In case you missed last week's email blast: April 27 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 share your specials in our media!

♥ Business Name

♥ Mother's Day Specials

♥ Website for Details

♥ Hours of Operation

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

We just Completed Production of ALL 3 Passionfruit Wines, Blanc, Roselle and of course Habanero!!

Check Out the Bottom of Our Wine Tank! We See a Heart! That's All the Love We Pour into Our Passionfruit Wines!

8364 La Mesa Blvd., La Mesa | (619) 462-1797

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

On Saturday, April 24th the community came out “in force” to support the new business joining our community, San Diego Aesthetics & Med Spa and meet the owners, Dr. Scott Musicant, Medical Director, Molly Shea, Lead Aesthetic Nurse, Maura McGraw, Office Manager, and Physician’s Assistant Karrie Musicant. The office was tastefully decorated in black and gold, their signature colors, with loads of black and gold balloons that guided guests to the office/event. The adjoining parking lot was set up with decorated belly bars, display tables and a professionally managed beverage bar. The energy was high throughout the outdoor setting, as people continued to mix and mingle while celebrating the opening of this fabulous spa in La Mesa. Guests continued to arrive throughout the 5-hour event with the official “ribbon cutting” captured by photos at 5:00 p.m. Champagne toasts by the owners followed the ribbon cutting adding to the flair of this special occasion.

San Diego Aesthetics & Med Spa offers a variety of services that strive to make you look and feel your best, both inside and out. such as: Injectables – Botox, Dermal filler, Dysport, Kybella, facials, tattoo removal, laser hair removal, Erbium resurfacing and more. This team is committed to enhance and highlight the distinctive features that make you unique. We encourage you to visit this fantastic addition to the La Mesa business community at 8710 La Mesa Blvd. For more information: www.sdamedspa.com or call 619-303-0988.

Photos courtesy of Sandra Small/ Photographer.

Location: Pink Rose Café

8209 La Mesa Blvd., La Mesa

Time: 10:30 a.m. Ribbon cutting

RSVP at: rsvp@lamesachamber.com or online here.

Follow them on Instagram @pinkrose.cafe

On April 28th San Diego’s vaccination counter rolled past 1 million residents fully vaccinated, meaning that nearly a third of the county’s population has now received both vaccine doses and/or just a single dose of Johnson & Johnson shot. Dr. Wooten noted that it has taken the work of thousands to get to the point where about 1 out of every 3 of the region’s 3.3 million residents has now received a full measure of protection against the virus that has killed more than 570,000 in the United States, including 3,698 in San Diego. This is bringing us to a crossroads rather than a finish line. The county estimates that it will be necessary to vaccinate 2,017,011 county resident’s - 75 percent of those age 16 and older - to reach herd immunity. The county’s vaccination counts included more than 68,000 doses given to veterans and their spouses by the Veterans Affairs Hospital in San Diego. The counts do not include those administered to active-duty military. Source: The San Diego Union Tribune – Paul Sisson.

We publish hyperlocal, positive, upbeat, community newspapers, focusing on photos, lifestyle articles, backgrounds, talents, gifts and contributions of the locals who live and work in our communities.

2127 Adams Avenue, Ste. B, San Diego, CA 92116 | (619) 300-1730 | localumbrellanews.com | facebook.com/localumbrellamedia | instagram.com/localumbrellamedia

La Mesa Wine works is a cooperative tasting room featuring premium wines from San Diego County wineries.

8167 Center St., La Mesa | (619) 741-0700 | lamesawineworks.com | facebook.com/lamesawineworks

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. - 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!

San Diego’s ambitious $92.2 million rent relief program is missing one thing - enough renters to apply. As of April 23rd, the city had received 9,877 applications for the program, which pays for back rent, future rent and utilities of tenants who lost income due to COVID-19. The average projected payout so far is expected to be about $3,650 per qualified applicant. Once money to pay for outreach, administration and advertising is subtracted, there is about $50 million left to be spent. People in San Diego County have seen the TV advertisement of Mayor Todd Gloria urging people to apply. The city has also partnered with 10 community organizations, covering 20 languages, that are working to get the word out.

