In case you missed last week's e-blast: March 11 Eblast See more past email blasts here.

You don’t have to be a baseball fan to know that if you attended the March 23rd "Spring Fling” Business Expo that you were networking with our finest business “team.” All our vendors, “suited up” with their best as they decorated their tables, put their marketing information out and were ready for the “game” to begin at 5:00 p.m. 36 business vendors were ready and waiting and happy to meet the guests as they arrived, A total of 38 free door prizes were given away that night. As you entered the room, the chatter and laughter were an obvious factor in the high energy of the evening. The microphone was “hot” most of the time with various announcements being made and business leaders constantly giving away their door prizes.

AAA Imaging ∙ Amanda Hammett Insurance & Financial Services – State Farm ∙ East County Art Association ∙ East County Magazine ∙ Express Blinds & More ∙ Fully Promoted EmbroidMe La Mesa ∙ HNK CPAs ∙ JM Medicare Services ∙ Kristie Facto State Farm Insurance ∙ La Mesa Floral Design Shoppe ∙ La Mesa Courier ∙ La Mesa Flooring Company ∙ La Mesa Lions Club ∙ La Mesa Park & Recreation Foundation ∙ Lamplighters Community Theatre ∙  LASHBAR La Mesa ∙ Local Umbrella Media ∙ Major Security Services ∙ Masterpiece Limousine ∙ Mattress Makers ∙ McGovern Law Group ∙ Nightwalker Caverns Escape Room Adventures ∙ Oakwood Escrow ∙ PaymentCloud ∙ Reventia Sterling Designs ∙ San Diego Community Power ∙ San Diego Eye Professionals ∙ San Diego Flood Restoration ∙ Spa Piel ∙ St. Madeleine Sophie’s Center ∙ Sungarden Terrace Retirement Community & Adult Daycare ∙ The Montera Senior Living ∙ The Upper Hand Spa Salon ∙ Thoughtful Creations ∙ Union Bank ∙ Westmont of La Mesa

Brew Coffee Spot ∙ Edible Arrangements ∙ La Mesa Dream Dinners ∙ Little Roma ∙ Los Pinos Taco Shop ∙ Marie Callender’s ∙ Moore Confections ∙ Nonno’s Ristorante Italiano ∙ Twylla’s Spices and Essentials

Presenting Sponsor: Union Bank, Premier Sponsor: Kirk Paving, Inc., Venue Partner: Courtyard by Marriott San Diego El Cajon, Supporting Sponsors: AAA Imaging, Amanda Hammett Insurance & Financial Services – State Farm, American Medical Response (AMR), Carl Burger Dodge Chrysler Jeep RAM World, Sungarden Terrace Retirement Community & Adult Daycare, Westmont of La Mesa, Graphic Designer: Kostedt Design & Marketing, Photographers: Eviezphotography.com and Sandra Small/ Photographer, and Water Sponsor: Sycuan Casino Resort.

Photos courtesy of Sandra Small/ Photographer. MORE photos to come! View the full album and check back for more here.

Join us and mix and mingle, while enjoying great food prepared by the BJ's staff and see why this restaurant is so popular! Heavy hors d’oeuvres will be served and a “no host” bar will be offered where you may purchase a great variety of BJ’s award-winning brews on tap.

Bring your business cards and join us for great food, beer, raffles and more!

Time: 5:30 - 7:00 p.m.

Location: 5500 Grossmont Center Dr., La Mesa

Don’t be left out – RSVP now so we know you will be joining us and prepare enough refreshments.

The La Mesa Chamber invites you to join them in welcoming Oakwood Escrow to our business community on Wednesday, April 27th. The open house begins at 5 p.m., with the “official” ribbon cutting scheduled for 6 p.m. Join us and meet owner, Haley Kremensky and her team at Oakwood Escrow located at 8697 La Mesa Blvd., Ste. D in La Mesa. Refreshments and delicious beverages will be served. Haley and looks forward to meeting you. RSVP online or to: rsvp@lamesachaber.com so Haley can prepare enough refreshments for you.

We believe every customer's shipping needs are unique, and requires special care and handling. As a Freight Service Provider we handle each important shipment as if it were our own.

(619) 518-5225 | www.silvergateshipping.com

Lifepoint Church is a church start up that launched in 2012. We began at a building on Lake Murray Blvd. then moved to Maryland Ave Elementary and have been at the end of the Village in downtown.

