Dana Point Chamber of Commerce's Compass Newsletter
The Chamber Compass
Your bi-weekly guide to the news & happenings of Dana Point 
December 7, 2015
City Council Reorganizes with New Mayor, Pro Tem
excerpt from the Dana Point Times

Both in their first term, former Mayor Pro Tem John Tomlinson and Councilman Richard Viczorek were chosen unanimously by the Dana Point City Council to serve as mayor and mayor pro tem, respectively, for the 2015-2016 year. 

Toward the end of the meeting, outgoing Mayor Carlos Olvera began the council's reorganization by nominating Tomlinson to take his place, followed by Tomlinson nominating Viczorek for the mayor pro tem position. 

During Olvera's recognition by the council, Tomlinson praised him for his hard work, his passion for history and his dedication to the city, missing only one ribbon cutting during his time as mayor. 

Tomlinson and Viczorek will now serve one-year terms as mayor and mayor pro tem. The City Council's next meeting is scheduled for Jan. 19.

New Year. New California Employment Laws
HRCalifornia, © California Chamber of Commerce.
Article courtesy of CalChamber

As expected, California enacted new laws that will affect the day-to-day operations of California employers in 2016.

Some of these new laws make important changes to existing state law. Other mandates make small changes to different parts of existing law or may only affect certain types of employers, such as employers with piece-rate workers.

CalChamber's free "An Overview of New 2016 Laws Affecting California Employers" white paper identifies more noteworthy new legislation, including:
  • The Fair Pay Act which makes changes to California's gender wage equality laws
  • Amendments to California's anti-retaliation protections
  • Expanded enforcement powers for the Labor Commissioner
  • Plus, new laws relating to wage-and-hour issues, workers' compensation and other key employment areas.
Dana Point Chamber Seeks Nominations for
Business of the Year & Citizen of the Year

2015 Business of the Year

The Dana Point Chamber of Commerce is seeking nominations for the 2015 Business of the Year & Citizen of the Year. Nominations must be submitted no later than January 5, 2016. 

The awards will be presented at our annual Installation Banquet and Awards ceremony - more information to be announced shortly.

Business of the Year: Businesses will be evaluated on the following: 
  • Chamber Involvement and Support 
    Business Leadership, Committee Involvement, In-Kind Donations, Volunteerism. 
  • Community Involvement 
    Organization Membership, Youth Programs/Business Education, Volunteerism, In-Kind Donations. 
  • Business Standards 
    Strong Ethics, Support of Business Community, Customer Service/Image.
Any member of the Dana Point Chamber of Commerce may make a nomination for the Business of the Year award. The nominee must be a member of the Dana Point Chamber of Commerce in good standing. Applications will be submitted to the Business of the Year Committee, which is made up of past recipients. Committee members, and not Chamber staff, select the Business of the Year.
 

2015 Citizen of the Year
 
Each year, the Dana Point Chamber of Commerce honors an individual whose efforts in the areas of community service and philanthropy have significantly impacted the quality of life in Dana Point. We invite you to nominate the individual you feel is deserving of this honor for 2015. 
 
Any member of the Dana Point Chamber of Commerce may make a nomination for the Citizen of the Year award. Applications will be submitted to the Citizen of the Year Committee, which is made up of past recipients. Committee members, and not Chamber staff, select the Citizen of the Year.
 
Facebook Starts Testing Live Video Streaming
The live-streaming video space is heating up, and Facebook wants in on the trend. Last week, the social network began rolling out Facebook Live Video, which had been only available to celebrities in recent months and now takes on Twitter-owned Periscope, Meerkat and AOL's Kanvas. 

Facebook said the mobile feature lets people broadcast and share their whereabouts in real time. Once someone finishes a stream, a copy of the video is uploaded to the user's profile. 

Still left out, however, are Facebook Pages. For now, businesses that want to engage consumers with live video will have to stick to Periscope, Meerkat, Blab, UStream or the like. That's likely to change in the future, given Facebook's heavy emphasis on video of all types. Facebook video gets more than eight billion views a day, and the company has shown no hesitancy to eventually roll out video features to all users, including businesses. But for now, most marketers will have to wait.

In another move of mimicry, Facebook is introducing a feature called Collage that will automatically bundle photos and video taken in the same place or at the same event into a slideshow. The concept mirrors a feature that Google introduced in its Plus social network years ago and imported into its Photo app six months ago. The Collage option initially will be available on Facebook's iPhone app before expanding to Android phones early next year.

