Lafayette Chamber of Commerce
Jay Lifson, Executive Director
Office Hours: Monday-Thursday 9am-4pm, Friday 9am-1pm
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February 27, 2017 News & Events
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Mike Anderson, Pamela Freund-Striplen and Erling Horn |
City Proclamation for Gold Coast Chamber Players!
Tonight, February 27, 7pm, Lafayette Library & Learning Center
In honor of the contribution of fine music and student mentoring that Pam Freund-Striplen and the Gold Coast Chamber Players has made to our community, our students and to the general cultural enrichment of our citizens the City of Lafayette will offer a proclamation to Pam at the regular City Council meeting on February 27 at 7pm. At tonight's meeting, Pam will also perform!
Gold Coast Chamber Players's new project titled,
Threads, focuses on the unexplored music by women who have forged important roles in the field of music. The Lafayette performance on March 5 at 3pm includes complimentary champagne, a pre-concert talk at 2:30pm, and a reception with the musicians following the performance at the Lafayette Library. Tickets are available at
www.gcplayers.org and by phone at (925) 283-3728. Limited seating, please reserve early.
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City Council Tri-Cities Meeting - Special Joint Meeting Agenda
Wednesday, March 1, 7pm, St. Mary's College
Lafayette City Council, Moraga Town Council, and the Orinda City Council will meet on Wednesday, March 1, at 7pm at St. Mary's College, Soda Center, Claeys Lounge, 1928 St. Mary's Road, Moraga, for the annual City Council Tri-Cities Meeting.
Learn more here.
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Vote now for Diablo magazine's Best of the East Bay
Last week to vote for your East Bay favorites and the East Bay to vote for you! By clicking
here you can cast your ballot and use Diablo magazine's Voting Kit. The Voting Kit is designed to help you reach customers through social media, digital advertising, email blasts, and in-store promotion.
The Best of the East Bay winners are determined by counting the number of unique votes each business receives within a category. If your category is not represented, please write it in at the end of the ballot for consideration.
Vote by March 5!
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Social Media Workshop Series - Instagram for Local Business 101
Wednesday, March 8, 6pm-7:30pm, Library Homework Center
Instagram is a great - and easy - way to tell a visual story about your business, whether you sell a product or provide a service. In this workshop we'll go over everything you need to get started using Instagram for your business. Wednesday, March 8, 6-7:30pm, Library Homework Center. Speaker:
Robin S. Fox, Digital Strategist.
Register here.
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Ribbon Cutting at MaidPro Lamorinda
Thursday, March 9, 5pm-5:30pm, 3375 Mt. Diablo Blvd.
Join us for a ribbon cutting at
MaidPro Lamorinda on Thursday, March 9 at 5pm. MaidPro is located at 3375 Mt. Diablo Blvd., Lafayette.
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 Congratulations to our 2017 Citizens of the Year - Dick and Robin Holt!
Long time residents of Lafayette, Dick and Robin Holt have been individually and collectively "giving back" to our community at a pace that is hard to keep up with. Robin has served as PTA President at Happy Valley, President of the Happy Valley Garden Club and President of the Friends of the Lafayette Library. Dick served for many years on the city's Planning Commission, Environmental Task Force, President of Lafayette Rotary, board member of the Lafayette Community Foundation, creator of the Concert at the Res and the inspiration for building a permanent stage at the reservoir. As Robin often says, "Volunteering in our community, it's what we do." Read the full article about the Holts in the March issue of Lamorinda Weekly.
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Welcome to our Newest Members!
The following businesses have joined the Lafayette Chamber the week of February 19-27, 2017.
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"Rock the Plaza" concerts are a tribute to the 50th Anniversary Summer of Love 1967!
Fridays, June 2, 9, 16 & 23
At the press conference in San Francisco on February 16, organizers of the 50th Anniversary of the Summer of Love announced that they had been denied a permit by San Francisco's Park and Recreation Dept. to hold a free "Summer of Love" concert in Golden Gate Park. This decision will, of course, be appealed.
While this plays out, the Lafayette Chamber has announced that the Summer of Love is alive and well in Lafayette. The Lafayette City Council approved the Summer of Love Lafayette concert series on Monday, February 13, by unanimous vote. This free, four-concert Summer of Love series will be held on each of the first four Friday evenings in June at Lafayette's Plaza Park at the corner of Mt. Diablo Boulevard and Moraga Road. The Summer of Love artist alley will open at 5:30pm, and the bands play from 6:30pm-8:30pm, followed by the hootenanny. For more information,
visit this page or contact the chamber at (925) 284-7404.
