In case you missed last week's email blast: April 19 Eblast

Mother's Day is around the corner. This year that special day happens on May 9th. The Chamber would like to promote your business and your Mother’s Day specials. Send us the following information to chamber@lamesachamber.com and we will place your specials in our media to get the word out!

♥ Business Name

♥ Mother's Day Specials

♥ Website for Details

♥ Hours of Operation

♥ Restaurants: Are you offering delivery service? If so, which delivery services?

The Pick Up Stix in La Mesa is offering 10% off of your entire check for all the moms on this special day. Just mention this Mother's Day special!

Pick Up Stix - La Mesa

General Manager: Luis Adan

Shift Leader: Natalia Fernandez

8025 Fletcher Parkway, La Mesa, CA 91942 | Phone: (619) 589-8191 | 727@pickupstix.com | http://pickupstix.com

Enter code MOM in the promo box at checkout and receive 15% OFF all floral and plant orders until Friday, April 30th at 11:59 p.m. PST.

Offer available online and in-store, mention this email when you call in your order at (619) 966-4510. Excludes delivery fees.

On Tuesday April 20th the La Mesa Chamber of Commerce joined members of the community and vendors at the Grand Opening of EMBR Dispensary and celebrated this new 35,000 square-foot dispensary in La Mesa, making it the largest dispensary in San Diego county. In addition to touring this newly remodeled sales location at 8300 Center Drive, guests were able to meet vendors in another area on the site and be entertained by the live artist group, the B-Side Players. The vendors that joined on this special occasion were the Sensi Magazine team, the Phat Panda team, the CRU team, the CLSICS team, Crown Genetics, Smarty Plants, Ember Valley, Mary’s Medicinals, WEED, and Papa & Barkley. If that wasn’t enough to celebrate this grand opening, guests were also entertained by performers/DJ’s: Mikey Beltran aka Mikey Beats and Brian Karns aka I.T. Brian.

This festive occasion included a ribbon cutting with Owner, Sonny Langdon, Christina Dahm from the corporate team who flew in with Sonny for this grand opening, General Manager, Isaac Romero, Assistant General Manager, Ed Medrano, La Mesa City Council Member Bill Baber, Chamber CEO Mary England, Board Member Brian Sack and more.

The EMBR Dispensary prides itself on offering high quality cannabis products with competitive prices and a wide variety of edibles, topicals, concentrates and more, as well as offers curbside pick-up in addition to in-store shopping.  Health and safety measures are followed to keep customers and employees safe. Social distancing is enforced, masks are required to be worn by staff and customers, hand sanitizer is provided, and temperature checks are conducted.

For information on EMBR’s expansion throughout California, connect with them on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/embr-dispensaries or visit their website: embr.us/ethos. We encourage you to follow them on Instagram @EmbrDispensaries and on Facebook @EmbrDispensaries.

Photos courtesy of Sandra Small/ Photographer.

The Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Friday that it’s safe to resume the rollout of Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine, a decision that comes about a week after the federal government paused its use to investigate rare cases of severe blood clots. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices reviewed all available evidence on an unusual combination of blood clots and low platelet counts seen in some people who’d received the vaccine. The symptoms that resulted were severe, and in some cases fatal. But the committee noted that these cases were extremely rare and outweighed by the benefits of vaccination. The panel also felt that the brief pause on the vaccine’s use had served one of its main purposes – helping doctors recognize and treat patients. The committee voted to recommend that the FDA and CDC lift the pause they placed on the vaccine. Hours later they issued a joint statement doing exactly that. As of April 21, about 8 million doses of the J&J vaccine have been administered in the U.S., split equally between men and women. No men developed blood clots with low platelet counts, but 15 women did – 13 of whom were between18 to 49 years old, with a symptom rate of seven cases per million immunized individuals. It’s a pattern consistent with an autoimmune response, though researchers are still learning more about how and why the vaccine could trigger a reaction.

On Friday, San Diego County reported 329 new coronavirus infections and no additional deaths. The percent of COVID-19 tests that have come back positive over the past two weeks is relatively low at 1.8 percent, suggesting no major signs of an uptick in the spread of the virus. Source: The San Diego Union Tribune – Jonathan Wosen.

