Legislative Issues on the June Ballot - Got Opinions?

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Take a look at Cal Chamber legislative info and bone up on the upcoming ballot propositions. Let us know at the Legislative Committee - and join us for a discussion. We'll be reviewing the South Pasadena Chamber recommendations at our May meeting. Visit www.SouthPasChamber.com for details on that committee.

Shop Local 1.4. ShopItToMe!

A friend referred me to a new online shopping service that both helps and hinders the Chamber's quest to support an increasingly old-fashioned shopping tactic - you know, going into a real store! It's a website, subscription based, free, customized and controlled by the shopper, with the promise of fashion-forward deep-discounts and early bird notification of new trends, delivered directly to you via - yup, your PC. Yes, they're on Facebook too, with thousands of "Fans."

It appears most of the retailers on board are the big boys, though I saw some hope from a family-owned LA store. Here's a clip from an early ShopItToMe blog: "What is a shocker (a quite pleasant one) is these shoes by Cynthia Vincent will be available for purchase at Target for $30 or less. Talk about a bargain!" Online convenience. Big box retailer buy-in. Savings! Trends. Here it is, local boutiques: The opportunity IS the threat. Maybe you should log in and become a ShopItToMe retailer, as a convenience to your current customers as well as a defense against losing them to the ease of this cyberdepartmentstoremallpersonalshopper. If you do, please let me know how it goes!

Music Lovin' Shoppers

Hi. If the headline grabbed ya, keep readin'. On May 1 we're bringing downtown southpas to life. Come on by! Details at www.SouthPasadena.net

Paco Underhill's Booklist'

Paco Underhill's Booklist'

Chamber Champs at Relay for Life

Chamber Champs are planning to burn up the track again - doin' laps to raise money to find a cure. It's this weekend at the South Pasadena Relay for Life. Our team captain is David Melford of Sotheby's International Realtors. Give him a call or an email if you'd like to join in the fun!

David Melford, Sotheby's International Realty
459 East Colorado Blvd.
Pasadena CA 91101
(626)396-3903   Fax: (626)441-0461
Mr. David Melford

Keep the Farmers' Market Local - No Foolin!

Today the Chamber goes before an appointed board and makes our best pitch to win the contract to operate the South Pasadena Farmers' Market. It'll be very tempting to crack a joke or two, being April Fools' day, but I think we might refrain. In all seriousness - this is important for the City and for the Chamber. Our whole approach to the market is to keep it locally controlled. We're thankful that a corporate entity stepped in to operate it when the local sponsoring agency went bust, but we're even more thankful that the City had the sense to put it out for bid to give us a chance to bring it back to South Pasadena. Stay tuned, we'll probably be asking for support one way or another at an April 21 City Council meeting when the recommendation of the advisory panel will be considered.

Food Trucks and South Pasadena

Vittles on wheels have become all the rage, in case you have not noticed.  So we've booked a few food trucks to complement our Angel City Brewery and Donati Wines at the upcoming Eclectic Music Festival & Art Walk on May 1. And we'll have a "sample" on April 3 at SoPas Gallery for the opening of the next exhibition - J.T. Burke & Angela. Just in case you want to read up it all first, here's a story. But seriously, the thing to do is come on down and taste it! See you soon.

Review Your Healthcare Plans Now!

Small business (100 employees or fewer) get an immediate and direct benefit from the health care reform package signed by President Obama. There's a tax credit to be had right here and now for many of you - so check it out! Here's an overview from CNN. This blog can't begin to analyze the complexities or explore the politics. But it can serve to remind you - ask your accountant! Interview your benefits provider! Take five from the fifty other chores you have in running your small enterprise and see what changes are in store for you as it relates to healthcare plans.

No Sugar Coated Lesson for the Student Store

The management at the student-run store at the South Pasadena High School recently got a shot of reality when their revenues were whacked by 50% due largely to a change in California law. The junk food law, SB12,  and the sugar water bill SB 965 (overview here) went into full effect this year in the high school, forcing them to remove their star product, AriZoNa Iced tea. They complied. And it cost them. The story attracted the attention of the Small Business Makeover Guru of the LA Times, Cyndia Zwahlen, with a little help from their local Chamber of Commerce . . .