Upcoming Chamber Events
Deck the Halls with the Dana Point, San Juan Capistrano 
& San Clemente Chambers This Thursday!
Join us for our annual joint holiday mixer hosted by the  Outlets at San Clemente

This event is open to members and non-members to attend. Attendees will have the opportunity to network, discuss their business with others and generate new business leads while enjoying delicious hors d'oeuvres and drinks from our generous host. 

Please bring a new, unwrapped toy - we will be donating to local area non-profits like FAM, Dana Point 5th Marine Regiment Support Group and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Capistrano Valley. Receive two free raffle tickets for every toy donated. 

This is a joint mixer with the San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano Chambers of Commerce - please note that this mixer will be held on the second Thursday of the month, instead of our normal 3rd Thursday date. 

The mixer will be held at the Outlets' VIP Lounge, located on the upper floor of the Customer Service area (located directly behind the large Christmas tree in the shopping center). 
Click here for a map indicating where you should park, and where our event will be held.

To ensure that we have more than enough room for ALL of our members, we ask that you RSVP.

Looking forward to seeing everyone and celebrating the holiday season next week!
Help the Dana Point Chamber Welcome New Business to Town!

Ribbon Cutting Celebrations



Tuesday, December 15th   4:00 PM
34163 Pacific Coast Highway, Suite 100, Dana Point*
Parking can be accessed off of San Juan Ave.

Please note, since Habitat for Critters is a home-based business, the ribbon cutting will be hosted at t he Dana Point Chamber of Commerce Office!
Kick off 2015 Right - Attend the January Membership Orientation
Maximize Your Membership Investment 
Wednesday, January 13th   5:00 - 6:00pm
Dana Point Chamber   34163 Pacific Coast Hwy., Suite 100, Dana Point
  
Do you know the value of your Chamber Membership? 
Are you looking to get the most of out of your membership?
 
Come to our New Member Orientation! Join us on Wednesday, January 13th from 5:00-6:00pm at our Chamber office. 
 
We encourage new members, new employees and current members looking for a "refresher" course to attend this event. Attendees will receive your New Member Packet and plaque, plus you'll get a detailed presentation of your Chamber member benefits. 

This orientation is your opportunity to meet Chamber staff, Board members, Chamber Ambassadors and fellow new members, while learning about all the exciting opportunities your Chamber membership offers you!  Click here to RSVP.
 
Welcome Our New Members!
Dana Hills Football 12th Man Club
 
The Dana Hills Football 12th Man Club is a fully qualified 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to raising awareness and advancement of the Dana Hills Football program. We are dedicated to providing financial, coaching, facility, and team-building support to the Dana Hills High School football team. Our goal is to help make Dana Hills football the premier program not only in the county and state, but in the country.

Through our annually Honor the Valor and Red While and Blue First Responder tribute games we recognize the sacrifices of our local war veterans, active duty military and our police and firefighter first responders. 

We hope to further engage our local businesses leaders, community leaders and government agencies to help continue our efforts in developing our players into our leaders of tomorrow. 

If you would like to know more about Dana Hills Football and how the 12th Man Club is helping to make a difference in the community, please visit our website or contact David Simmons, President of the 12th Man Club, at: 949-291-9152

Gems N Loans
 
Gems N' Loans are the newest upscale pawnbrokers and jewelers in Orange County. We buy, sell, loan and have been proudly serving North County for over 20 years. With six other successful locations in San Diego, we are excited to be in Dana Point and look forward to becoming a part of the community. Just walk into the new Gems N' Loans next to the post office on Doheny Park Rd. It looks and feels like an upscale jewelry store, but we don't charge like one. Our store also provides confidential cash loans with an exclusive entrance, reserved parking and high security. In addition to buying and selling gold, silver, fine jewelry, musical instruments and other items of interest, the knowledgeable staff are accredited jewelry professionals who are here for you! Why pay retail? Shop Gems N' Loans for store wide savings and get up to 60% off during our winter sale going on now. You'll be happy with our fine jewelry selection and even happier with our prices.

Habitat For Critters
 
We design products for home decor and pet uses such as unique bird cages, animal pens, and stuff for your rugrats. At this time, we are very excited about our branded large, comfy Far Atlas (TM) and Fair Ashley (TM) lounger pillows that can readily convert into futon-like sleepers. Click here to view our website.

Available in two standard sizes of 4.5 ft and 6 ft, the pillows are filled with high quality, hypoallergenic media that are easy to transport for indoor or outdoor purposes such as camping, pool side or going on a picnic. A large selection of pillow covers are available for individually customized orders or in bulk purchase for resale. 