This package was designed to provide urgent relief for the state’s small businesses. This package provides an additional $2 billion - for grants up to $25,000 for small businesses impacted by the pandemic.

For more information, visit: www.sdivsbdc.org/california-relief-grant

Southern BBQ Restaurant

Savory, mesquite smoked, and flavorful meats! Originated in Atlanta for all San Diego to Enjoy!

8733 Broadway, La Mesa | (619) 303-6354 | iquebbqsd.com

It’s our mission to serve those contending with chemical dependency and/or mental illness in an integrative environment that provides unique treatment for the individual.

4715 Divine Way, La Mesa | (877) 348-4361 | divinehousesd.com

On Wednesday, May 19th we are ready to celebrate our valued Chamber Member, La Mesa Wine Works, located at 8167 Center Street in La Mesa with an evening mixer and ribbon cutting. The fun begins at 5:30 p.m. and the mixer will continue until 7 p.m. We will have the “official” ribbon cutting at 6 p.m. This evening get-together is long overdue, and we are ready to meet and visit with Linda and Mike McWilliams, who are part of the ownership team of La Mesa Wine Works and are also owners of San Pasqual Winery. Join us and meet the team at La Mesa Wine Works, a cooperative Tasting Room that features premium wines from San Diego County wineries. This special occasion will offer happy hour pricing of wines by the glass at $5.00 a piece and bottles of wine "to go" at $10 per bottle. Enjoy appetizers from local restaurants and raffles are back! 

Time: 5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

“Official” ribbon cutting at 6:00 p.m.

Where: La Mesa Wine Works - 8167 Center Street, La Mesa

Due to public health and safety, this event is limited to the first 50 people who register. RSVP’s required. RSVP to: rsvp@lamesachamber.com or here.

We look forward to seeing you in person for great wine, good conversation and fun!

An online application portal meant to help the nation’s music and arts venues get federal pandemic relief after a year-plus of dark stages and a hard-fought lobbying campaign has yet to get off the ground nearly two weeks after technical problems scuttled its scheduled launch.

The delayed rollout of the $16 billion program, which the Small Business Administration says could be resolved soon, is the latest by a government agency tasked with delivering emergency aid during the pandemic. The Shuttered Venue Operators Grant, which would top out at $10 million apiece, is designed to help arts and entertainment businesses cover payroll, rent, utilities and other operating expenses after government restrictions on public gatherings cut off the crowds that serve as their lifeblood. Analysists estimate a collective $33 Billion has been lost in 2020 due to the pandemic.

As states move to relax their restrictions on businesses and gatherings, concertgoers and audiences are clamoring for a return to live events. Demand for outdoor shows and festivals has exploded in the U.S., matching and even surpassing pre-pandemic levels, according to Boris Patronoff, chief executive of See Tickets in North America, the ticketing services company. Source: The San Diego Union Tribune – Hamza Shaban.

President Biden called on employers across America to do everything they can to help their employees – and their communities – get vaccinated. As part of that effort, the President is calling on every employer in America to offer full pay to their employees for any time off needed to get vaccinated and for any time it takes to recover from the after-effects of vaccination. He will announce a paid leave tax credit that will offset the cost for employers with fewer than 500 employees to provide full pay anytime their employees need to get a COVID-19 vaccination or recover from that vaccination.

The paid leave tax credit that the President signed into law in the American Rescue Plan ensures that no small business or non-profit will lose a single dollar by providing such paid leave to workers receiving a vaccination.

Included in the American Rescue Plan, a paid leave tax credit will offset the cost for businesses and nonprofits with fewer than 500 employees for up to 80 hours (i.e. 10 workdays) up to $511 per day of sick leave offered between April 1 and September 30,2021. This tax credit will apply to nearly half of all private sector employees in America. On April 21st the IRS released and posted a fact sheet to educate employers on how to claim the paid sick leave credit on their quarterly tax filings.

The President is also calling on employers to use their unique resources to provide information about how people can get vaccinated and why people should get vaccinated. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services “We Can Do This” national campaign is part of the overarching goal to provide accurate and timely information and incentivize all Americans to get vaccinated. These commitments could include discounts for vaccinated individuals, product giveaways or brand rewards, messaging in-store, point-of-purchase promotions, direct outreach to customers, or Public Service Announcements (PSAs) about the importance of vaccinations.

