Lafayette businesses, be ready for a move to the Red Tier!

Good afternoon, no promises being made here, however we can safely report that the numbers are headed in the right direction. Currently the number of new COVID-19 cases are down to 13.6 per 100,000. In order to move to the Red Tier we must be below 7.0 per 100,000. If we continue on this track, we could see some movement over the next 3 weeks.  

Please take the time now to review your compliance and procedures (Blueprint for a Safer Economy) to safely move to the Red and Yellow tiers.

We will post updated information as it is provided on our website here.

Questions about procedures or compliance? Call or email the Contra Costa County Covid-19 Hotline: (844) 729-8410 doc.callcenter@cchealth.org.

Lafayette Young Professionals Margarita Monday! Monday, Feb. 22, 6pm

The Importance of Knowing What Your Business is Worth! Tuesday, Feb. 23, 12noon

FREE Guidance on how to Apply for COVID-19 Relief Funding, Thursday, Feb. 25, 4pm

General Plan Update’s Housing Element 101, Thursday, Feb. 25, 6pm

"Coffee" with the City of Lafayette Mayor Susan Candell, Friday, Feb. 26, 8am

Contra Costa Health Services (CCHS) today (2/18) updated its eligibility policy for COVID-19 vaccine to extend vaccination eligibility to residents who work in the education and childcare sector, food and agriculture workers, and emergency services workers as defined by Phase 1B of California’s vaccination plan.

Residents in these groups, as well as county residents who are 65 years and older who have not yet been vaccinated, can sign up to access state and federal sites through MyTurn (myturn.ca.gov) or by calling 1-833-422-4255.

Essential workers and residents 65 years and older can also request immunization appointments through CCHS and join the county waiting list for COVID-19 vaccine. However, due to a temporary reduction in vaccine supply from the state, all appointments at county sites are filled through the next two weeks at least.

Learn more in Supervisor Candace Andersen’s February 18, 2021 Weekly Update >>

To make an appointment for the Coliseum site, go to California’s vaccine appointment website: MyTurn.ca.gov, or call 833-422-4255. The Coliseum site will be open seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and will operate for at least eight weeks, vaccinating up to 6,000 people a day.

Additional updates on vaccine distribution in our counties and by healthcare providers can be found in State Senator Nancy Skinner's update on vaccine distribution, Thursday, Feb. 18 >

Over 150 Lafayette businesses and non profits have received free guidance from the Business Assistance Program.

$232,000 (self reported) has been received thus far in 2021 by Lafayette businesses/non profits from PPP2.

Over $1.5 million (self reported) was received by Lafayette businesses/non profits in 2020. We estimate this number is much higher!

Find out what is available and if you are eligible for FREE guidance to help in the applying process for Covid-19 relief funds in either of these next two webinars: Feb. 25 or March 4 at 4pm.

Attention-getting photo courtesy of Chamber member Harper Greer, 979 Moraga Rd. (La Fiesta Square)

Last week we welcomed three new Lafayette Chamber members and one returning Chamber member! We encourage you to learn more about them on their website and social channels!

3705 Mt. Diablo Blvd., Suite B, Lafayette

Meghan Thompson Payne, 925-275-5304

Family run Engineering Firm. Specializing in Residential and Commercial Civil, Structural, and Environmental Engineering services.

ModernTone Studios [View welcome back post on FB IG]

1018-B Almanor Lane, Lafayette

Jacob Light, 925-297-5336

ModernTone is a hi-end music recording and teaching studio that brings creative ideas to life. We empower people like you to fulfill their true creative potential and achieve their musical dreams.

3559 Mt. Diablo Blvd., Suite 202, Lafayette

David Lewis & Natasha Prymost, 925-284-4033

Lewis Asset Management is a Lafayette based, fee-only investment advisor. We offer customized investment solutions along with detailed Financial Planning. Acting as a Fiduciary, Lewis Asset Management will always do what's best for the client.

1211 Newell Ave., Suite # 210, Walnut Creek

Angela De La Housaye, 925-944-3300

We focus on the Legal Strategies so you can focus on your Business.

The following members renewed their membership February 15-21, 2021.