San Diego-based FBS Property Management, which manages more than 727 units in San Diego County, says less than 1 percent of renters are delinquent on rent payments. They stated that five residents owe more than $10,000 and two residents owe $2,000 to $4,000. It also had four people move out without paying back rent, making them ineligible for the rent relief. Many people paid their rent already, but with loans and help from family or friends. This program can pay portions of rent three months in advance, making it more of a possibility the funds will be spent. So far, 2,513 applications have been received for upcoming rent.

San Diego’s housing authority may not have to worry that much about leaving money on the table given their timelines. State requirements say the $44.9 million from Sacramento must be spent by August 1. Federal requirements say the $42.3 million must be spent by December 31st, however there are some provisions in place to extend the timeline if needed. For more information on the program, visit the city’s website for the COVID-19 Housing Stability Assistance Program or call (619) 535-6921. Source: The San Diego Union Tribune – Phillip Molnar.

Federal health officials said April 20th that fully vaccinated Americans can go without masks when walking, jogging, or biking outdoors, or dining with friends at outdoor restaurants. The guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention addresses growing calls from infectious disease and other public health experts to relax mask mandates for the outdoors because breezes disperse airborne virus particles, distancing is easier, and humidity and sunlight render the coronavirus less viable.

For that reason, the guidance also says even unvaccinated individuals may go without masks when walking, jogging or biking outdoors with household members. However, officials caution that crowded outdoor setting still pose risks, and they urge everyone – vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals – to wear masks when attending sporting events, live performances and parades.

The nearly 96 million Americans fully vaccinated can now forgo masks for many outdoor activities:

Several factors that motivated the change in guidance: Coronavirus case rates are starting to decrease, and vaccinations are continuing to climb (more than 37 percent of those older than 18 are fully vaccinated), making outdoor settings safer than before. Indoor settings have an almost 20-fold increased risk of transmission compared with outdoor settings. The CDC guidance said there is limited data on vaccine protection in people who are immunocompromised. Source: The San Diego Union Tribune – Lena H. Sun.

The state of California is giving up $6.8B in revenue over the next six years. The California legislature approved a major tax break for small businesses on April 26th – voting to give up as much as $6.8 billion in revenue over the next six years so that struggling business owners can have smaller bills. The federal government loaned more than $97 billion to California small businesses during the coronavirus pandemic, and most business owners did not have to pay that money back. Business owners used most of that money to pay the salaries of their employees, which prevented – or at least delayed – layoffs during the pandemic. In December Congress said business owners could deduct expenses associated with those loans from their federal taxes. A bill that passed the California Legislature on April 26th will let business owners deduct those expenses from their state taxes, too. But the tax break won’t help everybody. The bill that passed the California Legislature only lets business owners do this if they had a loss of 25 percent or more during at least one three-month period during 2020. That leaves out between 15 percent and 25 percent of business owners who got federal loans, according to Assemblywoman Autumn Burke, chair of the Assembly Revenue and Taxation Committee. State lawmakers wanted to give the tax break to everybody, but the Governor’s administration refused because it would cost the state too much money – more than 8 billion over six years. California has extra money this year. So far, the state has collected $16.7 billion more in taxes than they had expected. The Governor says the state has at least $15 billion surplus. The Legislative Analysist’s Office says that figure could grow by another $4 billion next month when Newsom updates his budget proposal. The federal government has given the state an extra $26 billion in coronavirus aid. But the surplus is available only this year. Source: The San Diego Union Tribune – Adam Beam.