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Exciting Chamber Events Ahead!
Dogtown Dowtown - Saturday, April 29
- New Parade Route: Starting this year at the Lafayette Library and marching up Golden Gate Way to the Lafayette Plaza.
- Adoptions services will be back onsite: ARF and Contra Costa County Animal Services.
- The Lafayette Police and Canine Companions will be back showcasing their dogs' talents.
- Thank you to our returning sponsors and commercial vendors: Lamorinda Animal Hospital, Camp BowWow and Renewal by Anderson
 Taste of Lafayette Restaurant Tour - Tuesday, May 16
 Art and Wine Festival Weekend - September 16 and 17
- Festival, Corporate, Stage and other sponsorship opportunities are now available for online registration.
- All sponsorship offerings went out to our returning vendors. BEER and WINE booths are already half full. Thanks to Alain Pinel Realtors; Bay Sotheby's International Realty; Dudum Real Estate; J Rockcliff Duson & Jones Homes; Karen Richardson Group; REMAX Realtors and Pacific Union Real Estate.
- Sign up early so you don't miss your chance.
Check out our
new event page and see what opportunities are available for your business this year. Rock the Plaza will be every Friday in June. The Lafayette Res Run for Education is October 22. Lafayette Community Breakfast is November 17. It's A Wonderful Life Tree Lighting is December 1.
If you have any questions, please contact Sara Regan, Event Director, at
[email protected].
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EBMUD Diablo Vista Pumping Plant Construction Update February 2017
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Diablo Vista Rendering |
EBMUD's contractor has been working diligently, despite the rain, to finish the above-ground wall structures of the Diablo Vista Pumping Plant located at the corner of Mount Diablo Blvd. and Mount Diablo Ct. in Lafayette. The pumping plant is almost ready to be roofed! Electrical and mechanical work will begin shortly within the pumping plant structure followed by piping which will eventually be tied in to operate the facility. Median work to create a curb over the new air vent for the 30-inch diameter pipeline on Mount Diablo Blvd., will take place in spring, 2017. The new curb will be approximately 50 foot long and 3.5 feet wide between the two medians to the west of Mt. Diablo Ct. in front of the cemetery. This median is being constructed to protect the air valve for the pipeline. Expect lane shifts during median work to accommodate construction activities.
Given the wet weather and other unforeseen conditions, EBMUD's contractor will be working on Saturdays through the summer to ensure the job is completed by the end of 2017. Saturday work hours are 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. with louder activities starting after 8 a.m. Regular weekday work hours for the project are Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Construction will continue on the project through the fall of 2017. Once the new structure is complete, electrical and mechanical systems will be tested and the new Diablo Vista Pumping Plant will be placed online to pump water to your community. The old pumping plant on mount Diablo Blvd. near Carol Ln. will then be taken out of service and demolished and a new City parking lot will be constructed in its place.
About the Diablo Vista Pumping Plant: The existing Diablo Vista Pumping Plant, located at 3305 Mt. Diablo Boulevard in Lafayette, is a critical facility that serves the communities of Lafayette, Pleasant Hill and Walnut Creek. EBMUD is constructing a new pumping plant at the southwest corner of Mt. Diablo Boulevard and Mt. Diablo Court, next to the cemetery in order to maintain reliability of your water infrastructure.
If you have any questions about the Diablo Vista Pumping Plant replacement Project, please contact Sharla Sullivan,
[email protected] or call (510) 287-7208. To learn more about the project, please visit
www.ebmud.com/construction and scroll to Lafayette. If you have questions about the unrelated Lafayette Park Terrace development project that is taking place at the end of Mount Diablo Ct., Please contact Larry Babli,
[email protected] or (408) 677-2977.
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Changes you should know about where you gotta go....
As of March 1, California code no longer supports single stall bathrooms that are gender specific. All bathrooms that allow just one occupant must now be identified as "All-Gender". Larger bathrooms can still be "Women/Men" but not so for single stalls. In California, the law specifically applies to the circle and triangle that you see on the door but, of course, this will require changes to the wall signs (federal requirement) as well.
