the eight 45-minute classes hosted during the six days of operation. Class sizes range from as few as six to a high of 15 with a capacity of 20. The gym also offers on site, staffed childcare.

“It’s really important to us and Get Fit as an organization that we bring people up that have the same core values,” Bear said of expanding their trainer base.

The couple went on to state that they recognize

their gym may not be the best fit for everyone and they’re okay with that.

“The community we hope to create here will be hands down more important than any workout we’re able to give,” Bear said.

“There’s something to be said about being alongside other people that are going through the same thing as you. Things are different, but you’re both trying to struggle through a workout together, that’s a sense of community.”

“People come in for the fitness,” Allison said, recognizing the ‘why’ clients come to them, “but I think it’s like a secret that they get more than that.”

“You get people connected and that’s where the growth comes from,” Bear added.

Get Fit Oakdale offers a variety of class times, to suit multiple schedules. Their membership is based on a month to month, not an annual contract making it a bit more user friendly for those new to working out or unsure of the fit. A 30-day notice is required for cancellation.

In addition to their memberships, they also host fourand eight-week boot camps periodically throughout the year.

“That’s where it gets really personalized,” Allison said, sharing that clients are partnered with a coach, given a meal plan and specific goals set. “Not everybody is ready for that and that’s okay. We just want to get you moving.”

“This is no longer about blowing your body out at the gym for 45 minutes,” Bear said of the Get Fit mindset.

“But rather the total body, whole health, whole body wellness.”

The first boot camp for the new location will begin Jan. 20, 2018. The owners intend to host an Open House event on Saturday, Jan. 6 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.

For additional information and class times visit www.

GetFitOakdale.com or call (209) 499-0573.

TERESA HAMMOND/209 BUSINESS JOURNAL

Get Fit Oakdale owners, Allison and Bear Walters, along with Shonna Orique are the three sole trainers greeting clients as they enter the newly opened Get Fit Oakdale.

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JANUARY 2018

IN PROFILE

Middle Eastern cuisine a family affair at Nami-No Indoor play space opens for pint-sized clientele

BY TERESA HAMMOND 209 Business Journal

ANGELINA MARTIN/209 BUSINESS JOURNAL

Nami-No co-owner Edward Khoushabeh tends to kebabs on the grill.

Nami-No

BY ANGELINA MARTIN 209 Business Journal

When her family came to the United States from Iran nearly two decades ago, Bradinne Aghakhani said that the group had a desire to bring the flavors of their homeland to Turlock after finding that nothing in the area quite lived up to their expectations of what Middle Eastern food should be.

Fast forward to 2017, and that dream has finally been realized with the opening of the family’s restaurant, Nami-No, on Monday.

“We used to go to a lot of places in Iran where we had kebabs that were delicious, but we tried a lot of places here that didn’t taste like the food you would have in the Middle East,” said Aghakhani, who manages the restaurant run by her father, Ashor Benyamin, and uncle, Edward Khoushabeh. “We wanted to bring a little taste of Iran here.”

The restaurant’s opening night went so well, they were forced to stop accepting customers because they ran out of seats, Aghakhani said, with diners lining up to try NamiNo’s traditional menu of kebabs, which consist of grilled meat cooked on a skewer, vegetables and rice that are commonplace overseas.

Type of business: Middle Eastern restaurant Location: 2545 Geer Rd., Turlock Hours:

As temperatures drop and outside play becomes a bit less abundant, parents of young children need not worry.

Thanks to the vision and passion of new business owner Michelle Giarratani, there is now a viable option for play dates and child interaction beyond pre-school or in home play dates. In late October, Giarratani opened Let’s Play, an indoor play facility geared toward children from one to seven years of age.

“Our toys are geared towards fine motor skills, education through role playing,” she said of Let’s Play at 1449 East F Street, Suite 103D, just adjacent to Save Mart in Oakdale.

“Little kids love to mimic their parents and it helps to force their socialization in a really fun, great way.”

The previous stay at home mom shared it was TERESA HAMMOND/209 BUSINESS JOURNAL her love for children as a whole, as well as her de- Two-year-old Skylar Pickett takes a peek out from the sire to work while remain- playhouse at Let’s Play. The indoor play facility hosts SEE PLAY, PAGE 10

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Contact information: 209-632-6611 “Our kebabs are really juicy and flavorful. The stews that we have are full of herbs and our rice just smells delicious, like butter,” said Aghakhani.

“Everything is fresh and I know this is going to sound cliché, but it’s all made with love. Everyone here enjoys what they do.”

Recipes passed down by family members and friends have made their way onto the NamiNo menu, providing a flair of authenticity that Aghakhani hopes contin-

ues to attract customers.

“I’m hoping we continue to grow, and from the looks of it, we will,” she said.

“People are telling each other about us and really enjoying the food.”

Like many businesses, Nami-No is a family affair – something Aghakhani believes contributes to the restaurant’s atmosphere.

“I think the service we bring to people sets us apart,” she said. “Family is love. We all get along and love each other, and I think it comes from that.”

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209 BUSINESS JOURNAL

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JANUARY 2018

AGRICULTURE

Almond Board of California envisions farm of the future with $4.8 million research investment STAFF REPORTS 209 Business Journal

The Almond Board of California announced an investment of $4.8 million in 64 independent, third-party research projects exploring next-generation farming practices. Additionally, ABC released the first annual Almond Sustainability Publication, entitled “Growing Good,” which highlights the California Almond community’s commitment to sustainability.

The announcement was made at the 45th annual Almond Conference, an event that convenes almond farmers and processors to dialogue with researchers about the latest science. The California Almond community, through ABC, has invested nearly $70 million over 40 plus years to build a foundation of research on improving how almonds are grown, processed, and consumed. “Growing Good” highlights the industry’s continually evolving farming and processing best practices based on that research investment, which has built a foundation for continuous improvement that is helping almonds to be an economically, environmentally and socially responsible crop for California.

“Almond farmers’ growing practices and processors’ handling practices are rooted in science, and the almond industry has been investing in research that pushes the envelope and partnerships that break boundaries. This new sustainability publication highlights some of those efforts as well as programs that support responsible, efficient almond production,” said Almond Board Director of Sustainability and Environmental Affairs, Gabriele Ludwig. “One of those programs is The Almond Conference. Over the next few days, thousands of attendees will attend fifty plus sessions, a bustling trade show and other events, all while networking with their peers and researchers. It’s key to continuous improvement.”

Launched in 1973, ABC’s research programs provide a scientific basis for best

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practices across several priority areas. Three of those key areas include water sustainability, protection of honey bees that pollinate the almond crop, and new uses of almond hulls, shells, and woody materials in an effort to use everything produced in the orchard; a zero waste approach. Each of these focus areas are highlighted in “Growing Good.”

Water Sustainability Since 1982, California Almond farmers have committed $6.7 million to 201 different water research projects spanning irrigation efficiency, groundwater recharge, and water quality. Through production improvements and adoption of water efficient technologies, this investment has helped almond farmers reduce the amount of water needed to grow a pound of almonds by 33 percent over the past 20 years. Of this year’s projects, 14 focus on water with an investment of $1.2 million.

