Chamber Weekly | News & Events

August 23, 2022

News

Torrance Chamber Voted the Best Chamber of Commerce

in the South Bay 2022

Back by popular demand, the Daily Breeze and Beach Reporter proudly present the results of their annual Readers' Choice Awards for the 31st year. This year, the Torrance Area Chamber of Commerce was voted the Best Chamber of Commerce in the South Bay! Congratulations to all of the honorees and special thanks to those who voted.

2022 Daily Breeze Readers Choice

California Paid Family Leave Grants

Available to Eligible Businesses

Eligible small businesses in California may now apply for grants up to $2,000 per employee utilizing California’s Paid Family Leave program (PFL). These grants, funded by the California Employment Training Panel and California Labor and Workforce Development Agency, are geared toward helping small businesses offset the increased costs that may arise when an employee is out on leave, such as cross-training existing staff, and hiring and training new and/or temporary employees.

California’s PFL program provides eligible employees with up to 8 weeks of wage replacement benefits when the employee is off work for certain qualifying reasons, such as to bond with a new child or to care for a seriously ill family member. Read More...

Coastal Cleanup Day at Torrance Beach

Coastal Clean Up Day is the largest volunteer day on the planet, which is coordinated with the Ocean Conservancy, California Coastal Commission, L.A. Department of Beaches and Harbors and Heal the Bay. Torrance recognizes that by cleaning up the beaches, the community is participating in the global effort to keep our oceans healthy, to keep our water source healthy, and to keep our community healthy.

Leslie Cortez, Torrance Beach Captain states "I have proudly served the past two decades as Beach Captain for the annual beach cleanup event at Torrance Beach, this event is especially important to me. I have been a life-long advocate for clean oceans and waterways because I enjoy swimming, kayaking, water skiing, and SCUBA diving and I want to enjoy these activities in safe, clean, pollutant free water. As captain, my goal is to raise awareness and provide education and outreach to protect marine life, human life, and our beaches by being part of the solution and taking action." This year's Coastal Clean Up Day will be held on Saturday, September 17th from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm. Volunteers will meet at Miramar Park, 201 Paseo De La Playa. Online registration opens on August 22, 2022. The first 200 volunteers to register will receive a commemorative 25th Anniversary event t-shirt.

More information

Wage Theft Does Not Define California's

Private Sector Employers

The issue of “wage theft” has recently gotten some renewed attention in the news. Unfortunately, reporting on this issue often results in creating an inaccurate perception that a large number of California businesses are intentionally defrauding their workers. This isn’t true and the record needs to be set straight. The overwhelming majority of California employers pay their workers timely and fairly under a mountain of complex and ever-growing employment laws that are often unique to our state.

First, there is no defense for anyone who intentionally steals wages. However, there is a big difference between a good faith error to comply with a new labor law and intentionally paying less than minimum wage or forcing workers to work off the clock. Recent reports on the issue of wage theft lumped unintentional errors by employers together with intentional thefts under a blanket category of “wage theft.” Even so, the reality is that the amount of money reported to fall into the overbroad “stolen” categories accounts for only twenty-five thousandths of one percent of all wages in the state. And, if the term “wage theft” was actually narrowed to when an employer intentionally withholds wages, if would be even less. Read More...

All Blood Types Needed: Red Cross Blood Drive

The Red Cross is holding a blood drive at Dee Hardison Sports Center at Wilson Park in the Multipurpose Room on Tuesday, August 30, 2022 from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm. Streamline your donation experience and save up to 15 minutes by visiting RedCrossBlood.org/RapidPass to complete your pre-donation reading and health history questions on the day of your appointment.

Schedule an appointment

Duperron Welcomed by Rotary Club of Torrance Del Amo

Donna Duperron, President and CEO, was recently welcomed by the Rotary Club of Torrance Del Amo. Duperron was provided the opportunity to share information about the chamber and learn about projects club members were doing.

Board of Director Feature

Andrea Sala, El Camino College Foundation

This week, the Torrance Area Chamber of Commerce will be featuring Andrea Sala, the Executive Director of the El Camino College Foundation, whose mission is to develop community relationships and raise funds to support students' success in education and life. Sala has been in fundraising, development, marketing, and public relations for over 30 years. Prior to joining the team at El Camino College, she was the Executive Director of the Palos Verdes Peninsula Education Foundation. As the Associate Vice President for Advancement at California State University Dominguez Hills, Sala received the largest gift in the universities' history for an endowed STEAM faculty member from the Annenberg Foundation. Read More...