Visual Art Source for the Art Scene!

Here's a terrific way to keep tabs on the local and regional art scene: VisualArtSource.com. We are working with Editor and founder Bill lasarow on developing our own local art scene, and really appreciate all he's done for us. Check it out!

Facebook Unmasked at ShopTalk Breakfast

Flustered by Facebook? Turn that frown into a grin by finding out ho to make a Facebook Fan Page deliver eyeballs to your ideas and footsteps to your front door. One of the social networking experts from Susan Sipe Associates walks us through the finer points of Facebook and other social networking media. Make a new friend in the real sense of the word and find out how to get more "friends" online. The next ShopTalk Breakfast is Tuesday, April 6th at 8:00a.m. at Mike & Anne's, 1040 Mission Street. $10 Members/$15 non-members, full meal included. RSVP to 626-441-2339. Thanks to Chamber Trustee Shaw, Moses, Mendenhall & Associates for sponsoring this ShopTalk.

Eclectic Music Festival Fan Page

Many Chamber Members may not know that we have a Facebook Fan Page for the Eclectic Music Festival & Art Walk on May 1st. So just in case you don't . . . here's the link! Eclectic Music Festival & Art Walk 2010. (Hint hint: check it out and become a fan. Promote it to your friends. This helps us to promote the event, which helps your Chamber to keep on helping you!)

Looking for Space?

Retailers, restaurateurs and service pros who have I.D'd South Pas as their next home base - but are looking for a space - stop in at the Chamber! We have a list of available commercial spaces and can refer you to the listing agent. We also have several commercial broker members who can assist you in your search. While we are seing some vacancies, as every city is in this economy, we are also seeing quite an uptick in ribbon cuttings and grand openings. So don't dawdle! For more on South Pasadena see our website.

Welcome to 89.3 KPCC

Southern California Public Radio and 89.3 KPCC opens their new multi-million dollar broadcasting center just up the road from us this weekend. It's a fabulous building. They are a tremendous public radio station. We're lucky to have such great neighbors! The Chamber sent the 100+ employees a little welcome packet - many of our Chamber Members participated in a Public Radio Employee Promotion to encourage "one-stop shopping" in South Pas. After all, they are just one stop away on the Gold Line - Fillmore to Mission Station! So, local merchants, be on the lookout for good-looking, informed and very interesting new customers . . . http://www.scpr.org/

ExperienceLA.com: Calendar: Event

ExperienceLA.com: Calendar: Event

South Pasadena Progress Report

We've added an evergreen page to the website with info on the construction around town. This focusses on commercial projects, of course. Many of you have been asking. Here you go!

Fremont Gallery of Fine Art in South Pasadena

Hats off to Carlos and Lida for the tremendous work they've brought forth at The Fremont Gallery of Fine Art. Looking forward to their participation in the Eclectic Music Festival & Art Walk on May 1st.

Eclectic Music Festival Facebook Page

Okay, so the Chamber is going all viral on the outreach for the Eclectic Music Festival & Art Walk this year. Check out our new Facebook page!

Small Business Tax Tips 2009 - Don't Delay!

Go see your accountant, post haste! Here's a story from the LA Times encouraging small business owners to find out why delay in filing taxes this year could cost real money. Story link. If you need an accountant . . .visit the Chamber's "Find a Business" section online and take your pick. Look under the search by category button and you'll find some longstanding Chamber Members who can probably help you.

Are Craft Fairs Moving Online, Too?

It's online, all the time. Apparently. According to this LA Times story, crafters are discovering the convenience of hawking their handmades on the internet - no tent required! Is this the future of local arts and crafts fairs? Or will the ambiance of local, historic, scenic sites still provide a draw to entice browsers (not the digital type! You know, the traditional one-foot-in-front-of-the-other variety.) Will they come out in search of unique, individualized, serendipitous discoveries? Will shoppers with strollers still conduct real, live searches for treasure, or will they give that over to Google, too?