ADA (American's with Disabilities Act) requirements can be hard to navigate if you don't know what you are looking for, but when you boil it down, the laws exist for good reason. If you have a question about your signage, Sequoia Signs & Graphics, would be glad to help you understand the
requirements.
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Member News & Announcements
Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Workshops for February and March 2017
The Small Business Development Center has posted it's February and March workshops.
View workshop schedule here. For more information contact Kelly Kalfsbeek at
[email protected].
Mt. Diablo Business Women Monthly Meeting - Communicating with Style: Understanding Different Communication Styles
Thursday, March 9, 6:30pm-8:30pm, Lafayette Park Hotel, 3287 Mt Diablo Blvd
Mt. Diablo Business Women is a Northern California business networking group focusing on enriching the professional and personal lives of our members through educational speakers, community volunteer opportunities and business connections. We meet the second Thursday evening of every month. This month's speaker/topic will be Allison Tabor, CPC and Founder/CEO of Coppia. Member $52, Guest/non-member $60.
Learn more and register here.
Young Professionals Conference
Rotarians from throughout the East Bay are partnering with Top Business Leaders to host a one-day event aimed directly at empowering young professionals! On April 1, 2017 the Young Professionals Conference will be held in San Ramon at the Roundhouse Conference Center at Bishop Ranch. Entrepreneurs, Executive level business people, and experienced philanthropists will be on-hand to provide insight into issues that face today's young professionals. Topics such as affordability, financial strategies, career and personal development, community building, and finding purpose will be just some of what is covered. This is a fantastic opportunity for these young professionals to come together with like-minded people on path to do a world of good. We would like to have all young professionals join us for this one-of-a-kind event. The cost will only be $25 per attendee, and will include access to the event, a full day of education and collaboration, lunch, and a social mixer at the end of the day. To learn more or for registration, please visit the event website at
www.ypceastbay.com. For any questions or further details, please contact the event Co-Chairs:
Jane Louie at 415.601.6592, or
Pat Burgess at 925.683.3509.
Central San Academy
The Central San Academy six-week program is open to members of the public to learn about everything they do, including recycling water, collecting household hazardous waste, maintaining sewer pipes, and of course, cleaning wastewater. For our first session last year, we were honored by the California Special Districts Association with the Exceptional Public Outreach & Advocacy Award, and we hope to build on that success. Classes are about 2.5 hours each, held one evening a week for six weeks from April 4 to May 9, 2017, 6:30pm - 8:30pm. The April 25 class is a daytime facilities tour from 12:30 to 3:00pm. For more information, please visit our website at
http://centralsan.org/academy or view a short video on the program at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5fztYsvTyg.
EMERGE Summit for Young Professionals
April 6, 2017, 8am-4:30pm, Memorial Auditorium, 1515 J St, Sacramento
Metro EDGE is inviting all young professionals to an amazing day of inspirational speeches, educational breakouts and networking with fellow young professionals from the capital region. On April 6, 2017, 600 of your peers will rally together at the Emerge Summit - a day dedicated to empowering, motivating and showcasing young professionals. Spearheaded by Metro EDGE with support from the Sacramento Metro Chamber Foundation, the Emerge Summit is a collaborative effort of the organizing leadership of 10 regional professional programs. $100 (non-member) early-bird. Use promo code YPgroups.
www.emergeypsummit.com
Project LPIE - Be a Judge!
Project LPIE is an opportunity to recognize the talented Acalanes High School students for their project-based learning with a unique community twist! Students compete in any of the 14 categories that showcase their skills both within and outside the curriculum. Project judging is done by professional business people with extensive expertise in the various categories.
The program is coordinated by the Lafayette Partners in Education and Acalanes High School with support from the Lafayette Chamber of Commerce and the Lafayette Library and Learning Center. The purpose of the program is to create collaboration among students, educators and the business community in Lafayette, to promote educational excellence and to prepare students for the business world of the 21st Century. Student Project Submissions Include: Acting, Applied Design, Community Service, Computer Programming, Creative Writing, Digital Design, Entrepreneur, Instrumental Music, Journalism, Photography (Digital), Science/Engineering, Video Production, Visual Arts and Vocal Music.