The Almond Board’s investment in water sustainability includes this new project: • Assessment of Water Status Using Inexpensive Thermographic Imagery, Lead Researcher: Brian Bailey, UC Davis - This new research project will explore the creation of a smartphone app and heat sensing platform to more precisely determine irrigation needs at any given time through leaf surface-and tree-temperature. The goal is to create a widely accessible tool for almond farmers to determine real-time irrigation needs and increase efficiency.

Honey Bee Health Since honey bee health was made a strategic research priority of the Almond Board in 1995, the California Almond community has committed $2.6 million dollars in support of 113 projects that address the five major factors impacting honey bee health. Research has also supported the development of orchard practices designed to keep bees safe during almond pollination. California Al-

PHOTO CONTRIBUTED

Over 90 percent of California Almond farms are family farms, and many are owned and operated by third-and fourthgeneration farmers who live on the land and plan to pass it down to their children.

mond farmers added to that investment this year with six research projects totaling nearly $300,000, funding more honey bee health research than any other crop group.

A current project focusing on honey bee health is: • Technical Transfer Teams Serving Commercial Beekeepers in Almonds, Lead Researcher: Dennis vanEngelsdorp, Bee Informed Partnership - Technical Transfer Teams are made up of traveling bee doctors who work with beekeepers to monitor hive health and advise on pest and disease treatment as necessary.

Nationwide, they service 99 commercial beekeepers many of whose honey bees pollinate almonds each spring.

Almond Board has funded Tech Transfer Teams in partnership with the Bee Informed Partnership since 2010, when the first team was formed. Results to date show that beekeepers participating in the program lost, on average, 36 percent fewer colonies than those commercial operations who did not participate.

Co-product Innovation Almonds grow in a shell, protected by a hull, on a tree, and the California

Almond community has ensured that each of these coproducts is put to beneficial use through investment in 58 research projects since 1977, totaling $1.6 million. Nine studies have been funded this year with a commitment of $540,000 to determine how almond coproducts may address needs across food, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, automotive, and more.

“Almond Board of California, in collaboration with our industry partners, is working every day to bring profitable, innovative solutions for coproducts back to farmers and processors.

Having a robust economic outlook while remaining committed to environmental sustainability are not mutually exclusive, which is why I’m excited to be a part of this effort,” said Chico almond farmer and research collaborator, Rory Crowley.

For this year’s announcement, one of the research projects that will focus on innovative uses for almond coproducts is: • Evaluation of Almond Shell and Soft Wood Derived Biochars as Soil Amendments, Lead Researcher: Sanjai J. Parikh, UC Davis - This new research project will explore utilizing almond shells to create differ-

ent formulations of biochar, a soil amendment, evaluating their quality in a greenhouse setting. Should these products prove beneficial to soil and plant health, it has potential applications across agriculture, landscaping, or even in backyard gardens.

Almond Sustainability for the Future Continued commitment to scientific research is helping the California Almond community grow the farm of the future, as reflected in Growing Good. The publication, the first of its kind for the Almond Board, highlights almond farmers’ and processors’ heritage of sustainability and commitment to continuous improvement, while shining a spotlight on key Almond Board programming supporting those goals. Key points of interest from the 2017 publication include: • 50 percent of almond processors are utilizing solar energy at their facilities, according to a spatial analysis .• 78 percent of almond orchards today use efficient microirrigation, up from 70 percent in 20146.

• 94 percent of almond farms coordinate with beekeepers about what pest

control materials may need to be used during bloom and how the beekeepers will be notified in advance.

“We are family farmers.

For the most part, we live on our farms or very close by to them, raise our kids here and want them to inherit our farms and our companies,” said Almond Board President and CEO, Richard Waycott. “When we think about improving our industry across the myriad areas of opportunity, it also involves wanting to make a better environment for our children and grandchildren.

Research investment plays a huge role in this future.”

Each research project is funded through an assessment paid per pound of almonds produced. Projects are selected by a committee of almond farmers and processors based on strategic alignment to industry needs and anticipated impact of the research, and after review by a research advisory group of independent experts who evaluated the proposals for scientific merit. For more information about the Almond Board’s more than 40 years of almond farming and environmental research visit AlmondSustainability.org and the Research Database.

209 BUSINESS JOURNAL

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JANUARY 2018

NEWS

County, surrounding cities prepare for recreational pot

BY ANGELINA MARTIN 209 Business Journal

The start of the new year brings recreational marijuana sales around the state. While California voters chose to support Proposition 64 during the 2016 general elections, local government leaders at the city and county level have prepared for the coming influx of pot in different ways.

Despite legality at the state level, individual cities and counties have their own say as to whether or not they will allow commercial cannabis sales within their limits.

Stanislaus County was tasked with creating a conservative strategy to allow the retail sale and cultivation of cannabis within county-governed areas, with the Board of Supervisors first approving in September the development of such a policy. In that same approval, it was also decided that county staff would return to the Board with a regulatory ordinance, zoning ordinance amendment and fee schedule, which were approved by the Board on Dec. 19.

“Honestly, I would never have imagined sitting at the staff table discussing cannabis as a legal industry in my lifetime, but…this is the reality and the legal landscape that we now must maneuver,” said Assistant Executive Officer Keith Boggs when he presented the strategy to the Board on Sept. 26. “We’re here to propose a conservative allowance strategy; one that, if implemented, we believe will generate the revenue that is necessary to manage and administer a capped program while providing the necessary resources for law enforcement to thwart non-permitted activities.”

The plan will allow for up to 61 cannabis activities permits in the county’s unincorporated areas – seven dispensaries and 54 cultivation, nursery, manufacturer, testing, distribution or transporter permits.

Despite the fact that cannabis activities are currently prohibited in the unincorporated areas of Stanislaus County, there are at least 14 active marijuana dispensary storefronts and hundreds of grow sites throughout those areas, said Boggs. Under the strategy, businesses operating illegally in the unincorporated areas had a 15-day window, Oct. 2-20, to submit an application for a permit along with a nonrefundable $4,359 deposit.

In order to choose the

Nuno seeks council seat

BY DENNIS WYATT 209 Business Journal

PHOTO CONTRIBUTED

Stanislaus County and many surrounding cities have approved recreational marijuana sales starting in 2018.

seven dispensaries permitted, the county will conduct interviews with each candidate and score them based on background investigations, plans for safety, security and parking.

The county’s Department of Planning and Community Development stated that there were 117 registrations and 265 total permit requests received during the application permit window in October, with the most in Modesto (53), Ceres (14) and Oakdale (9). There were five permit requests in Turlock, four in Hughson, two in Denair and one in Keyes.

Sixty-one Commercial Cannabis Activity permits will be distributed to the top applicants who pass background screenings, but the process will not be completed until late February or early March. So, although the state will begin issuing licenses in January, they will not issue a permit unless there has already been approval from that business’ jurisdiction.