8111 Orange Ave., La Mesa | (619) 518-2383 | www.lifepointsd.com

Please take a look at this informative video that EDCO has shared to learn about this new program. We thank Council Woman Laura Lothian for sending this to us. If you have a business within the food industry this is important information for you.

[On March 23], as oil and gas companies continue to rake in record profits, Governor Gavin Newsom unveiled the details of his proposal to deliver $11 billion in relief to Californians facing record-high gas prices.

“We’re taking immediate action to get money directly into the pockets of Californians who are facing higher gas prices as a direct result of Putin’s invasion of Ukraine,” said Governor Newsom. “But this package is also focused on protecting people from volatile gas prices, and advancing clean transportation – providing three months of free public transportation, fast-tracking electric vehicle incentives and charging stations, and new funding for local biking and walking projects.”

The Governor’s proposal calls for $9 billion in tax refunds to Californians in the form of $400 direct payments per vehicle, capped at two vehicles. This package also provides $2 billion in broader relief including:

The package also calls for $500 million in active transportation for projects that promote biking and walking throughout the state. Additionally, this proposal fast-tracks a $1.75 billion portion of the Governor’s historic $10 billion ZEV package to further reduce the state’s dependence on oil and save Californians money, including the investments in more ZEV passenger vehicles and building more charging infrastructure throughout the state – especially in low-income communities.

The tax refund will take the form of $400 debit cards for registered vehicle owners, and individuals will be eligible to receive up to two payments. An average California driver spends approximately $300 in gasoline excise tax over a year.

The proposal provides up to two $400 rebates per vehicle, for owners to support families with more than one vehicle in use. Eligibility will be based on vehicle registration, not tax records, in order to include seniors who receive Social Security Disability income and low-income non-tax filers. The Governor’s proposal does not have an income cap in order to include all Californians who are facing higher prices due to the cost of oil.

The Newsom administration will meet with the Legislature to negotiate the details of the proposal in the coming days. Once approved through the Legislature, the first payments could begin as soon as July.

Governor Newsom has allocated billions of dollars in direct relief to Californians over the past two years, including $12 billion in direct checks through the Golden State Stimulus, $5.2 billion in rent relief, and $2 billion in utility relief. Since 2019, the Administration and Legislature have added significant expansions of the Earned Income Tax Credit, including expanding the credit to taxpayers with ITINs, expanding the credit to every Californian working full time at minimum wage, and adding the Young Child Tax Credit. Additionally, the Governor’s historic $37.6 billion climate package provides the resources needed to forge an oil-free future and bolster the state’s clean energy economy.

Please join me in partnership with La Mesa Conversations on Sunday, April 3, 2022 from 3-4pm for a Legislative Update and a chance to share your priorities for the City of La Mesa. We will meet at La Mesita Park located at 8855 Dallas Street, La Mesa, CA 91942. Please bring your own lawn chair or blanket for comfortable seating!

Join the La Mesa Park & Recreation Foundation in partnership with the City of La Mesa to celebrate a FREE family-friendly Earth Day Fair on Saturday, April 9 from 10 AM to 1 PM at MacArthur Park, 4900 Memorial Drive, La Mesa, CA.

The event welcomes all ages and will showcase fun, educational, and sustainable activities, products, and services.

Senate President pro Tempore Toni G. Atkins (D-San Diego) and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Lakewood) issued the following statement about AB 2179, legislation that would extend eviction protections through June 30 for Californians who are participating in rental assistance programs.

“We need to protect eligible renters who have applied for relief funds, but haven’t received them yet, or who will apply before the March 31 deadline. We made a commitment to those who are in line and they shouldn’t be harmed because of how long the process is taking. That’s why AB 2179 will receive quick action in both the Assembly and Senate.”

The bill will first be heard in the Assembly on Monday, March 28.

We have been asked to share the opportunity to have our members and friends take a survey and share information about the challenges faced by employers across the nation. The survey can be found here.

Please complete this brief survey by clicking here. It should take less than 3 minutes to complete. We ask that you please complete the survey by Monday, March 28, 2022.

America Works Initiative Survey - As a part of the America Works Initiative, we are launching a program specifically focused on helping our Chamber Federation members tackle the workforce shortage issue in your states and communities. Therefore, to better quantify and understand the workforce challenges facing employers locally and across the nation, we would like to partner with you to conduct a quick survey about labor force conditions.

San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan released new data about the intersection of crime and the county’s homeless population and is proposing a Three-Point Plan to address it.