Projects are due April 12, judging will take place between April 19 - May 3; live auditions will take place April 19-28. All projects will be displayed and the winning projects announced during the Project LPIE Recognition Reception and Open House on May 12, from 4-6pm in the Community Room at the Lafayette Library and Learning Center. To learn how to get involved,
click here.
2017 Diablo Valley Mayors' Summit with Special Guest Assemblymember Tim Grayson
Thursday, April 27, 11:30am-1:30pm at the Concord Clarion Hotel, 1050 Burnett Ave, Concord
2017 Diablo Valley Mayors' Summit will be held on Thursday, April 27, 11:30am-1:30pm at the Concord Clarion Hotel, 1050 Burnett Ave, Concord. To reserve a seat or to sponsor this event, please contact Jay here at the chamber office at
[email protected].
View Flyer
 Chamber Member Benefits Offer
Chamber members can save 15% on JetsuiteX flights! Use code LAFAYETTECHAMBER. Click
here to book your flight.
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 Night at the Library
Saturday, March 4
Explore the Lafayette Library at Night! Join us for this special fundraising event designed to inspire guests to discover the Library through creative themed stations featuring imaginative exhibits. Engage in numerous activities all while enjoying delicious food and cocktails! New this Year!! We've moved into the 21st century with an online auction that allows anyone to "watch and bid" remotely; winning bidder need not be present! For more info and to register, click HERE.
Master Gardeners - The Basics of Growing Apple and Pear Trees in your Garden
Tuesday, February 28, 6:30pm, Arts & Science Room
Join Master Gardener Darlene DeRose who will cover the basics of growing apple and pear trees. Learn more HERE. Free. To reserve email: [email protected].
Friday Connections for Seniors - Magnolia Blooms
Friday, March 3, 1pm, Arts & Science Room
This time of year, the Bay Area is bursting with the beautiful blooms of Asian Magnolias. Former docent for the Strybing Arboretum at the SF Botanical Gardens Michelle Krasowski will share her knowledge on this fascinating ancient tree. Friday Connections offers a variety of activities, games, film screenings and guest speakers for older adults. Catch up with friends over a cup of tea or meet someone new. Walk-ins are always welcome! Free, every Friday at 1:00 PM. For more information and to register click HERE.
Gold Coast Chamber Players present Threads
Sunday, March 5, 3pm, Library Community Hall
Threads focuses on the music of women who forged important roles and, at times, had to break through societal prejudices and perceptions about the "appropriate" role of women in the field of music. For information click HERE. For tickets visit gcplayers.org or call (925) 283-3728. Event includes a pre-concert talk at 2:30 and complimentary refreshments. For ages 12 and up.
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 SEO and Pay-per-click Free Brown Bag Luncheon Workshop
Wednesday, March 15, 12noon-1pm, Lafayette Chamber Conference Room
Find out how to get your website to show up when customers are searching for your business.
Zip2Media president and Lafayette Chamber member, Kerry Inserra, will be leading a workshop on search engine optimization (SEO) and pay-per-click (PPC) marketing at the Lafayette Chamber of Commerce Office, on Wednesday, March 15, from noon-1p. This workshop is designed for anyone interested in learning how to dramatically increase their website's visibility (and more customers) with Google, Bing and Yahoo. Seating is limited. Advance registration is required.
Click here for more information and to register.
 Mixer at Marilyn Monroe Spa
Wednesday, March 22, 5:30pm-7pm, 3589 Mt. Diablo Blvd.
Join us for our March Mixer at Marilyn Monroe Spa (formerly the Lavande Spa) on Wednesday, March 22, 5:30pm-7:00pm.
Marilyn Monroe Spa is located at 3589 Mt. Diablo Blvd., Lafayette.
 Ribbon Cutting Cambiati Wellness Programs
Thursday, March 23, 5pm-5:30pm, 3446 Mt. Diablo Blvd
Join us for a ribbon cutting at Cambiati Wellness Programs on Thursday, March 23 at 5pm.
Cambiati Wellness Programs is located in near Merrill Gardens at 3446 Mt. Diablo Blvd.
Coffee with Cameron Burks, City Council Member
Friday, March 24, 8am, Chamber Conference Room
Join us for Coffee with Cam Burks on Friday morning, March 24, 8am at the Lafayette Chamber Offices. Please park on the street.
If you'd like to receive a text message reminder about upcoming Lafayette Chamber events, email your full name and cell phone number to Sara at [email protected].
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