Money generated from the new strategy – thanks to the application fee and a community benefit fee – is expected to fund enforcement to ensure the strategy is followed, said Boggs, with law enforcement expecting to answer complaints regarding outdoor cultivation and illegal grows. The community benefit fees are 8 percent of gross sales for dispensaries, $5 to $10 per square foot for indoor cultivation and 2.5 percent of gross sales for testing facilities.

Debbie Whitmore, who was the City of Turlock’s

Deputy Director of Development Services and Planning Manager at the time, spoke at the Nov. 16 Stanislaus County Planning Commission meeting, where she commended the commission for listening to the concerns of cities before sending the zoning ordinance amendment, which identifies where commercial cannabis activities may be permitted, back to the Board for approval.

The county took into consideration the placement of cannabis businesses within cities’ adopted spheres of influence, or the area directly outside of a city’s limits, and also addressed the need to identify added setbacks for cannabis activities. For the City of Turlock specifically, the county addressed the city’s request to allow cities with adopted commercial cannabis bans decision-making power over approval of discretionary commercial cannabis permits within their spheres of influence and within a one-half mile radius outside of their influence.

“We’re not here to necessarily express support for the ordinance, but do want to express support for two key provisions of the draft regulatory ordinance… and express the city’s appreciation for additional time taken by county staff to address the comments and concerns in the City of Turlock,” said Whitmore, who was accompanied to the meeting by Interim City Manager Robert Talloni.

Turlock prohibited all commercial cannabis ac-

tivities in January 2017, including dispensaries and deliveries of medical cannabis, and according to Mayor Gary Soiseth, the City Council is not expected to readdress the issue in 2018.

“We wanted to make sure that businesses would not be located immediately next to Turlock city limits, and impose on city residents and businesses a use that would be inappropriate for our city,” said Whitmore, adding that the cannabis businesses would also likely stretch an already-thin demand for city fire and police units.

“Having these businesses near, the city is likely to be the first responder,” she said.

Under the regulatory ordinance for the county’s strategy, there is a 600-foot buffer for cannabis businesses from schools, youth centers and daycares, a 200-foot buffer from residences, as well as odor control, employee background checks and other security measures.

Other Stanislaus County cities have taken a different approach from Turlock’s when it comes to cannabis, like Ceres, where the City Council unanimously approved the city’s first-ever legal medical cannabis dispensary on Oct. 23. In Riverbank, the town’s first medicinal, and, come Jan. 1, commercial cannabis dispensary was approved by the City Council on Dec. 12, and in Oakdale, a stiff cannabis ordinance was put into place to stop in-home cultivation of the plant.

Jose Nuno gets that the state says Manteca has enough land in the right color on zoning maps to accommodate affordable housing.

But he also knows that colored maps and wellmeaning platitudes won’t get affordable housing built.

Securing affordable housing is one of the reasons the 42-year-old Nuno is seeking one of two Manteca City Council seats up for grabs in the Nov. 6, 2018 election.

Nuno is arguably the most qualified candidate ever to run for election in Manteca in terms of having a strong grasp of affordable housing issues and how to provide options to turn a municipal policy calling for a wide repertoire of housing choices into reality. He has spent the last 13 years doing what some politicians contend is impossible to do — building affordable housing.

He is part of the Stockton-based Visionary Home Builders of California that has more than 3,500 affordable homes in five counties that represents a $150 million real estate portfolio.

The non-profit agency

Jose Nuno

helps renters become homeowners. It serves families, seniors, and individuals of low to moderate income.

“It can be difficult to work and live in Manteca,” Nuno said of housing prices and rent.

He understands that from the perspective of being a first-time homebuyer during the Great Recession that hit in 2008. The drop-in prices allowed him and his wife Gabriela to go from renters to owners of a new home — a 1,400-squarefoot Florsheim home in a neighborhood southwest of Airport Way and the 120 Bypass. The home, designed with a smaller footprint, was not only competitive with the SEE NUNO, PAGE 10

Clerk Recorder fee changes STAFF REPORTS 209 Business Journal

Stanislaus County Clerk Recorder and Registrar of Voters Lee Lundrigan has announced some fee changes in her office.

Effective Jan. 1, 2018, California Government Code section 27388.1 (SB2 – Building Homes and Jobs Act) requires documents accepted for recording at the Stanislaus County Recorder’s Office be charged an additional seventy-five dollars ($75) tax per title, unless exempted by statute.

The bill imposes a mandate on County Recorders to charge an additional $75 at the time of recording every real estate instrument, paper, or notice required or permitted by law to be recorded, except those expressly exempted from payment of

recording fees, per each transaction per parcel of real property, not to exceed $225.

Only an expressly limited number of statutory exemptions exist regarding the collection of this tax. When an exemption is applicable, a valid declaration of exemption must be placed on the cover page, prior to depositing with the County Recorder, otherwise the tax will be assessed and collected.

There are no increases on vital or marriage document fees. Continuing 2018 fees remain as follows: $28 Birth Certificate, $21 Death Certificate, $18 Fetal Death Certificate, $15 Marriage and Confidential Marriage Certificates, $76 Marriage License, $81 Confidential Marriage License.

209 BUSINESS JOURNAL

7

JANUARY 2018

NEWS

Civil rights and labor activist Dolores Huerta U.S. Forest Service, Cal Fire address forest health to speak at Martin Luther King Commemoration STAFF REPORTS 209 Business Journal

STAFF REPORTS 209 Business Journal

The keynote speaker for the 24th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemoration AT Modesto Junior College is Dolores Huerta, an influential labor activist and leader of the Chicano civil rights movement who co-founded the National Farmworkers Association, which later became the United Farm Workers.

The event is scheduled for Saturday, January 20, 2018 in the Modesto Junior College Performing Arts and Media Center Auditorium, 435 College Avenue in Modesto. Doors open at 6 p.m. and the program begins at 7 p.m. The program celebrates the life and legacy of King, and it is open to the public and admission is free.

The evening also features the presentation of the 2018 Martin Luther King Legacy Award to attorneys Jacq M. Wilson and Jacque Wilson, founders of the Advocates for Justice program which provides pro bono legal representation and assistance and fights for social, economic and criminal justice. AFJ has also aspired to motivate, inspire, and empower students to achieve academic excellence and make positive contributions at school, in their communities and world. AFJ’s Mentor Program was formed to substantially reduce suspensions and expulsions in Modesto City Schools, to eliminate disparities in education, and to put an end to the school-to-prison pipeline in our community.

The MLK Commemoration wind ups with a question and answer session with Huerta.

Huerta was born in 1930 in New Mexico, the second of three children of Alicia and Juan Fernandez. When she was 3, her parents divorced and her mother took her and her two siblings to live in Stockton, California. Her mother’s community activism and compassionate treatment of workers greatly influenced Huerta, as did her experience with discrimination. A schoolteacher prejudiced against Latinos accused her of cheating because her papers were too well-written.