South Pas Chamber May Grow the Farmers' Market

City officials have informed the Chamber that we have made the first cut in the contest to run the local Farmers' Market. The City put the long-term operating contract for the popular market up for bid when the original operator folded up as a non-profit organization. Farmers' Markets must have a sponsor, per State law, that is either a farmer, a municipality or a nonprofit 501c organization.

Along with two other would-be operators, including one who currently manages the market on a custodial basis, we will interview with a citizens committee to answer questions about how we would improve the local market. Email me if you'd like to see our proposal, or if you have input on how the beloved South Pasadena Farmers' Market can stay in the hands of a local organization.

Saturday, May 1st is Eclectic Music Festival

The second annual South Pasadena Eclectic Music Festival is set for Saturday, May 1st, 2010. Over twenty live bands will perform in a wide array of musical styles throughout South Pasadena. And galleries and studios will be open for a fabulous Art Walk. Mayor Richard Schneider has powered up the City's CNG circulators buses for use in the event - dubbed the ArtMobiles, they will connect the far ends of town for festival-goers. Stay tuned for more details, and mark your calendars!

Metro Public Art Opportunities

Metro is seeking qualified artists for three large-scale public art commissions at key stations/transit centers along the new Metro Silver Line. For more info visit metro.net/art and click on "Artist Opportunities."

Buy Local Campaigns Work

This just in from Downtown Digest: "More holiday shoppers deliberately sought out locally owned businesses this year, according to a national survey of more than 1,800 independent businesses.

Similar surveys in 2009 and 2008 likewise found that independent businesses in cities with Buy-Local campaigns reported stronger sales than those in communities without such an initiative.

The survey was conducted by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, a not-for-profit research organization, and reported in the March issue of Downtown Promotion Reporter."

CalChamber Views Amazon Tax as Harmful

CalChamber, of which this Chamber is a member, takes an opposing view to that which I penned here in previous posts. So let's give their POV a look-see. They say passing an amended law that puts more teeth in the sales and use tax enforcement jaws would HURT small business, apparently because the online purveyors who benefit from it might retaliate and move out: Amazon.com, Overstock.com, et al. Take a look.

I'm not convinced, yet, and I'd like to see a careful analysis of the impacts of letting online purchases skirt taxes even as local retailers struggle from one of the highest such taxes in the nation. It's 9.75% in my neighborhood if I want to buy a frisbee, a flat screen or some other tangible thing. But online, hey - you can save 10% without leaving home!

The reason I'm trying to focus on the local impact of this State legislation is that one of our mantras is "shop local". When you do, a portion of your purchase will come back to you, right in your very own back yard! Meanwhile, I'm hoping the legislators look at a way to level the playing field by insisting that online resources also contribute to tax collection.

Tracking ABX8 8 - The Amazon Tax

If you are interested in tracking the bill that might establish more fair practices in collecting sales and use tax in California, see this site. Search ABX8 8 when prompted.

Equalizing the Board of Equalization Approach

Sales tax is avoided when a California resident purchases a book or a widget online, instead of at the neighborhood store. This is the third wave of competitive body slams against traditional brick and mortar retail - first came the malls, then big boxes, now — the Internet. But perhaps not for long. Here's the story on the California State Legislators review of the tax losses incurred by the cash strapped state - it's picking up steam and becoming known as the Amazon Tax. I was encouraged to read that our leaders are finally waking up to this issue. It's nice for consumers to save money, don't get me wrong. But for years Chamber Members have been advising me that they are turning into "showrooms" while the Internet gets the sale. Downtown lovers, beware! We need to equalize the rules imposed by the Board of Equalization - the tax man. Your neighborhood store no longer has "convenience" as a unique benefit, don't handicap it with an unfair price hike of 9.75% when compared to online shopping carts loaded with identical items.

