In case you missed last week's e-blast: November 16 Eblast See more past email blasts here.

Sending our heartfelt best wishes for a wonderful holiday, filled with the warmth and happiness of the season.

   The Board of Directors

 La Mesa Chamber of Commerce

A Physician-run Medical Spa for your Medical Aesthetics needs.

5200 Lake Murray Blvd., La Mesa*

4225 Executive Square, Suite 600

La Jolla, CA 92037

(858) 282-6722 | AtossaMedSpa.com

Holiday Open House on Saturday, December 4th between 10-2. Beverages and Goodies, Free gifts with purchase, Free mini services, Lots of Gift ideas, Free Gift for Chamber Members!

Location: 9461 Grossmont Summit Dr., Ste D, La Mesa

Hours: Tues-Thursday 9-7 Friday 9-5 Saturday 9-3

Join us in welcoming Urbn Leaf's second location in La Mesa!

9:00 a.m.

Location: ​8939 La Mesa Blvd.

La Mesa, CA 91942

Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, public access to many of the lakes in East County was threatened due to budget cuts. Since the recreational activities at our lakes like fishing, hiking, and boating are naturally "socially distanced" and healthy activities, many in our community were outraged by these closures.

While I was on the campaign trail, I urged the County to step in and provide funding to help the lakes remain open for recreational activities. We garnered incredible support from the community and the County provided the funding on a one-time basis.

I made a promise to you all that, if elected, I would work to ensure this issue was addressed long-term.

On Wednesday, November 17, I introduced a board motion that directed the County's Department of Parks and Recreation to begin discussions with the outside agencies that manage East County lakes and reservoirs. The goal is for the County to work alongside these agencies to keep these lakes open for good. The measure was approved unanimously!

When introducing my measure to my Board colleagues, I showed them the huge stack of more than 750 letters my office received in support of this motion. Thank you to everyone who signed onto my board letter and voiced your support!

I'd also like to thank the individuals and organizations who spoke in favor of this initiative at the County board meeting on Wednesday.

It's my job to make government work for you, and that includes ensuring you and your family have full access to the lakes and reservoirs near you.

The Chamber is now gathering items for our 24 homebound seniors. It is the goal of the Chamber to collect, purchase and assemble items and place them in large gift baskets and gift bags. All these gift bags are delivered to the selected seniors by the La Mesa Retired Senior Volunteer Patrol. The deadline to receive the gifts for our seniors is Wednesday, December 1st. This will allow time to wrap all the items, prepare all the gift basket and purchase the items needed. The Chamber plans to make this holiday special for these wonderful members of our community!

We need to gather ALL of our items by Wednesday, December 1, 2021 to be included in the senior gift bags and baskets.

8080 La Mesa Blvd., Suite 214 to Fran Smith, Monday – Friday 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. Mary England is also available 7 days a week to meet donors and pick up those items directly - call (619) 251-7730.

Canned soups, canned vegetables, canned fruits, crackers, pasta, marinara, macaroni & cheese, instant cereals, bars of soap, tubes of tooth paste, tissues, bottles of hand soaps, hand sanitizer, socks, pens and pads of paper. Gift cards in any denomination from the following locations: Walmart, Target, or any grocery store.

If you have another item you believe will put a smile on their faces, by all means drop them off! We want to make this a memorable holiday for our home bound seniors again this year.

Each year the La Mesa Chamber partners with Lincoln Military Housing, an organization that manages over 2,000 military locations throughout the country. They are thrilled to collect toys, diapers, gift cards and other items for children between 2-13 years old living in the two military housing locations in La Mesa.

8080 La Mesa Blvd., Suite 214

Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.

We look forward to putting a smile on the faces of these military children and their families.

The deadline to collect these toys is Monday, December 5th.

If you need help, call Mary England (619) 251-7730 to coordinate her picking up items!

Join us on Tuesday, December 7 from 5:30 – 7:00 p.m. at BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse – 5500 Grossmont Center Dr. for the final Toy Drive!

Cost*: Chamber Members: Complimentary | Non-Members/Guests: $10 | All guests at Door fee: $20

Photonica is an FDA-approved red light treatment that is designed to reduce fat and tighten overlying skin by tricking the body's fat cells into draining their fatty acids.

5290 Baltimore Drive

San Diego County Credit Union® (SDCCU®), one of Southern California’s largest locally-owned financial institutions, is collecting monetary donations for “Presents for Paws,” a special holiday fundraising campaign benefiting animal shelters and rescues in San Diego, Orange and Riverside counties. This will be SDCCU’s tenth consecutive holiday season supporting the “Presents for Paws” campaign.