Huerta earned an associate teaching degree from the University of the Pacific’s Delta College and taught school in the early 1950s. During this period,

Jacque Jacq M. Wilson - 2018 MLK Legacy Award winners

she married and divorced twice and had seven children. As a teacher when she saw so many hungry farm children coming to school, she decided she could be more helpful to them by organizing farmers and farm workers.

In 1955, at age 25, she began her career as an activist when she co-founded the Stockton chapter of the Community Service Organization, which led voter registration drives and fought for economic improvements for Latinos.

She also founded the Agricultural Workers Association and met activist César Chávez. Along with Philip Vera Cruz, in 1962, Huerta and Chávez founded the National Farm Workers Association (NFWA), the predecessor of the United Farm Workers’ Union (UFW).

In 1965, 5,000 grape workers struck, and Huerta was a leading organizer.

She faced violence on the picket lines — and sexism from both the growers and their political allies, and from within her own organization. But the strike led to a workers’ contract.

In the late 1960s she was the driving force behind the nationwide table grape boycotts that led to a successful union contract by 1970. In 1973, she led another consumer grape boycott that resulted in the ground-breaking California Agricultural Labor Relations Act of 1975, which allowed farm workers to form unions and bargain for better wages and conditions.

Throughout her work with the UFW, she organized workers, negotiated contracts, and advocated for safer working conditions including the elimi-

Dolores Huerta

nation of harmful pesticides. She also fought for unemployment and healthcare benefits for agricultural workers. Huerta served as UFW vice president until 1999.

Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Huerta worked as a lobbyist to improve workers’ legislative representation. At a time when the feminist movement was taking root, Huerta SEE SPEAKERS, PAGE 10

U.S. Forest Service officials announced in mid-December that an additional 27 million trees, mostly conifers, died throughout California since November 2016, bringing the total number of trees that have died due to drought and bark beetles to an historic 129 million on 8.9 million acres.

The dead trees continue to pose a hazard to people and critical infrastructure, mostly centered in the central and southern Sierra Nevada region of the state.

“The number of dead and dying trees has continued to rise, along with the risks to communities and firefighters if a wildfire breaks out in these areas,” said Randy Moore, Regional Forester of the U.S. Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Region. “It is apparent from our survey flights this year that California’s trees have not yet recovered from the drought, and remain vulnerable to beetle attacks and increased wildfire threat. The Forest Service will continue to focus on mitigating hazard trees and thinning overly dense forests so they are healthier and better able to survive stressors like this in the future.”

Moore continued, “To increase the pace and scale of this important work, we need to fix how fire suppression is funded.

Last year fire management alone consumed 56 percent of the Forest Service’s national budget. As fire

suppression costs continue to grow as a percentage of the Forest Service’s budget, funding is shrinking for non-fire programs that protect watersheds and restore forests, making them more resilient to wildfire and drought.”

Though California received record-breaking rains in the winter of 2016-2017, the effects of five consecutive years of severe drought in California, a dramatic rise in bark beetle infestation and rising temperatures have led to historic levels of tree die-off. The Tree Mortality Task Force (TMTF), with support from the Governor’s office and comprised of more than 80 local, state and federal agencies and private utility companies, continues to remove hazardous dead trees. To date, the TMTF members have collectively felled or removed over 860,000 dead trees; this includes over 480,000 dead trees felled or removed by the U.S. Forest Service.

The TMTF members are using a triage approach to this tree mortality crisis, first focusing on public safety by removing dead and dying trees in high hazard areas. To further improve forest health, the U.S Forest Service and CAL FIRE have increased their pace and scale of prescribed fire. The U.S. Forest Service has treated over 55,000 acres and CAL FIRE has completed over 33,000 acres in fuel treatment projects. By combining tree removal with prescribed fire, crews will be able to decrease overly

dense stands of trees, reduce greenhouse gases, and protect communities across the state.

“Tree mortality at this magnitude takes ongoing cooperation between public, non-profit and private entities,” said Chief Ken Pimlott, CAL FIRE director and California’s state forester. “California’s forests are a critical part of the State’s strategy to address climate change. By working together and using all the resources at our disposal we will be able to make more progress towards our common goal of healthier, more resilient forests that benefit all Californians.”

With record breaking levels of tree die-off, the TMTF has used this event as an opportunity to collaborate on several fronts: from public workshops about reforestation, public outreach in urban and rural areas, and awarding over $21 million in grants aimed to protect watersheds, remove dead trees and restore forests. The TMTF continues to collaborate on the efficient use of resources to protect public safety and build consensus around longterm management strategies for California’s forest lands.

With a staggering 129 million dead trees in the state, the work of the task force is far from over. The strong foundation built will continue to be an advantage as the TMTF continues to address tree mortality and its impacts.

To Vote Please visit 209magazine.com to access your secure ballot

209 BUSINESS JOURNAL

8

JANUARY 2018

NEWS

Delicato Vineyards donates $40,000 to aid fire victims Merced residents support public

safety services; concerned about homelessness and poverty

STAFF REPORTS 209 Business Journal

STAFF REPORTS 209 Business Journal

PHOTO CONTRIBUTED

Delicato Family Vineyards is helping restaurant workers impacted by the wildfires with a $40,000 donation to Restaurants Care.

and a laptop and cover expenses associated with evacuation.

It’s thanks to the substantial new help from Delicato Family Vineyards that Restaurants Care will be able to continue this work.

“We are honored to have the support of such a strong, California-based brand like Delicato Family Vineyards,” said Alycia Harshfield, executive director of the California Restaurant Association Foundation, which runs Restaurants Care. “With their generous donation, we will be able to support

restaurant workers facing the daunting task of rebuilding their businesses and lives.”

Delicato Family Vineyards is a family-owned company founded in 1924.

Four generations of the Indelicato family have overseen vineyard operations and winemaking at their California properties. For more information, visit www.delicato.com.

California is home to more than 90,000 eating and drinking places that ring up more than $72 billion in sales and employ more than 1.6 million workers, making restaurants an indisputable

driving force in the state’s economy. The California Restaurant Association Foundation is a non-profit that empowers and invests in California’s current and future restaurant workforce. Founded in 1981, CRAF supports the restaurant community through emergency assistance grants for restaurant workers facing a hardship, job and life skills training for 9,000 high school students each year, and scholarships.

For information on applying for grants, go to http://www.calrestfoundation.org/fires.html.

A recently commissioned independent survey shows Merced residents are concerned about crime, poverty, and homelessness.

Nearly 50 percent of residents believe that local parks are unsafe at night, and 62 percent believe that crime in general has increased over the last few years. As a result, many residents prioritized protecting, maintaining, and expanding public safety services as services the City should focus on.

The community survey was conducted Oct. 24 through Oct. 29, 2017 by opinion research firm FM3 Research, who has extensive experience polling in the Central Valley.

Residents expressed strong support for the City’s public safety services, with residents prioritizing services such as responding quickly to neighborhood fires, retaining qualified police officers, and preventing gang activity in the City.