Atta Boy for Attebery

The new show at SoPas Gallery was a big hit - hands down! Craig Attebery is the artist, and the show is "People Places and Things." The paintings are technically brilliant and the titles fitting for a recession - "$1,000, half off" hangs opposite two larger works, yes, you guessed it - an arm and a leg. The show stays at the Gallery throughout March for more info, visit www.southpaschamber.com

Shopping Local Online 1.3 - New Orleans

This one's for Odom. Here's a terrific list of the natural consequences of supporting a local economy, all of 'em good for the soul . . . Stay Local! New Orleans.

How to Contact State Legislators (South Pasadena)

Here's the link to the South Pasadena Chamber page that has legislative contact info. In the case of the Independent Contractor Withholdings issue, you will want to contact Senator Gil Cedillo, Assemblymember Anthony Portantino and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. http://www.southpaschamber.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=87&Itemid=71

Independent Contractor Bad Tax Alert!

The State of California needs money, now. And they're thinki' of takin' it from YOU, dear independent contractor, self-employed entrepreneur, lone ranger! Yes, you may get whacked with a 3% withholding tax and all the burden that comes with compliance, if you don't speak up now and tell your legislators enough! Here's a link to the CalChamber page that gives you the scoop, and ways that you can be heard up in Sacramento. http://www.calchamber.com/headlines/pages/fastgrowingcoalitionopposingindependentcontractorwithholding.aspx

While We Were Waiting

As South Pasadena planned and unplanned and outreached and soul-searched, other nearby villages went forward with downtown revitalization plans. Some seem well done, others a bit over the top. The advantage we now have over these smarties who beat the recession and went live with their plans is that we can observe and learn and perhaps add the best of what we like into our, ahem . . . ongoing downtown revitalization plans. Here's one example in nearby Claremont. It's old. It's new. What's it look like to you?

Second Acts for Theatres

Not that there's any reason for me to share this, but, well, here are two old theatres whose second acts came by way of morphing into indie bookstores. Enjoy!

Midtown Scholar in Harrisburg PA

Tattered Cover, Denver CO

Healthcare Hike for Home-based Honchos

Health insurance is getting to be prohibitive for small employers to offer as a fringe - even to themselves! The recent rate hike announced by Anthem Blue Shield of as much as 39% has some people on individual policies reeling - yours truly included. The Chamber is so small we don't qualify for a group plan (need two full-timers). I gotta figure that many of you sole proprietors and indie contractors are in the same boat. Here's a good column by David Lazarus of the LA Times about it. Let me know if you have an answer!

Shopping Local Online 1.2 - Ugly Dolls

Buying commodities online is cheap and easy. Price comparisons abound. Customer reviews are at hand. Who wouldn't love the convenience? So, in my quest to see if shopping local online is indeed possible, I will move to more interesting and unique merchandise. Let's see if I can find a store within ZIP 91030 that can sell me an Ugly Doll today, say, for an emergency birthday gift. (I happen to know the answer to this: Yes; The Dinosaur Farm, 1510 Mission Street, So. Pasadena; http://www.dinofarm.com/).

So here we go: Google Local Search results for Uglydoll: 3,977 results; 4 nearby stores - all Barnes & Noble, none in ZIP 91030. Nope. If I didn't already know what I knew, I'd be in the car now driving up to Colorado Boulevard and helping the Pasadena Chamber of Commerce boost their city sales tax base instead of my own. Hmmph.

Free Coffee at Mission West Kitchen & Bath February 18th at 8am

The next free cup 'o joe will be at Mission West Kitchen & Bath on Thursday, February 18th at 8am. Just drive on over to 905 Mission St. and step inside to meet Thano Adamson and his team. This is the sister store to the famed Mission West Tile - one of the superstars of the local retail scene. Join us for the Chamber's regular Network Koffee. It's free!

Branding on the Marks!

Suzanne Marks, that is! Come hear retail branding strategy demystified by the President and CEO of Pasadena Advertising. Marks is past-president of Old Pasadena Business Improvement District and her team created the Metro campaign to launch the Gold Line. ShopTalk is Tuesday, March 2nd at Mike & Anne's on Mission Street. $10 Members/$15 guests. Full breakfast included. ShopTalk is sponsored by Athens Services, a Chamber Trustee.