Expanding paid leave and the tax credit in the American Rescue Plan will enable employers with fewer than 500 employees to claim up to $17,110 for 14 weeks of paid leave for each impacted employee not only to get vaccinated, but also to take time off if they have COVID-19 symptoms or going to the doctor; are getting tested for COVID-19; are under quarantine or isolation order by the government or a doctor (or are caring for someone who is); or have to care for a child whose school or child care provider closed, due to COVID-19.

Paid leave has been shown to be a critical tool for stopping the spread of COVID-19 including one study that showed that the paid leave provisions put in place last prevented approximately 400 COVID-19 cases per day and prevented one COVID-19 case per day per 1,300 workers. It will be a critical component of ensuring Americans can reenter or stay in the workforce as we continue to fight the virus and recover from the economic effects of COVID-19.

To all those businesses that need an ABC license to conduct their business, please review the information below. The Requirements and Guidelines are also found below. Eligible licensees may request a fee waiver by submitting the Form ABC-SCF prior to the expiration date of the license that is on the renewal notice, plus any extensions provided by the Department as noticed on the 2021 Renewal Payment Extension schedule.

Governor Gavin Newsom has signed a relief package that authorizes ABC to waive license renewal fees for eligible licensees. Review the Requirements and Guidelines for detailed information. The criteria for fee waivers is as follows:

Eligible licensees may request a fee waiver by submitting Form ABC-SCF prior to the expiration date of the license as provided on the renewal notice, plus any extensions provided by the Department as noticed on the 2021 Renewal Payment Extension schedule.

Approved renewal fee waiver requests are effective only for the one-year license renewal period. Licensees must submit a renewal fee waiver request each year to receive a fee waiver during the annual license period of March 1, 2021, through February 28, 2023

On March 30th the President signed into law, the two-month extension to apply for Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan and allows organizations and others more time to pursue a second PPP loan.

The maximum loan amount of a second PPP loan is two-and-a-half times the average monthly 2019 or 2020 payroll costs, up to $2 million.

We are happy to welcome Next Door Craft Beer & Wine Bar to our business community. This is a cozy little bar with a living room setting and an outdoor patio, serving a top-notch selection of craft beer and wine. This is a special place that not only has a relaxing atmosphere, but also serves delicious specialty plates - cheese plates and meat & cheese plates, sandwiches - Californian Sandwich, Ham Sandwich, Turkey sandwich, Prosciutto Caprese & Fresh Mozzarella sandwich, various salads and more!

Come meet the owners and join us as we welcome them at an evening mixer from 5:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. with the "official" ribbon cutting happening at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, May 26th. Hors d’oeuvres will be served and happy hour pricing will be offered throughout the night. Visit nextdoorsandiego.com or call 619-303-0988.

Date & Time: Wednesday, May 26th between 5:30 - 7 p.m.

Location: 7235 El Cajon Blvd., San Diego, CA 92115

Hors d’oeuvres will be served and happy hour pricing!

Due to COVID-19 restrictions RSVP's are required and limited to the first 30 people: rsvp@lamesachamber.com or register online.

Sign up today:

We applaud the volunteers who assisted the Sharp Healthcare Vacation Clinic at Grossmont Center. They are approaching administering 500,000 COVID-19 vaccines. In addition to this amazing feat, Sharp HealthCare has had thousands of volunteers across San Diego and Sharp nurses and physicians working extra hours, along with retired clinicians answer the call to help their community. These faithful volunteers a have helped with scheduling, registration, and monitoring through all of the vaccination process. We applaud all of the volunteers, the nurses, physicians and clinicians who have helped our region receive the vaccine for COVID-19!

Sharp HealthCare is approaching administering our 500,000th COVID-19 vaccine, which has only been possible through the extraordinary efforts of thousands of volunteers across San Diego. Our vaccinators have been Sharp nurses and physicians working extra hours, along with retired clinicians who have answered the call to help their community. The vaccine clinics have been staffed with volunteers to help with scheduling, registration, and monitoring.

