‘State of the State’ to Provide Insight into Proposed Legislation and Updates |
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Senator Ben Allen
26th District
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Senator Steve Bradford
35th District
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Assembly member Al Muratsuchi
66th District
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Chairman of the Board, Kirk Rossberg, Torrance Bakery will welcome Senator Ben Allen, Senator Steve Bradford and Assembly member Al Muratsuchi this Thursday morning as the chamber hosts the annual ‘State of the State’ address. Register now for State of the State!
"Change is constant. State of the State is the best way to hear directly from our elected officials on what is going on in Sacramento right now that will affect our future." Kirk Rossberg, Chairman of the Board
Senator Ben Allen represents the Westside, Hollywood, and South Bay communities of Los Angeles County. He chairs the Senate Environmental Quality Committee and the Joint Committee on the Arts, co-chairs the Environmental Caucus and serves on the Committees on Natural Resources and Water, Governmental Organization, Transportation, and Jewish Caucus. His policy priorities include education, the environment, political reform, jobs and the economy, transportation.
Senator Steve Bradford was elected to the 51st State Assembly District in a Special Election in 2009, reelected in 2010, and reelected again in 2012, but this time to the newly created 62nd District. While in the Assembly, he rose to prominence by becoming Chair of the Assembly Committee on Utilities and Commerce, which had jurisdiction over electricity, natural gas, telecommunications, private water corporations and other issues related to commerce. In his role as chair, Bradford garnered national attention by presiding over hearings investigating devastating power outages across California. He is currently Chair of the Senate Banking and Financial Institutions Committee.
Assembly member Al Muratsuchi serves as Chairman of the Assembly Select Committee on Aerospace and is a former Chairman of the Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Education Finance. Muratsuchi has been a leader in the fight to improve support services for homeless and disabled veterans.
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Board Briefing Welcomes United States Senator Alex Padilla |
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United States Senator Alex Padilla was welcomed yesterday morning by Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce CEO Maria Salinas and Chairman of the Board Raul Anaya. Donna Duperron, CEO, Torrance Area Chamber of Commerce was one of 204 participants on the virtual briefing.
In January, Governor Gavin Newsom announced the selection of California Secretary of State Alex Padilla to be California’s next United States Senator, filling the term vacated by Vice President Kamala Harris. Padilla, who previously served as a Los Angeles City Councilman and State Senator, and is a national leader in the fight to expand voting rights, will become the first Latino to represent California in the United States Senate and the first Southern Californian in nearly three decades.
Senator Padilla spoke about improvement in the role of vaccination infrastructure and COVID response, cybersecurity threats and challenges, immigration reform, climate change, and access to healthcare.
“We know our economy will not rebound until we flatten the curve. We have a lot at stake in improving the role in vaccination infrastructure including distribution and logistics of the supply chain. We also have much to do in the misinformation of the vaccination process,” stated Padilla.
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Chamber Joins Coalition in Opposition of the Proposal to Mandate Pay Increases |
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The Torrance Area Chamber of Commerce has joined two coalitions strongly urging our region’s local elected leaders to undertake a complete economic impact assessment to fully understand the consequences of any proposed mandatory grocery worker or food sector wage-increase ordinances before moving forward.
Such a steep increase in payroll costs will have a detrimental impact on the grocery industry, which has been and presently is operating on thin profit margins with many stores operating at a loss. Similarly, restaurants are closing at an alarming rate with hundreds of thousands of workers being laid off and they simply cannot survive mandated pay increases. Read full article online.
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Chamber to Host Roundtable for those in Tech Industry |
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Throughout the pandemic, the Torrance Area Chamber of Commerce has facilitated industry specific roundtables which provide an opportunity for members to exchange information on best practices, listen to proposed advocacy in their industry and to hear from leaders within their sector. The chamber has hosted roundtables for those in finance and real estate, restaurant and breweries, brick and mortar small business and nonprofits.
The chamber will invite members in the technology field to participate in a roundtable on February 18th. Topics to be discussed include: how has your business adapted to changing business conditions; what practices will stay and what practices will have to be modified and proven better; what is your top challenge; how are you overcoming the skills gap, the speed of innovation and artificial intelligence?
Chamber staff, board and members have welcomed the opportunity to connect and find ways in which to support one another. The industry specific roundtables have assisted in communication with members. Read article online.