“SDCCU is committed to supporting animal shelters and rescues throughout Southern California,” said SDCCU President and CEO Teresa Campbell. “This holiday season, we invite and encourage the members of our communities to donate online to help raise much-needed funds for these extraordinary animal organizations to help enable them to continue the great work they do for our furry friends.”

SDCCU hopes to raise $10,000 throughout the holiday season. In San Diego County, collections will benefit San Diego Humane Society; in Riverside County, collections will benefit Animal Friends of the Valleys; and in Orange County, collections will benefit the Home Free Animal Rescue and Sanctuary. Monetary donations will be accepted in-branch or online this year at sdccu.com/paws. Last holiday season, SDCCU’s “Presents for Paws” combined donation efforts collected a total of $10,000 for shelter animals in need.

Heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) consumes approximately 40% of a building’s electricity. In fact, it’s one of the most significant factors in the operating expenses of a business. That’s why it pays to pinpoint HVAC energy waste and reduce it. Here are 3 common HVAC waste areas and proven ways to help your business become more energy-efficient and control costs.

Blocked vents require up to 25% more energy to distribute air. Take a close look around your business. Are vents blocked by furniture, paper, tools or equipment? Those blocked vents are preventing vital airflow and making your system work harder to heat or cool your business. That’s unnecessary waste and it’s costing your business every month.

Solution: Clear air distribution is essential to contribute to energy efficiency. It’s also important for maintaining a good comfort level for your employees and customers. Carefully assess the area around each vent for proper ventilation. Is air flowing from the vent circulating freely throughout the room? If there are obstructions that prevent adequate airflow, such as cabinetry or drapes, move them to allow for clear circulation. Don’t keep vents closed as an effort to save energy; doing this can change the way air is distributed and cause an imbalance to the operation of the HVAC system. Remember to also check any vents on the floor. It can be more difficult to keep these areas clear of obstructions.

Up to 80% of energy can be recovered from exhaust air. Exhaust air from inefficient HVAC systems wastes a major opportunity for more efficient heating and cooling. That’s because more energy is required to heat or cool incoming outside air. But there are smart ways to prevent that waste.

Solution: Heat-recovery technology transfers energy from exhaust air to incoming outside air. This greatly reduces the energy that’s required to heat or cool incoming air. As a result, businesses can recover 50% to 80% of energy waste. It’s important to note the percentage of outside air that can be used for efficient ventilation is based on a few factors, including project scope, technology selection and design. A qualified contractor can educate customers on available recovery technologies. For example, an energy recovery ventilator (ERV) can be a suitable solution for maintaining comfortable temperature, depending on area location and climate. Businesses can turn to their HVAC contractor to decide if an ERV is appropriate. Heat-recovery technologies can include heat exchangers, recuperators, regenerators, passive air pre-heaters and waste heat boilers.

Advanced controls can reduce energy use by 40%. Ever feel cold when you’re in a big conference room or eating in the cafeteria with just a few other people? That may be because the ventilation system is running at maximum operating power, as if the room was at capacity. It is a huge waste of energy.

Solution: Installing advanced control sensors can improve a ventilation system’s operating power for energy efficiency. These controls can count the number of people in a room and then adjust the heat and air conditioning accordingly. When the sensors are integrated into a building’s HVAC system, the advanced controls can reduce energy use by almost 40%. That could save a typical 500,000-square-foot office building tens of thousands of dollars each year. Such buildings in the U.S. take up more than 4.4 billion square feet.

This is your opportunity to let your voice be heard! Vote for your favorite people, places, and businesses to help us determine who is the very best in East County. All our winners will be announced in the Best of East County special section publishing on February 11, 2022. Pick up a ballot in The East County Californian or vote online at eccalifornian.com/boec2021

Deadline to vote is November 29, 5pm.

Small Business Stimulus Grant Funding is Available NOW From the County of San Diego – We Are District 2

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.

Supervisor Joel Anderson District 2 Supervisor has asked chambers 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.

December 3 Changed to December 17th - Urbn Leaf - Grossmont Ribbon Cutting & Grand Opening : 9am at Urbn Leaf | 8939 La Mesa Blvd., La Mesa | Details/RSVP

December 3 - Deadline to donate to the La Mesa Homebound Seniors Holiday Project 2021 | Details

December 5 - Deadline to donate to the La Mesa Military Families Toy Drive 2021 | Details

December 7 - Toy Drive for La Mesa Military Families & Party at BJ's : 5:30-7pm at BJ's Restaurant and Brewhouse | 5500 Grossmont Center Dr., La Mesa | Details/RSVP

Commercial Real Estate

5565 Grossmont Center Dr.

La Mesa, CA 91942

858-549-2874