“Over the last few years, we have taken the initiative on protecting our residents’ safety, by expanding local neighborhood police patrols, responding quickly to 911 emergencies, and working hard to keep our children out of gangs,” said Acting Merced Police Chief Christopher Good-

Ripon seeks to enhance image for downtown

BY VINCE REMBULAT 209 Business Journal

The City of Ripon and Ripon Chamber of Commerce are looking to boost downtown by recruiting new businesses and assisting the current ones.

They’re hoping to do just that with the newly formed Economic Development Program Committee.

“Surrounding cities are actively growing and recruiting – (this program) would like to see Ripon have similar opportunities,” said Debbie Daniels, who is the chairperson for the committee.

She added that the Economic Development Program Committee will be made up of one Chamber

representative, one City Council member – Daniel de Graaf got the nod for the spot at the Dec. 12 meeting – one City staff member, and various business owners and community leaders.

At the recent meeting, City Administrator Kevin Werner was also given authority by elected leaders to appoint the staff member.

The group will look to change Ripon’s reputation of not wanting new businesses while charging high fees, according to Daniels.

“The committee would change this image through education,” she said.

Chamber of Commerce CEO Tamra Spade indicat-

ed that goal of the Chamber would be to provide additional support to City staff while “working together on common goals.”

Mayor Michael Restuccia favored the idea of the committee.

“It will be nice to have everyone on the same page to educate and get the word out,” he said. “Communication can make things happen.”

Councilman Jake Parks agreed.

“Small towns rely on relationships,” he said.

The committee would meet on the first Wednesday of each month at the Ripon Fire Department, 142 S. Stockton Ave., beginning at 8.

win. “We will continue to build on our success, and keep our neighborhoods safe, clean, and secure.”

Residents expressed support for other public safety services, including improving 911 emergency response times and bringing the City’s fire department in line with national best practices.

“National best practice standards recommend 7 fire stations for a city of our size,” said Merced Fire Chief Michael Wilkinson. “With only 5 fire stations located far from where they are most needed, our city isn’t in compliance with recommended professional safety standards. We must work diligently to find the resources to ensure that everyone in Merced can receive fire and medical responses quickly.”

“We look forward to continuing to discuss our vital community service needs and evaluating how best to maintain these services, particularly public safety and the growing challenge of addressing our homeless and poverty situation,” said City Manager Steve Carrigan. “Over the coming months, we will continue to engage the community to develop long-term strategies that maintain the high-quality services our residents expect and deserve.”

For the survey results, go to the City’s home page at www.cityofmerced.org

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Delicato Family Vineyards has donated $40,000 to Restaurants Care to support restaurant workers affected by the Thomas Fire in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties and the Wine Country fires in Napa and Sonoma counties.

The donation means grants will continue to be available to help cover basic living expenses such as temporary lodging, food, clothing and supplies for restaurant workers who’ve either been displaced or find themselves unemployed as a result of these fires.

The help is welcome this holiday season because the need is great as fire victims who make up the workforce in these destination cities continue to face the impacts of the fires. This year’s fire season has proven especially difficult for restaurant workers in Wine Country, who rely heavily on tourism.

Many of the initial applicants to Restaurants Care have noted that a lack of diners has led to reduced shifts and fewer tips, compounding their financial pressures.

Rosalinda Gutierrez, a manager at The Tipsy Taco and Cantina in Santa Rosa, lost her house and car in a wildfire there. At the same time, her restaurant was closed for days, so she lost wages. Restaurants Care is helping her buy clothes, replace household items

209 BUSINESS JOURNAL

9

JANUARY 2018

NEWS

New projects expected for Ceres in 2018 Blaker Brewery, Planet Fitness and more homes on tap

BY JEFF BENZIGER 209 Business Journal

What will the new year bring Ceres?

The long-awaited Walmart Supercenter project could break ground in 2018.

Planet Fitness is opening a new gym in the Save Mart Shopping Center in the new year.

And Ceres could see construction of a new housing subdivision on the west side.

Those are but a few of the projects which will be new to Ceres.

Tom Westbrook, director of Community Development for the city of Ceres, said Classic Wine Vinegar at 4110 Brew Master Drive, is looking to add onto their operation with a 19,000-square-foot building.

“Hopefully they’ll be in construction in the next month or so,” said Westbrook.

A new 80-lot housing project is ready to roll in Westpointe Estates at Whitmore and Malik avenues. KB Homes is going through the entitlement process. The Ceres Planning Commission could be evaluating the request in February. The project originally was proposed by Joe Woo in 2006 with the lots having never been built.

Building permits have been filed by Mike Reyn-

olds for Ceres’ second medicinal marijuana dispensary with a plan check in process. Reynolds plans to open a medical marijuana dispensary at 4030 Farm Supply Drive, not far from his 22,000-square-foot Kase Manufacturing plant at 4111 Brew Master Drive.

“I don’t have an expected date when those will be issued but as soon as they’re issued I’m sure he’s going to finalize that construction fairly quickly and get operational,” said Westbrook.

Recent new development in Ceres has been the opening of the Pacific Cooperative’s 6,000-squarefoot medical marijuana dispensary in the industrial area north of Hatch Road at 1442 Angie Avenue.

The city has not received any plans for the Hatch Road Rehabilitation Center which recently went before the Ceres Planning Commission and City Council.

In 2009 the Ceres Planning Commission approved a Conditional Use Permit to allow a 47,348-square-foot, 175bed rehabilitation and nursing facility at 1930 E. Hatch Road, but the project never developed. The approval, held by Rai family, expired in 2012. Plans have been dusted off and the proponent obtained Planning Commission approval for a new CUP in

March.

“It’s a huge amount of jobs,” commented City Manager Toby Wells. He added that those jobs are typically good paying. An added benefit to the Ceres community would be filling a great need for care.

As proposed, the Hatch Road Rehabilitation Center is designed for 24-hour care for those 60 years of age or older as well as those needing rehabilitation care. City officials estimated then that the facility would employ 130 of which 60 would be on day shifts.

The facility will include physical therapy and occupational therapy rooms, two dining areas, two patio areas, and a total of 77 living units - 22 which will accommodate three beds and 54 being rooms for only two patients. The parking lot approved in 2009 called for 147 parking spaces.

Westbrook said the facility should be a “good fit” for the Hatch Road block which already has several churches, a school, Davis Guest Home and doctor’s offices.

Decades ago the city approved creation of two parcels of 0.9 acres, and 2.97 acres, with the smaller lot now bearing a 3,450-square-foot building and parking lot. Because the design of the rehabilitation facility would encroach over the property

Housing Partnership Equity Trust acquires Pacific Villas Apartments in Stockton STAFF REPORTS 209 Business Journal

Housing Partnership Equity Trust and LINC Housing Corporation have partnered to purchase and preserve the Pacific Villas Apartments, a garden-style rental property in Stockton, “LINC is excited to close its first HPET acquisition,” said Rebecca Clark, LINC’s CEO. “This closing serves as a great example of how creative financing mechanisms and ownership structures can be implemented to deliver significant impact in communities such as Stockton, California that have a growing need for quality affordable housing.”