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Discover Torrance - Valentine's Day Specials Page |
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Discover Torrance has assembled a website of Valentine’s Day Specials. A number of the hotels have some great Valentine’s Day offers. See the Hotel Specials page for more details. And be sure to check out some great local restaurant Valentine’s Day specials around Torrance! Visit the website:
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Advertise with the Torrance Chamber |
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Looking to increase your business' visibility? Have an upcoming event and want to get the word out? Need a particular service and want recommendations? The Chamber's weekly eBlast "Member Minute is promotional opportunity for members that goes out on Fridays. E-blasts reach more than 3,550+ local email addresses. Exclusive to Chamber members only, you can enjoy the low rate of $50 per week of advertising.Ad size is 8.5″ x 11″ with artwork provided as either a PDF or JPG file. The content must reflect the products and/or services that the business provides — it cannot advertise for another entity. For more details, view the Member Minute guidelines.
Hurry! Space in Member Minute is scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis. Contact Roxanne at roxanne@torrrancechamber.com if book your ad space.
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TUSD Launches Dual Immersion Program in Spanish |
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Torrance Unified School District announces launch of the first-ever Dual Immersion Program, being taught in Spanish. At yesterday’s Board of Education meeting, the Board approved the program which will be offered to incoming (2021-2022) kindergarten students at both Carr and Torrance Elementary Schools.
“My colleagues on the Board of Education and I are so excited that TUSD will be offering this special program to our students,” comments School Board President, Betty Lieu. “This unique opportunity to become bilingual starting at a young age will translate into higher achievement across all subject areas for these students.”
Interested families of kindergarten students, Spanish or Non-Spanish speaking, can apply. The program can potentially enroll up to 100 students between the two schools, with priority given to those who live in the Carr or Torrance Elementary School boundaries. Students who live beyond those boundaries are encouraged to apply through the open enrollment and permit process. Read full press release here.
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Apply: Grants for Small Businesses Funded by Verizon |
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LISC launched the grant application that small businesses can use to apply for a $10,000 grant. Grants will be eligible for small businesses across the U.S., particularly in historically underserved communities hit hard by the pandemic. Eligible expenses for the grant include:
- Paying rent and utilities
- Meeting payroll
- Paying outstanding debt to vendors
- Upgrading technology infrastructure
- Other immediate operational costs
Verizon is committing $10 million to provide grants to small businesses through LISC. As small business owners across the country continue to face uncertainty amid the ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, this grant opportunity will support recovery and aid in survival through the pandemic and beyond. Additionally, Verizon is making a multi-year commitment to bring one million small businesses forward by 2030 with resources to help them thrive in the digital economy. Apply Now!
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The Key to Chamber Membership: Participation |
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Joining a chamber is great! However, joining only gets you so far. Participating is the true key to receiving the benefits of chamber membership.
Studies show that a major part of small business typically comes from business-to-business services, so participating in Torrance Chamber of Commerce programs as a small (or large) business is an easy way to increase local visibility, build credibility, and expand your contacts. Participate in chamber programs where members have an opportunity to introduce themselves, and relevant topic are brought forward and discussed. It might be more than networking, it might be about gaining friends, associates and even advocates. The social and emotional return in building meaningful, lasting relationships can be more meaningful than the financial return you seek.
As you attend events, serve on committees and interact with people outside your normal routines, this in turn will create better relationship building skills that can crossover to improve non-business aspects of your life as well. Chambers are not-for-profit organizations assisting to lift the economy, working very closely with governments to provide a representative business voice when needed. Participating in a chamber provides businesses with an avenue to express their legislative policy questions directly to the legislatures. Government Affairs Policy meets monthly with updates and legislative reps in attendance. Register for Government Affairs Policy meeting.
The Chamber has provided RoundTable discussions with various sector providing opportunities to gather like-minded people sharing information and specific trade updates. There may not be better organizations at providing relevant speakers and guest trainers in a timely manner than Torrance Area Chambers of Commerce. TACC strives to build and strengthen our businesses during unprecedented times. Join the Chamber!
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Office Depot Rewards Program
As a member of Torrance Area Chamber of Commerce, you are entitled to savings at Office Depot store. Discounts vary on items and services, but they do add up and you can save a significant amount annually on 175 most frequently needed items. Just another benefit of the membership! To enjoy this, Contact Us Here.
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