News
Baker, Brandt, Hays, McGlothin and Ragins
To Be Honored at Women of Influence Event
Five extraordinary women will be recognized at this year’s Women of Influence virtual event on Wednesday, November 18th at 12:00 noon. Colonel Becky Beers, Commander 61st Air Base Group, Los Angeles Air Force Base will be the keynote speaker.  RSVP here.

“The Women of Influence is always such a nice event. It honors the exemplary work of women in the community,” stated Kirk Rossberg, Chairman of the Board. This year’s honorees include Karin Baker, Laurie Latham Brandt, Debbie Hays, Latrice McGlothin, and Terry Ragins. Read full article online here.
South Bay Association of Chambers of Commerce
to Hold Installation and Awards Luncheon
The South Bay Association of Chambers of Commerce (SBACC) is an association of seventeen local chambers dedicated to regional issue advocacy in the South Bay of Los Angeles County. SBACC will hold its annual Installation of officers on December 10th. Supervisor Janice Hahn, Fourth District, will be the installing officer and will also provide remarks. The event, to be held virtually, will welcome Elise Swanson, President and CEO, of the San Pedro Chamber of Commerce as the 2021 Chairman of the Board.
 
The event will also recognize several honorees including: Rod Spackman, Chevron, John Parsons Leadership Award; Donna Duperron, President & CEO, Torrance Area Chamber of Commerce, Shaun Lumachi Advocacy Award; Torrance Memorial Medical Center, Kaiser Permanente South Bay; Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Centers Torrance and San Pedro, Business of the Year award; Harbor Interfaith Services, non-profit award and Dan Hoffman, Wilmington Chamber, Legacy Award.
 
For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit www.sbacc.com
Together, we can support Torrance by Celebrating Small Business Week
This holiday season looks a little different, but we can still share joy. Shop Small and support your favorite small businesses - both in-store and online - all holiday season long. The Torrance Chamber has compiled a list of incredible values from local Chamber member businesses which will take place during Small Business Week, November 28th - December 5th. See list of participating businesses here.

The Chamber recently hosted the Shop Local, Shop Small Business Week Kickoff to rally the business community and share the significance of this annual event. “Shop Local Small Business Week is great for the community and for local businesses...We all need to work together to survive and thrive,” stated Mark Comon, Paul’s Photo. Further, Laurie Brandt, co-owner of Red Car Brewery & Restaurant remarked, “Shop Small is one of the important things we all are able to do right now..Shop Small really has a way of bringing the community together and we do need to take care of each other”.
Torrance Chamber Opposed Prop. 15;
CA Voters Reject Prop. 15
Proposition 15, the largest property tax increase in California history, was defeated by a margin of more than 550,000 votes.

Donna Duperron, President & CEO, voiced the Chamber’s opposition to Proposition 15 at the Torrance’s City Council meeting in September. The Chamber’s Government Affairs Policy (GAP) voted in August to oppose Proposition 15, a $12.5 billion a year property tax increase—the largest in state history—that is riddled with flaws which will hurt all Californians. Duperron expressed three key issues of Proposition 15: it will hurt small business; it will harm female and minority owned businesses; and it lacks accountability and transparency.  

The defeat of Proposition 15 ends an attempt by public employee unions to dismantle major portions of Proposition 13, the most important tax protection measure left in the highest tax state in the country overwhelmingly passed by voters more than 40 years ago. Read more here.
Cal/OSHA Releases draft COVID-19 emergency regulation
Last Thursday, the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) released the draft text for the much-anticipated COVID-19 emergency regulation on which the Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board (OSHSB) will vote on November 19, 2020. Read more here.
LA County Partners with PPE Unite to Provide Free Small Businesses PPE
Are you an LA County business with 100 or less employees struggling to find FREE personal protective equipment (PPE)?
The PPE Unite™ program is here to help!
PPE Unite is a joint effort to give small business owners and their employees access to much-needed personal protective gear. This public and private partnership program creates access to PPE, promotes PPE use, and provides additional resources for businesses. We need to work together to safely reopen our local economy for the health of our businesses and the general public. 
Who is Eligible?
  • You must operate a small business with less than 100 employees. 
  • Your business must be located in Los Angeles County. 
  • You must operate as a sole proprietor, partnership, LLC, C or S-corp, or micro-business. 
  • You must have not received any PPE through this program in the past. 
Get your 30-day supply of free Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to keep your business compliant and employees safe by visiting, PPEUnite.org.
If you have any questions about the PPE Unite program or eligibility, you may review the FAQs by clicking here or contact the Los Angeles County Disaster Help Center at (833) 238 - 4450. 
CalSavers Is Here!
CalSavers is California’s retirement savings program designed for the millions of Californians who lack a way to save for retirement at their job.
CalSavers was created by legislation passed in 2016 requiring California employers who do not offer an employer sponsored plan and have five or more employees to facilitate CalSavers –an automatic enrollment individual retirement account (IRA) with no employer fees or fiduciary liability.

Learn more at Calsavers.com
Upcoming Virtual Event
Click On The Event To Register
Renewing Members
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.
The Chamber helps businesses reach their full potential. Click Here to Join!