The head of the IRS stated earlier this month, he expects to meet the July 1 deadline in the new pandemic relief law for starting a groundbreaking tax program, that is aimed at reducing child poverty. That means new advance monthly payments of as much a $300 per child could begin flowing to lower-income families this summer. In testimony at a Senate hearing, IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig said it will cost nearly $400 million and require the hiring of 300 to 500 people to get the new monthly payment system and electronic portal in place for the child tax credit. In embedding the expanded child tax credit in the $1.9 trillion rescue legislation enacted last month, legislators sought to provide support to families affected by the coronavirus pandemic and parents forced to cut down on work or give up jobs to take care of children after losing access to childcare. According to some academic estimates, it would reduce the number of children living in poverty in the U.S. by more than half. At the hearing, it was also acknowledged that the national gap between federal taxes owed and actually collected is more than double, at about $1 trillion annually, than what official government estimates have indicated. This fact was staggering to many of the Senators attending the hearing. Source: The San Diego Union Tribune – Marcy Gordon.

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

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 cozy bar has a living room setting, outdoor patio, relaxing atmosphere, and serves a top-notch selection of craft beer and wine, as well as delicious specialty plates - cheese plates and meat & cheese plates, sandwiches - Californian Sandwich, Ham Sandwich, Turkey sandwich, Prosciutto Caprese & Fresh Mozzarella sandwich, 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.

On April 24, the Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup conclude the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is safe and effective and recommended resuming use of the vaccine for all eligible Californians

Goal: 75% Fully vaccinated by July 2021

69.2% individuals received at least first dose, 47.1% individuals are fully vaccinated

CDPH and CDC recommend delaying travel until persons are fully vaccinated.

Note that Californians should avoid non-essential travel outside of CA unless they are fully vaccinated – “non-essential” travel includes travel that is considered tourism or recreational in nature.

San Diego County residents financially impacted by COVID-19 who need help paying their rent and utilities may qualify for assistance.

Applications for the County of San Diego’s Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) 2021 serves all areas of the San Diego region EXCEPT for the cities of San Diego and Chula Vista. The application will be open until all available funding has been used.

The application is available in six different languages (English, Spanish, Arabic, Vietnamese, Tagalog, and Mandarin) on the website. If someone does not have internet or needs assistance, they can call 858-694-4801 and a county representative can assist you and take the application over the phone.

If you are a resident of the cities of San Diego and Chula Vista, or if you are not sure which program serves your area, you can visit www.ERAPsandiego.org.

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.

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.

If you think you qualify call (619) 685-2500 to schedule an appointment or with any questions. You are also encouraged to talk to your doctor to see if you are medically eligible for this treatment and to receive a referral.

This site is 7 days a week. Located at the Palomar Medical Center Downtown in Escondido starting April 19, located at 391 Oxford St., Chula Vista.

No cost for treatment of monoclonal antibody IC infusion.

Accepting all medically eligible patients, regardless of health insurance or immigration status.

For additional information visit: www.sandiegocounty.gov/COVIDHealthProfessionals

On a day when California found itself with the lowest coronavirus case rates in the continental United States, San Diego County received a little extra good news on April 21st – the local vaccine supply increased significantly that week, and the number of fully vaccinated people who are still becoming infected has been small. Dr. Eric McDonald, medical director of the county epidemiology department, said during a briefing that as of April 20th - 203 local residents among the 846,886 who are fully immunized have tested positive for COV2 infection. That denominator includes only those who are at least two weeks beyond their final dose. “We’ve had zero people who have been hospitalized, zero people who have died. In fact, the majority – 57 percent – have had no symptoms at all,” McDonald said. That’s a post-vaccination infection rate of about .024 percent in San Diego County. While San Diego’s number is small, it is nonetheless about three times greater than the national rate, McDonald said. According to a report published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there have been 5,816 confirmed COV2 infections among the 75 million Americans so far fully vaccinated for a rate of about .008 percent. Source: The San Diego Union Tribune – Paul Sisson.