Two years of District Attorney data shows that individuals who are experiencing homelessness become involved with the justice system as victims and perpetrators at dramatically higher rates than the rest of the population. Read more.

Under current California law, human trafficking is defined as a “non-serious” and “non-violent” crime, falling into the same category as other low-level felony crimes such as vandalism, theft and drug sales. Senate Bill 1042, which the DA's Office supports, would change that. Read more.

San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan and Health and Human Services Director Nick Macchione announced a new outreach campaign aimed to raising awareness about boys who become victims of human trafficking.

San Diego is one of the country’s hotspots for trafficking – the FBI has ranked San Diego as one of the 13 worst regions in the United States with up to 8,000 victims per year. Sex trafficking isn’t always obvious. We commonly identify girls and women as victims of trafficking; however, boys are regularly targeted.

Read more or visit ProtectSanDiegoKids.org.

Dr. Ellyn Levine | Trilogy Health | 5290 Baltimore Dr., La Mesa | www.trilogyhealth.net | (619) 567-6914

SDG&E recognizes that this is still a challenging time for many customers and wants to help. Check out these energy assistance programs.

Online assistance program applications are easy, fast and convenient. For more information, visit sdge.com/assistance.

The California Office of the Small Business Advocate has awarded $4,175,000 in funding to the County of San Diego for the Microbusiness COVID-19 Relief Grant Program. This program will provide grants of $2,500 to County of San Diego microbusiness owners who were in operation in 2019, still in operation, and were impacted by the COVID-19 public health restrictions.

Some of the highlights are below:

We suggest that you go to the website sdivsbdc.org/county-of-san-diego-micro-business-grant-program-application/ to review ALL of the particulars of this funding.

Small Business Stimulus Grant Funding is Available from the County of San Diego – We Are District 4

The County of San Diego has received funds from the federal government’s American Recovery Plan Act. This grant is to provide economic assistance to help businesses and non-profit entities impacted by COVID-19. This financial assistance will be allocated to eligible, qualified small businesses and nonprofit entities based on the availability of funds, program guideline, and the submission of all required information and supporting documentation.

Chambers have been asked to assist with the paperwork for small businesses to complete the submission application. The La Mesa Chamber of Commerce is happy to help. The La Mesa Chamber has decided to take an extra step in this grant funding process and the recovery of our businesses in La Mesa and announce immediately:

The La Mesa Chamber of Commerce believes that assisting ALL businesses in their recovery from the pandemic and ability to obtain funds from the American Recovery Plan Act should be a priority. We are ALL in this together! Chamber Members and Non-Chamber members, effective immediately, may receive help from Mary England, President & CEO of the La Mesa Chamber of Commerce in filling out all paperwork and answering any questions you may have. Mary may be reached 7 days a week –Maryengland@lamesachamber.com or 619-251-7730 to assist you.

Here is the Small Business Stimulus Grant package and the link: tinyurl.com/smallbizstimulusgrant

If you are NOT sure of how to answer questions on the application or need assistance on clarifying what documents you need to submit – contact Mary England at Maryengland@lamesachamber.com or (619) 251-7730, we are happy to help!

NOTE: If you applied for and received county funds under the other Small Business Stimulus Grant, allocated from the CARES Act funding – YES you may apply for these funds, you just need to list the amount you received from the county on the application.

April 6 - Evening Mixer Hosted by Grossmont Center and BJ's Restaurant and Brewhouse : 5:30-7pm at 5500 Grossmont Center Dr., La Mesa | Details/RSVP

April 27 - Oakwood Escrow Ribbon Cutting - 5pm at 8697 La Mesa Blvd., Ste. D in La Mesa | Details/RSVP

FEATURED EVENT! July 18 - "Taste of San Diego - East" : 5-8pm at Town and Country San Diego | 500 Hotel Circle North in Mission Valley | Details/Buy Tickets

FEATURED EVENT! August 18 - "Summer Bash" Business Expo : 5-8pm at Courtyard by Marriott San Diego El Cajon | 141 N Magnolia Ave, El Cajon | Details/Buy Tickets

September 15 - Joint Mixer with La Mesa and Santee Chambers : 5-7pm at Lantern Crest Senior Living | 300 Lantern Crest Way, Santee, CA 92071 | Details/RSVP

October 19 - Salute to Local Heroes & Installation Dinner : 5:30-8:45pm at Sycuan Casino Resort | 5485 Casino Way, El Cajon | Details

Commercial Real Estate

5565 Grossmont Center Dr.

La Mesa, CA 91942

858-549-2874