Volunteers are at the heart of Sharp HealthCare and The Sharp Experience. Thousands of volunteers serve in hospital auxiliaries and bring comfort and compassion to everyone they greet and guide in their healthcare journey. More than 160 volunteers serve on the various Sharp HealthCare Boards of Directors – we have been a volunteer-led organization since our inception. Our volunteer leaders bring exceptional experience, expertise and dedication to their roles, and have helped Sharp become San Diego’s Healthcare Leader.

In our latest Community Benefit Report in 2020, more than 113,000 hours of service was provided by Sharp volunteers at our hospitals, clinics and programs. I want to extend my appreciation to all of those who volunteer to make a difference in the lives of others. I also want to invite you to consider volunteering for one of our Sharp Foundations – there are numerous opportunities – serving on a committee or even the Board of Directors, helping with an event or program, or connecting in the community. Please email foundation@sharp.com and we’ll arrange for a time to visit and discuss your interest.

This is a most appropriate time to celebrate National Volunteer Week – and especially those volunteers at Sharp and throughout San Diego who have made such a difference in our work over the last year and now in helping keep our community safe.

We are indeed grateful for the gifts of time, talent and treasure that make Sharp the best place to work, practice medicine and receive care.

With appreciation,

Bill Littlejohn

Senior Vice President and Chief Executive Officer

Foundations of Sharp HealthCare

The U.S. is setting up a $1.7 billion national network to identify and track worrisome coronavirus mutations whose spread could trigger another pandemic wave, the Biden administration announced last week. Officials unveiled a strategy that features three components: a major funding boost for the CDC to ramp up coronavirus gene-mapping; the creation of “six” centers of excellence partnerships with universities to conduct research and development technologies for gene-based surveillance of pathogens, and building a data system to better share and analyze information on emergency disease threats, so knowledge can be turned into action. This new effort relies on money approved by Congress as part of the coronavirus relief package to break the feast-or-famine cycle in the U.S. preparedness for disease threats. Source: The San Diego Union Tribune – Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar & Zeke Miller.

Scientists have long said that giving people a single course of a COVID-19 vaccine might not be sufficient in the long term, and that booster shots and even annual vaccinations might prove necessary. Vaccine-makers are getting a jump-start on possible new rounds of shots, although they sound more certain of the need for boosters. Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla stated that a third dose of the company’s COVID-19 vaccine was “likely” to be needed within a year of the initial two-dose inoculation – followed by annual vaccinations. As of April 15th, more than 125 million people in the country had received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, including about 78 million who have been fully vaccinated by Johnson & Johnson‘s single-dose vaccine or the two-dose series made by Pfizer-BioNtech and Moderna. Source: The San Diego Union Tribune – Remy Tumin.

Eligible landlords and renters can apply for financial assistance with unpaid rent.

For additional information on eligibility call 833-430-2122 for questions or application assistance, or visit housing.ca.gov/covid_rr.

Monoclonal antibody treatment is available for persons with mild or moderate COVID-19 whose symptoms developed within the last 10 days and are at high risk of getting very sick from COVD-19.

It is recommended to receive the potentially lifesaving treatment within 72 hours of when COVID-19 symptoms begin .

The Monoclonal Antibody Regional Center (MARC) in Escondido is open 7 days a week to treat all persons for free who are medically eligible, regardless of health insurance or immigration status. To see if you are medically eligible for this treatment call (619) 685-2500 or email COVIDtreatment@sdcounty.ca.gov.

Eligible households who are impacted by COVID-19 and behind on rent and utility payments can apply for assistance:

5080 Memorial Drive, La Mesa CA

On Saturday, May 1st the La Mesa Community Garden is opening. The garden is located at MacArthur Park, 5080 Memorial Drive. This grand opening, complete with a ribbon cutting and planting will begin at 10:00 a.m. The La Mesa Park and Recreation Foundation is delighted to announce the opening of this community asset. Located at the former golf course putting green and club house will offer 40 garden beds that can be reserved and will create an intergenerational space that enhances the park’s amenities, encourages social participation, and improves access to healthy eating, exercise and active living. This community “jewel” was made possible through grant funding from the San Diego Foundation and San Diego Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects. Additional sponsors who made this garden a reality were: EDCO, The Cushman Family Foundation, Laurie MacDonald of Coldwell Banker West and La Mesa Sunrise Rotary.

The La Mesa Park and Recreation Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization facilitates quality projects and programs to provide activities that strengthen community and family bonds and foster pride in La Mesa and its parks.