The United States will share up to 60 million doses of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine with other countries, the White House stated this week, as the Biden administration faces growing pressure to help vaccinate the global population as cases spike around the world. The move comes as India faces an increasingly dire situation, with its health care system showing signs of collapse – adding to the sense of urgent global need. The AstraZeneca vaccine, which is not authorized for use in the U.S. by the Food and Drug Administration, will be shipped out once it clears federal safety reviews, officials said. As it became increasingly clear that AstraZeneca’s vaccine will not be a big part of the plan for vaccinating Americans, it became harder to justify not sending it to other countries. Administration officials said discussions are under way to determine how to allocate and distribute the doses once they are cleared by the FDA. Source: The San Diego Union Tribune – Tyler Pager, Annie Linskey & Emily Rauhala.

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

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!

ICIC is partnering with Health Action Alliance (HAA) for an information session on Tuesday, May 11, 2021, from 10-11am designed to help small businesses create a COVID-19 vaccine plan, educate and engage employees in making informed decisions about COVID-19 vaccines, and strengthen community vaccination efforts. Register now.

The Community Garden became a reality for La Mesa and improve the quality of life by nurturing the community’s physical, mental, and social health through growing and sharing healthy food. This volunteer program for the non-profit La Mesa Park and Recreation Foundation, this garden is the first of its kind in the City of La Mesa.

Photos courtesy of Sandra Small/ Photographer.

Supervisor Joel Anderson has learned of several inexcusable and irresponsible weaknesses in the County’s current policies for the notification and placement processes for sex offenders and Sexually Violent Offenders (SVPs). As a result, Anderson will introduce a directive during the San Diego County Board of Supervisors’ meeting next week instructing the San Diego County Counsel and the Chief Administrative Officer to fully investigate the issue and report back with actions that can be taken to improve the processes and procedures used in notifying the public on proposed placements and living situations for sex offenders.

“67% of all Sexually Violent Predators in San Diego County are in my district,” said Anderson. “There are currently plans to place three more SVPs in District 2 in the near future, which will push that total to over 70%. This is the very definition of dumping. When I asked simple questions to better understand the process and determine the roles and authority that various County agencies and organizations have in these matters, I was shocked to receive inaccurate and contradictory information. This ends now. The appropriate placement of these dangerous individuals demands our full and immediate attention. When simple questions cannot be answered on such an important matter, the consequences are dangerous for the safety of our citizens, particularly our children. It is simply irresponsible to allow this situation to continue and I urge my colleagues to help me obtain the information necessary to make the changes that will protect our communities.”

Weaknesses in the current process include:

Anderson’s measure, if passed, would direct County Counsel and the Chief Administrative Officer to review numerous facts and questions that have been raised, and other related issues, and determine what improvements can be made to the current processes and procedures to improve public notification surrounding the placement and residency of sex offenders.

Anderson held a press conference earlier this week with concerned parents and community leaders to highlight the inefficiencies in the current process.

As indicated in the chart below, 31% of all sexual offenders released in San Diego County are in District 2. By contrast, East County has more than four times as many sex offenders as District 3.

Tech giant’s growth here is part of the $430B expansion plan across the U.S. by 2026. Apple plans to vastly increase its engineering footprint in San Diego, pledging to grow its local workforce to more than 5,000 employees over the next 5 years. The iPhone maker laid out its growth blueprint for the region on April 26th as part of a commitment to invest $430 billion and add 20,000 new jobs across the U.S. by 2026. Apple’s move to accelerate its U.S. investment includes $1 billion in North Carolina, $1 billion in Austin, Texas, Iowa, Boston and Seattle. But San Diego has a significant role in Apple’s ambitions. In late 2018, the company unveiled plans to open a San Diego engineering hub focused on wireless technologies. A few months later, Apple said it would hire 1,200 workers in the region. Now the company has boosted that number to 5,000 workers. The San Diego job target represents a 315 percent increase over Apple’s prior projections. Source: The San Diego Union Tribune – Mike Freeman. Photo: Apple - Rendering showing the interior design of one of Apple’s existing San Diego office locations.

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!

TO BE RESCHEDULED - May 4 - Divine House Ribbon Cutting : 11am at 4715 Divine Way, La Mesa

May 12 - Pink Rose Café Grand Opening & Ribbon Cutting : 10:30am at 8209 La Mesa Blvd., 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.