Join the Chamber Champs in Relay for Life!

Chamber Champs will walk to find a cure for cancer in this year's South Pasadena Relay for Life. Led by Team Captain David Melford of Sotheby's International Realty, the Chamber Champs will assist in fundraising and festivities. It's a great way to get more involved with the Chamber. Join us! Call 626-441-2339 for details.

Eclectic Music Festival & Art Walk May 1st

The date has been set - prepare to participate! The Eclectic Music Festival & Art Walk will return to South Pasadena on Saturday, May 1, 2010. The Events Committee is lining up the participants and attractions now. If you'd like to assist - call the Chamber! 626-441-2339.

Shopping Local Online 1.1 - AA Batteries Please!

Will Google Local truly connect me to a local retailer with a great price on AA Batteries in stock? This is how the Google Local Center lured me -- that I could do that. So I clicked and searched. Results: 192 options near ZIP 91030. Wow! Cheapest, six bucks. 69 sellers. 30 pinpointed as "nearby stores." Of those, among the top ten on screen, five were nearby in that they were online and delivered overnight, and five had bricks and mortar or equivalent. But those five were - you guessed it, chain stores! And they were nearby, but not local (read: sales tax from that sale won't get to my ZIP.)

Now, I happen to know I can buy AA Batteries at a dozen spots within walking distance of my Mac. But I managed to establish a clear answer to my first concern over Google Local: "Local" is a relative term. In fact, I think they mean "within reach of your keyboard and a one-day wait", not right in your own back yard. But one test alone is not a market study. So check back later after I test drive a little further.

Keep the Farmers' Market Local!

The Farmers' Market in South Pasadena is "up for bid" right now. A number of would-be operators have submitted proposals to Assistant City Manager Sergio Gonzalez - including your own Chamber of Commerce, er, that means US, dear reader! The Farmers' Market was started and run by the Mission West Association for over a decade. With the dissolution of that nonprofit in October 2009 the City temporarily handed over control to an operator that runs many such markets in LA County. Meanwhile, the City is seeking a long-term operator that will be the right fit for the community. The Chamber Board thinks we're the right fit, since we promise the inclusion of local business and nonprofits, a connection with the South Pasadena Unified School District, sustainability outreach and more. Oh, what about expertise?  . . . we have a proposed Market Manager who is among the best in the State of California - Beverly Hills Farmers' Market Manager Greta Dunlap. (She started with South Pasadena FM years ago, and has since gone on to greener pastures. We're ready to bring her back!) If you have comments or questions on our proposal, email me. We'd love to have as much community support as possible. We're very optimistic about returning the Market to its local roots.

Explore India

Just $2,090, all-inclusive! Nine days in India. Taj Mahal. New Delhi. The works. It's the Chamber's annual Trip Abroad. Check out the details online at our website - www.SouthPasChamber.com. Reservations accepted until January 31. Trip departs April 14 and returns April 23, 2010.

Meet the Mayor of South Pasadena Tomorrow Night

Dr. Richard Schneider will be on hand, in person for a Chamber of Commerce Book Launch and Meet n' Greet. Wednesday, January 27th at 7pm come one, come all to the Community Room in South Pasadena at 7pm. There will be wine and cheese, mingling and a brief presentation by the Mayor. Our own little "State of the City" impromptu report, of sorts. And we'll launch SouthPas Connections, our 2010 Business Directory and Community Guide.

Can You Take the Internet to the Corner Store?

Google Local is pestering me. They want to be a local connector for small businesses with AdSense, AdWords and the Local Business Center. "Hyper-local Marketing," it might be called. I'm thinkin' about it. Are you? I signed up the Chamber for a Local Business Listing. That was  easy. Now the hard part . . . is this a dream or a nightmare? Could it be a boon for local business, or a bust that gets in line after the Department Store, The Shopping Mall and Online Stores as the next assault on the neighborhood shop species of retailer? Let me know how you're doing with it. Are you listing? Are you getting customer referrals? Are you Yelping and Yahooing or cocooning and praying?