Cobain Orthodontics*

Join the City of Lafayette for Housing Element 101 webinars to get informed about the General Plan update and the specific chapter on housing. Housing is relevant to you for a variety of reasons. Perhaps you are thinking about how you might age in place, maybe your family is growing and you need a larger space, and maybe you know a friend, sibling, or child that would love to live in Lafayette but cannot find a place that fits their budget. Come learn with your neighbors about what the Housing Element is and how it might affect you. To find out more information and register for a session, visit www.PlanLafayette.org.

Also, join members of the Lafayette community on EngagementHQ to share ideas of what you want to see, things you’d like to improve, and what you love about Lafayette.

EngagementHQ will be updated with new activities, like mapping exercises, quizzes, surveys, and community forums. GPAC members will use feedback from this platform to inform the goals, policies, and programs for the General Plan. Register today to make your voice heard. You can also watch last week's Burton Valley Housing Element 101 webinar on the City's YouTube channel.

All sessions will be held over Zoom Webinar. Visit PlanLafayette.org to register and receive log in information. Registration is Required. Write in questions ahead of time to generalplan@lovelafayette.org.

Special Session for Community Organizations - Wednesday, March 3rd at 6PM

Special Session for Youth - Thursday, March 4th at 6PM

Acalanes Valley & Happy Valley - Thursday, March 11th at 6PM

Reliez Valley - Thursday, March 18th at 6PM

The General Plan website is regularly updated with meeting information and project updates. Visit PlanLafayette.org to find activities, information on housing, materials from past meetings, and details on future meetings.

The Lafayette Business Assistance Program is a free service that assists businesses and non-profits access federal and state resources to help mitigate the impacts from the coronavirus pandemic. To date, the Business Assistance Program has helped over 150 businesses in Lafayette obtain over $1.5 million in relief.

If you are interested in the PPP2 program, or need assistance with accessing other resources, please sign up with the Business Assistance Program by clicking on the verification form.

What's the difference between furloughing and laying-off an employee? What if an employee tests positive? No-cost HR services are being offered to businesses in Contra Costa County to answer these and many of your other human resource questions! Call 888-599-7645.

OSJS is for employers who are looking for interns or entry-level hires. If you're a non-profit and need volunteers, give us a try!

Wednesday, March 10, 12:00-3:00PM

Pricing: For-profit Employers: $240, Government Organizations: $125, Non-profit Employers: $50. Register early to ensure your place! OSJS Registration

Questions? Paula Conrad, Employer Relations and Internship Manager, Career and Professional Development Services, Saint Mary's College of California, 925-631-8280

The Lafayette Chamber has created a blog/news page specific to Employer Resources. View it here >>

Monday, February 22, 6pm-7pm, Register here.

Online Happy Hour with the members of the Lafayette, CA Chamber of Commerce Young Professionals Group.

Come join us for our first Margarita Monday on February 22nd!

We will be having an evening of comradery, fun and great connections! Please join us if you are a young career or business minded individual looking for more connections with people just like you!

You will receive access to the event page and margarita recipes after you register! Register here >>

TOMORROW - February 23, 1-2pm, Online

This webinar is designed to help you create your roadmap from today to when you sell your business (at the highest value possible)!

Before selling your business, it's important to create a valuation road map to make the most profit from your hard work. Without a map of where you are going, you put yourself in the passenger seat instead of driving your company growth.

Attendees will learn:

Register here >>

Friday, February 26, 8am-9am, Register here.

Register in advance for this webinar: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_toMKaetFRHSGOWY6xbqzrg  

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar. Send questions in advance to holly@lafayettechamber.org.

Tuesday, March 2, 12noon-1pm, Online

Social media is not canceled. In fact, time on social media is up from recent past as we approach almost a year in lockdown. Now in 2021, engagement rates of Instagram is 10 times more than Facebook. It’s time to leverage social media to build trust and boost your brand.

You’ll discover:

Presented by Alison Stripling, Sparq Marketing.

Join us at noon using this link:

Tuesday, March 9, 4pm, Online

Let's celebrate national Get Over It Day! This day should be celebrated as a day to let things go that have been holding you down or holding you back. Take a deep breath and let it go. The "it" is different for everyone. Whether it is personal or professional, purge the thing(s) that has been holding your success back. As you know, networking is a fun and wonderful way to help your business grow, but many don't want to do it for various reasons. I don't have time, I don't want to be bothered, I'll do it later, I'll go to the next meeting, whatever the excuse is, it's time to stop. You know networking is good for you and your business, so it's time to take a breath, make the commitment and Get Over It!