We are delighted to join the Chamber of Commerce this year and look forward to being an active partner in this dynamic, 5-star resort community. 

A 10% discount for US military is available on all our pillows.
Thank You to Our Renewing Members
Member Since 2009

Member Since 2008

Crank & Grind LLC
Member Since 2013

Member Since 2014
Member Since 2006

Member Since 2011

Member Since 2012

Regina McGrath, Civic Member
Member Since 2008
Community News & Events
Mark Your Calendar: Upcoming Events
Dec. 7th South Coast Water District Special Board Meeting
Dec. 8th Ambassador Committee: Holiday Luncheon

VFW Post 9934 Benefit Services

DPCC: Finance Committee
Dec. 10th Holiday in the Harbor: Photos with Santa

Holiday Mixer Hosted by The Outlets at San Clemente

Veritas Lodge No. 855 Free and Accepted Masons of California Weekly Meeting
Dec. 11th Ocean Institute Holiday Lights Viewing Party

Holiday in the Harbor: 41st Annual Boat Parade of Lights

Tourism Business Improvement District (TBID) Meeting - Special Meeting
Dec. 12th Farmers Market

Nature Interpretive Center - History Walk

Holiday in the Harbor: 41st Annual Boat Parade of Lights

Dana Point Nature Interpretive Center - Whale Walk & Talk

Ocean Institute's Ho Ho Haul Away Sail
Dec. 14th Planning Commission Meeting
Dec. 15th DPCC: Board of Directors Meeting
41st Annual Dana Point Boat Parade of Lights 
to be Held  December 11, 12 & 18,19
Celebrate the Holidays with
Your Fellow Chamber Members
Tis the Season to Give Back
The Dana Point Chamber of Commerce respectfully requests that you open your hearts (and your wallets)in the coming weeks as you conduct your holiday shopping - we're happy to host donation boxes in our office for the following worthy causes:

Family Assistance Ministries
Show your spirit of giving by helping the hungry and homeless during this holiday season. Family Assistance Ministries (FAM) has a number of ways for you to get involved this holiday season. Click here to learn how you can adopt a family this Christmas, host a food drive, make a donation or simply make a toy donation. Provide a memorable Christmas to kids who may otherwise not get to enjoy the holiday by delivering gifts to families in need.

Boys & Girls Clubs of Capistrano Valley
Join the Chamber in our support of Operation Holiday Homework , benefiting the Boys & Girls Clubs of Capistrano ValleyThe organization collects toys from businesses and individuals in the community for this annual event. Children enrolled in their "Power Hour" homework help and tutoring program earn points during the year, which they can redeem to "purchase" donated holiday gifts for family members through Operation Holiday Homework. The organization requests gifts suitable for boys, girls, babies, teens and parents.

Suggested gift types include but are not limited to Legos, board games, Barbies, remote control cars, gift cards, lotions, nail polish, tools, sports equipment, etc.

Dana Point 5th Marine Regiment Support Group
Donate a new toy for a military child or gift card/goodie box items for our troops. Once again, members of the Dana Point 5th Marine Regiment Support Group are looking to create some holiday magic for our Marines, Sailors and Families and we know Santa never disappoints! We hope his workshop will be filled with toys for the small children and lots of gift cards for our Marines and families again this year. Click here for a list of drop-off locations and suggested toys/gift cards list.

If for some reason you don't have a chance to come to our office to make your donation, please consider bringing a new, unwrapped toy to our upcoming Holiday Mixer on December 10th. For every toy donated we are happy to provide you with two free raffle tickets (limit 10).

Cast Your Vote: 8th Annual Best of Dana Point Voting is Now Open!
It's that time of year again! The Dana Point Times "Best of Dana Point People's Choice Lantern Awards" voting has begun! 

To vote, visit the  Dana Point Times website and click on the link on the right, entitled Vote Here: The Best of Dana Point. Make sure to direct your friends, family and customers to vote as well - every vote for your business helps!

Click here to download a "VOTE FOR US" flyer for you to use in your storefronts or in marketing materials to get the word out to all your customers. 

Polls close December 20th, 2015 at midnight.

Also, don't forget about your friendly Dana Point Chamber of Commerce when voting for "Best Customer Service." :)
Thank You to our 2015 Chairman Circle Sponsors








    

If you are interested in supporting our business community, join the Dana Point Chairman's Circle! 
Please contact Heather Johnston for more information.

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