BzzzZZZzzt! Connections Have Been Made

The 2010 edition of SouthPas Connections has been printed and delivered to every home and business in South Pasadena. It's online, too, at our website www.southpaschamber.com. You can also thumb through an interactive PDF or search local businesses by name on the map wt www.KnowThisPlace.com, under California, then South Pasadena. Here's the direct link. Go Local! (Even if you take the Internet to get there . . .)

Motion and Progress

Once a wise Production Manager in my employ told me "Don't confuse motion with progress". I thought of her this morning when I was at the Chamber's Network Koffee at Stanislawski CPA's, housed in the original Baranger Motions Factory. Barangers, HQ South Pasadena 1922 - 1950ish, was bringing in millions in today's dollars by creating animated display window dioramas and shipping them all over the United States, pre Great Depression Era. Jewellers would order up the displays for a month and then ship them back. Apparently, enough of them did so to create a substantial business for Barrangers. That business is long gone - victim of "progress", as shopping has moved from downtown to malls and eye candy is found on computer screens instead of in main street windows. Sigh.

PS - Thanks to Chuck Stanislawski for buying and preserving this storied building, and for hosting us this morning.

Hello Joel!

It has been a while since I was sent to the Superintendents office . . . many decades, in fact. Now here I am on my way there, and inviting you to come along! Meet Joel Shapiro, new Superintendent of South Pasadena Unified School District on Tuesday, January 19th at 7pm in the Community Room, 1115 El Centro Street, South Pasadena CA 91030. Munchies, water and wine. No detentions. Promise!

Welcome Great Harvest

The long awaited grand opening of Great Harvest Bread is tomorrow morning. Come cheer as Mayor Richard Schneider and Chamber Chairman Tom Field snip the ribbon. And then let the wafting of pleasant aromas drifting through town begin! . . . Fresh bread . . . Peet's coffee. Yum. Yay! The Great Harvest Bread Co. is at the corner of Diamond and Mission in South Pasadena. See you there at 8:30 sharp Friday, January 15, 2010.

Rialto Enters Self-Destruct Mode

Okay. Now we're getting serious. Today the Rialto sidewalk was blocked and traffic cones were deployed all to create a "safety zone" around the Rialto - a piece of which had fallen off, endangering passers by. This, I must admit, was not one of the outcomes forseen in the Chamber's Vision Rialto report. So, dear blog readers (and I admit, I write this with relative impunity, since I see from the stats that no one is yet reading this blog) will somebody out there please buy the thing, and have a vision for revitalizing it, and proceed post haste with it all, before the building literally tears itself down? For a look at the Vision Rialto report, go to SouthPasChamber.com and download it. For a look at The Rialto, well, don't look up. You might get falling plaster in your eye!

Think Trees

Saturday January 9th we'll really branch out at SoPas Gallery with the opening of a show by the fabulous local artist Amanda Knight. Arborizations. It's all about incredibly graphic and colorful paintings of trees. One pre-viewer suggested the presence of Ursula Le Guin. Another said elephants, close-up. You decide! Come see the show Saturday at 6pm. 1121 Mission Street.

Meet the Super New Super

On January 19th - which is a Tuesday - you are welcome to come meet the new school Superintendent, Joel Shapiro. The Chamber is hosting an informal mixer, and he'll take a few questions and answer them all, I'm sure. But mostly, this is a great way we can all welcome him to South Pasadena and show him how much this community, especially the business community, supports our schools.  So come on by, from 7pm to 9pm at the Community Room, 1115 El Centro Street in South Pasadena.

Do it Again in 2010!

Tomorrow Chamber members meet at Mike & Anne's for a million dollar breakfast that only costs ten bucks*. Featured speaker: Kelly Flint, regional rep for Constant Contact, the email marketing tool. And so, we start the new year with great food, and food for thought. Hope to see yo there! Details at www.southpaschamber.com.
*Thanks to our sponsor, Thomas R. Field American Antiques!