HPET, a Washington, D.C. based, social-purpose real estate investment trusts,

owned by leading nonprofit affordable housing groups and institutional investors, provides its partners with a ready source of long-term, low-cost capital that enables them to quickly and efficiently acquire and preserve at-risk affordable housing.

HPET’s nonprofit partners generate a strong acquisition pipeline for the REIT utilizing their deep community knowledge and track record. With this acquisition, HPET’s portfolio grows to 2,851 units nationally.

Pacific Villas contains 46 one-bedroom and 40 twobedroom units. All of the units at Pacific Villas were renovated in 2015 and offer new kitchens and bathrooms. Community amenities include gated access,

a swimming pool, laundry room, on-site management, and 24-hour emergency maintenance.

“The Pacific Villas acquisition establishes HPET’s presence in Stockton, a community where more than 54 percent of renters are cost-burdened, paying more than 30 percent of their income for housing, according to the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies and U.S. Census Bureau data,” said Anne McCulloch, President and CEO of HPET. “This purchase demonstrates our ability to preserve affordable, market rate units in areas that are experiencing real housing demand.”

JEFF BENZIGER/209 BUSINESS JOURNAL

The new Blaker Brewing company at 1063 Montclaire Dr, Ceres, is starting up but yet to post regular tap room hours. A grand opening reportedly is to take place in January.

The company started out years ago on the Lucas Dairy in rural Turlock.

line shared between the two parcels, a condition of approval was imposed on the CUP requiring the project to obtain a Lot Line Adjustment. The applicant decided to keep the two parcels separate but move the line so that the building does not encroach upon it.

The adjustment will result with a new Parcel 1 of 0.41 acres and Parcel 2 at

3.46 acres.

Both parcels are designated as Office in the City General Plan and are governed under the City Zoning Ordinance with a zoning of Administrative Professional.

Also expected to be constructed on Hatch Road during the new year will be America’s Tire Store. In November the Ceres Plan-

ning Commission considered an application to permit America’s Tire Store to build a 7,680-square-foot facility at 1800 E. Hatch Road - right next door to Les Schwab at 1830 E. Hatch Road. But the matter was tabled after a resident living south of the proposed shop expressed concern about noise and SEE CERES, PAGE 10

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209 BUSINESS JOURNAL

10

NUNO

FROM PAGE 6 stressed resale market but it was priced for first-time buyers.

Nuno knows there are incentives the city can offer to encourage builders to develop homes for the underserved affordable working-class housing market that targets people with Manteca paychecks who want to live in Manteca. It also requires the city being open to deviating from the same old mold not just in how traditional single family homes are built but also to encourage multiplefamily developments that go beyond apartments.

“It is about creating opportunities,” Nuno said for both developers and buyers.

While a strong desire to help Manteca deliver more affordable housing options for buyers and renters alike is one reason Nuno is running, it’s not the only one.

“I want to serve the community,” Nuno said.

Nuno is more than just an expert on affordable housing. He has served on the Manteca Planning Commission since 2011.

Nuno has also served his country.

LAWS

FROM PAGE 1 fect in 2018 include: • AB 711: Allows alcohol companies and businesses to team up with ride shares, like Uber and Lyft, as well as taxi services, to give out vouchers or promo codes for discounted rides.

• Prop 63: Approved by voters in November 2016, Prop 63 requires ammunition purchases to be made in person through an authorized firearms and ammo vendor.

• SB 179: Removes the

PLAY

FROM PAGE 4 ing with her own children, Adam, 3 and Brooke, 18 months which sparked the business.

“I love kids,” she said. “I just wanted to bring my kids to work with me.”

The layout and variety of the play space was inspired by children’s museums throughout the Bay Area, as well as similar locations in the Lake Tahoe and Las Vegas areas. Let’s Play is not a daycare facility, however it does host “drop off” events on occasion.

Nuno was born in Guadalajara, Mexico and moved to Waterford at the age of 5. He graduated from Oakdale High in 1994.

Upon graduation he headed to college but soon decided to become an Army Reservist and work with the Modesto Police Department. He served in the Army for eight years and was honorably discharged as a Communications Specialist.

He worked as a police assistant and penal assistant while with the Modesto Police Nuno became the first member of his family to graduate from college, California State University Stanislaus, with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. He went on to earn his Masters in Public Administration from the same institution.

Nuno believes he would bring a fresh perspective to the council. Both he and his wife of 11 years — Gabriela who is an East Union High graduate — are valley commuters. He heads north to Stockton and she heads south to Turlock where she is an assistant director of enrollment services at California State University at Turlock. They have two children — Max, 5, and Natalia, 3.

He wants others to have the same opportunities that have been afforded his family in terms of being able to secure housing.

The family now lives in the Union Ranch neighborhood in North Manteca.

He prefers meeting with people face-to-face as well as through social media and phone calls in a bid to be as accessible as possible. Nuno intends to have his family involved with his efforts to serve community given Manteca is The Family City.

As such he wants to build on what makes Manteca appealing to families.

That includes strengthening public safety and stepping up city efforts to deal with the homeless.

Nuno sees a waterpark resort fitting into Manteca’s Family City aura as an effective way to create jobs and strengthen the economy.

Nuno began his career with Visionary Home Builders of California in 2005. He has directly overseen numerous single and multi-family development projects covering all phases of acquisition, financing, rehabilitation, lease-up and operations. Nuno has also overseen homebuyer education/certification

requirement that people have to choose either male or female on their identification documents.

• AB 424: Eliminates a previous policy implemented in 2016 that gave school administrators the ability to decide whether campus employees with concealed carry permits were allowed to bring their firearms to school, banning firearms on campuses altogether.

• AB 830: Permanently eliminates the high school exit exam as a condition of graduation.

• AB 1127: Diaper-

changing stations will be a requirement in both women’s and men’s public restrooms.

• AB 485: Bans pet stores from selling dogs, cats and rabbits unless they are rescue animals.

• AB 19: Waives the fee for first-time students who enroll full time in California community colleges.

• AB 1303: Allows drivers with a medical condition certified by a dermatologist to tint their windshields, side and rear windows to protect them from ultraviolet rays.

Utilizing her inspiration, play structures including a “Man Cave,” play house and market were built in the location for children to role play, pretend and interact with one another.

“It’s a little town back there that the kids seem to like,” she stated. “Then we have the rock wall and awesome slide so the kids can just play.”

Giarratani hosts Date Night events for parents, two Saturdays a month.

Reservations for children must be made in advance to account for proper staffing.

“I love the idea of giving moms a place they can go

on a play date that’s just fun and they don’t have to worry about the kids as much,” she shared of the day in and day out business.

Let’s Play is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and closed Sunday. Birthday parties are also available week nights as well as Saturdays, with a variety of offerings for a tailor-made party.

For additional information and rate information contact Let’s Play at (209) 764-3983 or find them at Let’s Play on Facebook and Instagram.

for first-time homebuyers, foreclosure counseling and a Rent-to-Own program.

