City of Torrance Interim Police Chief Addresses Board |
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Interim Police Chief Jon Megeff recently addressed the chamber's Board of Directors. Megeff spoke to four topics; the impacts of Covid-19 to the Police Department, the budget reduction strategy proposal, the homeless and the effects of proposition 47. He went into brief detail on each topic. Concluding his presentation, Chief Megeff asked board members, "What can the Torrance Police Department do to help you and your business?" Interested in more happenings with the Chamber? Check out Chamber's blog at https://www.torrancechamber.com/blog/
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City of Torrance Releases Final 2020 Census Report |
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The City of Torrance has released the final 2020 Census Report which shows data collected assures that Torrance is well represented, in order to acquire appropriate grants and resources. View report.
To encourage responses, the Torrance Chamber conducted a communications campaign including articles on the importance of the 2020 Census, articles in the Torrance Chamber Weekly newsletter, action alerts e-blasts, coordinated a presentation with the 2020 Census Representative and more. To receive notifications for ongoing campaigns, follow Torrance Chamber on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
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Round 2 - California Small Business Covid-19 Relief Grant Program |
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Starting today, Lendistry opens Round 2 for all small businesses and nonprofits to apply.
Round 1 applicants who did not receive funds DO NOT need to reapply. Your application was waitlisted and automatically rolled over for consideration in Round 2.
For new applicants in Round 2, please mark these dates and times on your calendar:
- Round 2 opens tomorrow, Tuesday, February 2, 2021 at 8:00 am PST
- Round 2 closes on Monday, February 8, 2021 at 6:00 pm PST
- Notification about selection: February 11 - 18, 2021
- Notification about Not selected: February 24, 2021
To view the Program and Application Guide, click here.
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CalChamber Urges Pull Back of Emergency COVID-19 Emergency Regulations |
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The California Chamber of Commerce urged the California Legislature yesterday to correct a series of costly COVID-19 workplace mandates imposed through an emergency regulation order.
The regulation, issued by the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) late in 2020, requires employers to take a number of extraordinary steps that include providing costly unlimited paid time off for workers. It further creates an overly broad testing scheme that ignores the realities of current testing availability.
In the letter sent to legislators yesterday, the CalChamber argues that while safety practices in the workplace have had to change as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, many of the new safety restrictions are not feasible for employers—especially small businesses struggling in the midst of a pandemic that has threatened to bankrupt them. Read more.
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Assessor Helps State Controller & Tax Collectoror with Deadline Message
Deadline for Property Tax Deferment Program Feb. 10
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Assessor Jeff Prang is helping both the State Controller as well as the Los Angeles County Treasurer and Tax Collector in alerting eligible homeowners to an important fast-approaching deadline regarding a state-run property tax deferment program.
The State Controller's Office administers California's Property Tax Postponement Program that has a deadline for applications of Feb. 10, 2021. Eligible homeowners, which include seniors, who are at least 62, are blind, or have a disability and meet income, equity, and other requirements, may be able to postpone payment of property taxes on their primary residence. It's important to file an application by February 10, 2021.
If you have any questions, please contact the State Controller's Office at postponement@sco.ca.gov or (800) 952-5661
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CA Legislature and Governor Must Act to Prevent California Employers
from Paying for EDD’s Mistakes
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Whenever something goes wrong – whenever something is lost or damaged – the question is always the same: who gets stuck holding the bag? And we all know the answer should be simple: the person who made the mistake should bear the costs of that mistake.
But with California’s UI Fund, it appears that unless the Legislature and Governor act, California’s employers will be stuck footing a billion-dollar bill for EDD’s failure to prevent unprecedented fraud. New information came out recenly that gives us a better picture than ever before of how much fraud occurred, how much came from the California’s UI Fund, and how much is likely to be recovered. (See EDD’s press release at https://www.edd.ca.gov/unemployment/pdf/fraud-info-sheet.pdf, and two reports from the State Auditor at https://www.auditor.ca.gov/reports/recent.
EDD’s press release on Monday confirmed that 9.7% of the $114 billion distributed last year in unemployment benefits were sent to fraudulent claims. EDD also acknowledged that there is another 17% of payments that EDD is investigating as potentially fraudulent. That means that somewhere between 9.7% and 26.7% of payments distributed were to fraudsters – which translates to fraudulent payments in the total amount of somewhere between $11.06 and $30.4 billion. Read More.
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Governor, Agencies Focus on Vaccine Delivery System |
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Speeding the delivery of COVID-19 vaccines was the goal of actions outlined by Governor Gavin Newsom and several state agencies last week.
Named to lead the vaccine distribution and operations effort was Yolanda Richardson, secretary of the Government Operations Agency. She will work closely with Dr. Mark Ghaly, secretary of health and human services, and the California Department of Public Health (CDPH).
Governor Newsom signed an executive order on January 27 to help maximize the number of health care professionals and providers administering vaccines. The executive order confirms that existing law, which protects certain health care professionals and providers from legal liability when providing services at the request of state or local officials during a state of emergency, protects those professionals and providers when they participate in the state’s vaccine program. Read more.
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CalChamber Posts Policy Briefings Online; Briefings on Housing, Data Security Available Now |
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Many important policy discussions will be taking place this year and to prepare for this, the California Chamber of Commerce has been hosting a series of virtual policy briefings to discuss some of the big topics anticipated for this legislative session.
The briefings provide useful background and insights on the complex subjects covered. Currently available is a policy briefing on housing, moderated by CalChamber Policy Advocate Adam Regele, that covers topics on Residential Redevelopment of Commercially Zoned Land in California; Missing Middle Housing; and the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
Another briefing available discusses topics within consumer privacy, innovation and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). The briefing is moderated by CalChamber Policy Shoeb Mohammed and features presentations by experts in the field.
Upcoming Briefings:
- Transportation Infrastructure and Fueling – scheduled for February 5; and
- Single Use Packaging and Recycling – scheduled for February 12.
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Upcoming COVID-19 Telebriefings for the Week of February 1, 2021 |
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Last week, the State lifted the Regional Stay at Home Order and moved all counties back into the Blueprint for a Safer Economy color-coded tiers. Los Angeles County is still in the most restrictive purple tier. A new Health Officer Order was issued on January 29th for L.A. County. See below for scheduled industry specific telebriefings to go through new Health Officer order, answer questions and listen to feedback. |
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Coronavirus Telebriefing for: |
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Click On The Event To Register:
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33 Years
14 Years
11 Years
4 Years
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2 Years
1 Year
...Thank You!
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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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