Space is limited to witness the opening of this community masterpiece. RSVP to friends@lamesaparks.org. For additional information about the garden, visit lamesaparks.org.

We are proud to announce the 119th Anniversary of the La Mesa Woman’s Club. This dedicated group of ladies have been providing exemplary community service for all of those years! Let’s join them at their celebration, "May Flowers" and help them collect donations of diapers for active military duty junior enlisted families. Bring any size diapers to donate to these families, as you celebrate this anniversary!

Who: La Mesa Woman’s Club

When: Monday, May 17th between 2 p.m. - 4 p.m.

Light Refreshments Served

Where: La Mesa Woman’s Club - 5220 Wilson Street, La Mesa

RSVP to: Kathy Tinsley at Finally@cox.net or 619- 770-0257

Please donate a package of diapers - any size that will be given to: The San Diego Military Outreach Ministries, who will distribute to active duty junior enlisted families. Can’t stay for the celebration? We encourage you to just stop by and say "hello" and drop off a package of diapers! Help these military families!

Register for our upcoming Floral Design Workshop on Thursday, April 29! Space is limited, RSVP now.

The Inner City Capital Connections (ICCC) program is a tuition-free leadership training program that helps small- and medium-sized businesses in under-resourced communities build capacity and resilience for sustained growth as well as survive the continued economic impact of the COVID-19 crisis.

The 2021 ICCC program is uniquely designed to provide access to capital, one-on-one coaching, and capacity-building education. ICCC is currently accepting applications for their 2021San Diego cohort, and I strongly encourage you to take advantage of this free resource by applying here to participate!

ICCC participants will leave the program with business recovery strategies, capital relief solutions, community building resources, and the tools to lead their business into 2021!

Learn more about ICCC here. For questions, schedule a time to speak with the ICCC team here or contact Indhira Taveras at itaveras@icic.org or (617)-238-3030.

The American Red Cross is offering to educate our community virtually on safety and how to reduce home fire deaths and injuries. Did you know that home fires are the most common emergency across the country? Each year the Red Cross responds to an average of more than 60,000 disasters, the vast majority are home fires. Home fires claim SEVEN lives every day!

The Red Cross is now scheduling virtual home fire safety education sessions in our community. You will learn how to create a safety plan, and how to stop home fires before they start. The campaign to reduce home fire-related deaths and injuries looks different this year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. When it’s safe, they will be partnering with fire departments to install smoke alarms in homes.

These personalized sessions can be requested by calling 619-354-9609 or by signing up on their website at SoundTheAlarm.org/SoCal. The flyer below provides all the information you need.

The Chamber encourages you to sign up and schedule your personalized Free Home Fire Education session NOW. Together, we can stop home fire deaths and injuries!

Have you filled out the simple form online to advertise your business for FREE? The San Diego Union Tribune has created an opportunity for businesses to let the public know - “Yes, We’re Open.” This business marketing campaign lists your business name, address, phone number and website in ads they print in the newspaper and their online directory.

Sign up NOW - visit SanDiegoUnionTribune.com/OpenForBusiness to fill out the form to list your business in print and online – FREE!

If you need help or questions - call Mary England 619-251-7730 and we will be glad to assist you!

April 28 - Community Conversation Communication Forum : 6pm via Zoom | Details/RSVP

May 1 - Grand Opening of the La Mesa Community Garden : 10am at 5080 Memorial Drive, La Mesa | Details/RSVP

May 4 - Divine House Ribbon Cutting : 11am at 4715 Divine Way, La Mesa | Details/RSVP

May 17 - La Mesa Woman’s Club Celebrates 119 Years of Community Service : 2-4pm at 5220 Wilson Street, La Mesa | Details/RSVP

May 19 - La Mesa Wine Works Evening Mixer and Ribbon Cutting : 5:30-7pm at 8167 Center Street, La Mesa | Details/RSVP

May 26 - Next Door Craft Beer & Wine Bar Ribbon Cutting : 5:30-7pm at 7235 El Cajon Blvd., San Diego, CA 92115 | Details/RSVP

You are able to order food for “take out” and you may “pick up” meals at these restaurants. You may check the websites of these restaurants to see what food delivery services they use to make your dining experience easy and convenient.