Currently, Nuno oversees the agency’s homeownership programs and services which include the $150 million real estate portfolio. He assures that the properties are operating with the agency’s mission in mind to create and advocate for healthy, vibrant, safe communities through the development of affordable housing and educational opportunities for families, seniors, and individuals of low and moderate income.

Nuno has been a member of and served on numerous boards and committees, including: National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO), League of United Latin American Citizens, Housing California, The Great Valley Center’s Institute for the Development of Emerging Area Leaders, CSU Stanislaus - Stockton Center Advisory Committee, Leadership Stockton Alumni Association, City of Stockton Mayor’s Task Force on Persons with Disabilities and the California Coalition for Rural Housing Internship Program.

JANUARY 2018

SPEAKERS

FROM PAGE 7

was an unconventional figure — a twice-divorced mother of 11 children, but during the 1990s and 2000s, she worked to elect more Latinos and women to political office and continues as a champion for women’s issues.

Organizing sponsors of the Martin Luther King Commemoration include City of Modesto Parks, Recreation and Neighborhoods Department, Associated Students of Modesto Junior College

CERES

FROM PAGE 9 the panel called for a redesign. The building has been reoriented and expected to go before the commission for approval within a month or two.

Halle Properties, LLC of Scottsdale, Ariz., representing America’s Tires, went before the commission in November seeking approval for a Planned Community Development Plan to develop the

(ASMJC), Modesto Junior College, Modesto Peace/ Life Center, and California State University, Stanislaus.

In order to host this free, public event, the organizers depend solely on generous donations of money or services from co-sponsors and donors. For additional information on sponsorship or the event contact Jim Costello at jcostello@igc.org or 209-4029191, or Dan Onorato, MJC professor emeritus, at onoratod@att.net, 209-526-5436.

1.51-acre vacant lot.

The commission received a letter of opposition from the neighbor who was concerned over the potential variety of trees placed near the property line, the condition of the existing block wall and the potential for noise from the service bays. The commission directed the proponent to submit a revised site plan to reorient the building so that the service bays will face to the north and not to the east.

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209 BUSINESS JOURNAL

11

JANUARY 2018

ACCOLADES

PROMOTIONS, APPOINTMENTS, HONORS, ETC. Bank of the West gives $300,000 to support small businesses and jobs in California's Central Valley

Bank of the West announced $300,000 in grants to support small business growth and job creation in California's Central Valley.

Four nonprofits will receive $75,000 each to support entrepreneurs and small business owners and also spur regional job growth. The grants will directly fund programs that start, strengthen, and grow businesses from San Joaquin to Kern counties.

Bank of the West grant recipients (from left to right): Salam Nalia, CEO, Access Plus Capital; Debbie Raven, President and CEO, Valley SBDC; Ralph Martinez, Director of Community Development, Community Action Partnership of Kern; Kurtis Clark, Director, Director Valley Sierra SBDC

"The grants will help foster an ecosystem for startups and existing small businesses in the Central Valley, where small business formation and job growth lag behind the rest of California's economy," said Jenny Flores, Head of Community Affairs and Corporate Social Responsibility at Bank of the West. "Small businesses account for a large part of any community's economic activity. Through Bank of the West's investments, network of partnerships and technical assistance, we are committed to supporting the success and long-term sustainable growth of the region."

The nonprofits receiving the grants are: Access Plus Capital (Fresno) serving Fresno, Kern, San Joaquin, Stanislaus and Tulare Counties Community Action Partnership of Kern (Bakersfield) serving Kern County Stanislaus Business Alliance (Modesto) serving Stanislaus County Valley Small Business Development Corporation (VSBDC) (Fresno) serving Fresno, Kings and Tulare Counties Earlier in the year, Bank of the West hosted community roundtables with participants from more than a dozen agencies including the Fresno Downtown Business Hub, Fresno Area Hispanic Foundation, the Small Business Administration, and the City of Fresno's Economic Development Department to better understand economic needs and priorities specific to the Central Valley.

Fresno, Modesto and Stockton currently rank among the largest 100 cities in the United States, and Central Valley communities are projected to continue in the top 10 for population growth in California. Community development advocates highlighted the large number of families with young children and the Valley's diverse immigrant populations as a power-

ful economic market. At the same time, the seasonal nature of the region's agricultural jobs and the large number of nonEnglish speaking immigrants add to the Valley's unique community development challenges. Nonprofits noted the importance of public-private partnerships and local investments to support the business growth, income stability, and asset building that are vital to the region's economic well-being.

The Bank-funded programs are expected to serve approximately 330 entrepreneurs and small business owners with direct services such as technical assistance, one-toone professional counseling, financial record keeping, cash flow management, and workforce training.

Nonprofits were invited to apply for the $75,000 grants in October, and recipients were selected based on their track record of positive impact and approach to scaling programs or reaching rural clients who may not have easy access to small business services and technical support. The Central Valley Community Foundation and the James Irvine Foundation participated in selecting the final awardees.

"The Central Valley offers great opportunities for businesses and attracts talented entrepreneurs and companies from across the state. Investments and resources from community partners will continue to play an important role in building an infrastructure and economy that benefits everyone," said Dora Westerlund, CEO of the Fresno Area Hispanic Foundation.

E. & J. Gallo Winery Honored as One of the Best Places to Work in 2018 E. & J. Gallo Winery, the world's largest family-owned winery, has been honored with a Glassdoor Employees' Choice Award, recognizing the Best Places to Work in 2018. Gallo earned the number 14 spot out of 100 companies in 2018, a jump from number 47 out of 50 companies in December 2016.

The Glassdoor Employees' Choice Awards program, now in its 10th year, relies solely on the input of current and former employees, who elect to provide feedback on their jobs, work environments and companies via Glassdoor. Additionally, Gallo works hard to provide the best candidate experience and in August 2017, received a Best Place to Interview Candidates' Choice award by Glassdoor.

"Our employees continue to be our greatest asset. I am proud of our strong company culture and the commitment of our employees who make Gallo a great place to work. We are deeply appreciative that our employees and Glassdoor have recognized Gallo as a great employer," said Joseph Gallo, Chief Executive Officer and President of E. & J. Gallo Winery.

Gallo's culture is built on a foundation of innovation, collaboration, and trust that begins with the co-founders and extends throughout the entire organization, showcased by the numerous reviews posted by former and current employees.

"We know today's job seekers are more informed than ever about where they go to work, researching everything from com-

pany culture to career opportunities to pay philosophy and more. To help people find companies that stand out from the pack, the Glassdoor Employees' Choice Awards recognize employers that are truly Best Places to Work because they're determined by those who really know best - the employees," said Robert Hohman, Glassdoor CEO and co-founder. "Employers where employees love to work continue to prove that they have a recruiting and business performance advantage. We're proud to celebrate the 2018 winners as we mark our tenth anniversary of the Glassdoor Employees' Choice Awards."

Tina Pollock named CEO of HealthSouth Modesto Tina Pollack has been named chief executive officer of HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital of Modesto, a 50-bed inpatient rehabilitation hospital. She assumes her new position on Dec. 18.

Pollack comes to HealthSouth Modesto with more than 23 years’ experience in healthcare havTina Pollack ing served 16 of those years in leadership roles. Most recently, she served as the chief operating officer of a 423-bed acute care, Level II trauma center.

“Tina’s proven leadership and strong experience in the healthcare field make her an excellent fit to oversee our patient care and daily operations at HealthSouth Modesto,” said Jerry Gray, president of the West region for HealthSouth. “Most importantly, Tina understands our focus and commitment to providing the high-quality care that makes a difference in the lives of our patients.”

She earned a master’s degree in healthcare management from Regis University, a bachelor’s degree in nursing from the University of Texas at Arlington and an associate degree in nursing from Grayson County College.

lected to participate in the Sacramento County Bar Association Diversity Program, became a member of the Traynor Honor Society, and graduated in the top 22% of her class. She also received the Witkin Award for Global Lawyering Skills II and the Dean’s Commendation in Commercial Law. Bocanegra also participated in the Global Lawyering Skills II Oral Argument Competition and was named Top 16 Oral Advocate. In her last year of law school, Bocanegra was selected to join McGeorge’s Moot Court Program, as an Oral Advocate, where she co-authored the Second Best Brief for the Thomas Tang Moot Court Competition and was named Best Oralist Runner-Up for the National Cultural Heritage Law Moot Court Competition.

Bocanegra is a Stockton native. She graduated from Weston Ranch High School in 2010. She speaks fluent Spanish. Bocanegra enjoys hiking, reading, and spending time with her family.

Bocanegra was admitted to practice law in California in 2017. She is also admitted to practice before the U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of California.

Amazon Donates $15,000 in winter supplies and holiday gifts to Stockton Unified School District families, students in transition Amazon associates from the nearby Tracy fulfillment center made the holidays a little brighter for some children and families in Stockton. Amazon partnered with Stockton Unified School District to donate $15,000 worth of holiday gifts for children and families enrolled Families in Transition program. This program helps children who are currently homeless, in transitional housing, or runaway/unaccompanied

Law firm adds new attorney The Stockton law firm of Neumiller & Beardslee is pleased to announce the addition of Melissa Bocanegra as an associate attorney. Her areas of practice are business law, litigaMelissa tion, and public Bocanegra agency law.

In 2014, Bocanegra graduated from the University of the Pacific with a B.A. in Political Science and a double minor in Philosophy and Pre-Law. She joined Neumiller & Beardslee in 2017 upon earning her Juris Doctor, with distinction, from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law. While at McGeorge, Bocanegra was se-

to ensure they stay in school through what can be a difficult and traumatic experience.

“The holidays can be a difficult time for families and individuals who are homeless or otherwise working to get back on their feet,” said Brian Fontenot, General Manager at Amazon’s Tracy fulfillment center. “We’re glad to have the opportunity to partner with the Student Support Services program through the Stockton School District that serves the community where our associates live and work.”

“This marks the highlight of my time as Acting Superintendent,” said Dan Wright, Acting Superintendent of Stockton Unified School District. “What a beautiful event and so important for our neediest students. This Amazon gift will indeed make a significant difference to many of our families this winter.”

209 BUSINESS JOURNAL

12

JANUARY 2018

NEWS

Inaugural restaurant week will bring dining deals

BY ANGELINA MARTIN 209 Business Journal

Whip out your forks, unfold your napkins and put your eating pants on because Turlock’s first-ever, week-long dining extravaganza is coming to town.

Turlock Restaurant Week is hoping to kick off 2018 in a delicious way, inviting the community to come together for ten days of feasting and post-holiday celebration of the local eateries that help the city thrive.

Diners can expect weeklong deals at participating businesses, like discounted menu items, special three-course meals, drink specials and more, said Ali Cox-Verissimo, who is hosting the event through her own local business,

Ali Cox & Company Marketing.

“As a downtown business we love eating our way through the workweek – we support local all day, every day. Turlock Restaurant Week is our agency’s baby and we’re so excited to see this event program grow through the years,” said Cox-Verissimo. “After experiencing restaurant weeks in New York City, San Francisco and Austin, I’ve always known that a restaurant week could thrive in our town. With our agency’s dynamic team, we have the experience, creativity and drive to see this through.”

When Cox-Verissimo lived in New York, she frequently took advantage

of the different restaurant options available to her through similar events. She wanted to give the Turlock community the same opportunity, she said.

“Turlock’s thriving restaurant scene is just really dynamic,” said CoxVerissimo. “With so many locally-owned restaurants, we wanted to make sure and support those restaurants in what can be more of a quiet time of year for dining out, and especially create some buzz around different kinds of menus and the specialty items that they serve.”

As of Dec. 26, there are 14 local businesses participating in TRW: The Udder Place, The Tri-Tipery, Toscana’s Ristorante, Red Brick

Bar & Grill, Olde Tyme Pastries, Lisa’s Cookie Jar, Latif’s Restaurant, Hauck’s Bar & Grill, The Grand Cru, Dust Bowl Brewing Co. Downtown Taproom, El Charro, Center Street Grill, Bistro 234 and Angelini’s Italian Restaurant.

While the specific menu items and deals for TRW aren’t yet set in stone, CoxVerissimo promises an experience like no other.

The event’s sponsor, webbased community calendar HeyTurlock, will be announcing menu items, discounts and participants on their Instagram account as they are confirmed.

Restaurant owners and managers who would like to participate in TRW can still do so by applying on-

line, as long as they do so

by Jan. 12. Any restaurant with an address in Turlock or the surrounding towns of Hilmar, Denair, Hughson or Ballico may participate. The registration is $125. All businesses must also provide two $25 gift cards, which will be used for social media contest prizes.

“These restaurants are going to get a lot of great promotion, and hopefully some new people in the door who are maybe incentivized to come and try a new restaurant,” said Cox-Verissimo. “We want to create a lot of excitement about what is basically one, unified event that supports all of Turlock’s restaurants.”

Examples of promotions that TRW has provided for applicants include multiple-course meals, menu discounts, specialty des-

Agribusiness and Farm Insurance Employee Health & Benefits Commercial Business Insurance Workers’ Compensation Home & Auto Insurance Coffee, lots of coffee

g -TeamWis Joe Allison

www.wisg.com

| 209-667-0995 |

Lic. #0596517

serts, specialty drinks and live music or date night specials. The Turlock Journal will publish all specials for the event when they are finalized.

“This is going to open people’s horizons about what we have in Turlock, and I’m hoping people find a new spot they love and frequent and are excited to go to,” said Cox-Verissimo.

“We love our local businesses and I feel so fortunate to be able to live here and experience all of these great restaurants.”

Turlock Restaurant Week will take place Jan. 19-28.

No tickets or passes are required – diners simply dine out as much as they want and take advantage of the week’s deals.

For more information or to register as a restaurant, visit www.turlockrestaurantweek.com.