Organized by Chamber member White Rabbit Business Solutions. Register HERE >>

The dedicated member volunteers of Assistance League® of Diablo Valley invite you to give back to your community while enjoying homemade food prepared from scratch, using natural organic and sustainable ingredients supplied from local farmers, ranchers and purveyors at the Sideboard Restaurant’s Lafayette and Danville locations.

Mark your calendars for Tuesday, February 23, 2021 to enjoy a “village within a village” nuance at the Sideboard, Lafayette, located at 3535 Plaza Way, phone number 925-310-4773.

Enjoy a similar fundraiser Wednesday, March 10, 2021 at the Sideboard, Danville, located at 90 Railroad Avenue, phone number 925-984-2713.

From 10 am. to 7 pm., both venues will observe social distancing during outside and takeaway dining and curbside delivery. Please remember to mention that you are ordering on behalf of Assistance League of Diablo Valley.

While at either location, note how the rustic furniture evokes a deeply rooted sense of neighborhood that embraces social networking and values clarification. Giving back to the community offers a sound example. Thank you, Sideboard, for donating 20% of all sales, including breakfast, lunch, dinner (eat in or pick up) and gift cards sold for the day. When two community-minded organizations come together, EVERYONE thrives.

Proceeds from these events will help fund Assistance League of Diablo Valley’s ten hands-on philanthropic programs that help improve the lives of those in our community who are vulnerable. Additionally, the Assistance League Thrift Shop at the Way Side Inn, located at 3521 Golden Gate Way, in Lafayette, serves as the primary fundraiser. To learn more, please visit this website: assistanceleague.org/diablo-valley.

Three communities coming together to help those in need. Thank you MVPC for showing us the need.

We encourage you to take a large zip lock bag and fill it with items for a homeless person. MVPC will then donate these hygiene kits to the Bay Area Rescue Mission who will distribute them to their clients in Richmond. They are experiencing unprecedented amounts of people needing shelter and support right now. They said these kits are very needed at the moment.

The hygiene kits are a large zip lock bag with some of the following (suggestion): pair of socks or underwear, mask, snack, hand sanitizer, shampoo/ conditioner, deodorant, toothbrush / paste, soap, tissues, band-aids, lotion. These are suggestions- you do not have to do all.  MVPC will also have a drop down on the donations page of MVPC where people can donate $20 a kit if they do not want to make them at home.

Join us, put together a hygiene kit for the Bay Area Rescue Mission and drop it off at one of our conveniently located locations:

Valentine's Day is all about celebrating love. Many of the children we support have been given a false impression of what love is. We know that love is not only a word, but an action, and ultimately the character of God.

"Send-A-Heart" to a New Day supported girl. Remind them what true love and giving looks like from people like YOU who care!

We are not able to hold our Annual Brunch BUT You can Spread the Love with our Send a Heart Fundraiser! Learn more here >>

We want to help you get your customers ready to vote for your business. Download marketing kit here >>

Voting for Best of the East Bay began last Friday. Check it out here. With 9 groups, 249 categories, and the chance to win, voting is sure to be fun for all! 

Your business could be a winner. Here are the tools and tips you need to promote voting for your business: 

Lafayette Library and Learning Center Foundation Distinguished Speaker Series Presents James Oseland, World Food: Mexico City

Monday, March 8, 2021, 4:00 - 5:00 PM | ZOOM

Join acclaimed author and food editor James Oseland - and cook along with him! - in this special online program featuring recipes from his latest cookbook World Food Mexico City. Recipes and an ingredients list will be provided for a menu of authentic quesadillas, habanero guacamole, and micheladas.

World Food: Mexico City transports readers to the city's greatest home kitchens, markets and restaurants. The book unlocks the secrets to real Mexican cuisine with over 50 authentic, reliable recipes that offer a new way of understanding one of the most exciting food destinations on the planet.

Wednesday, March 17, 2021

10:00 AM - 4:00 PM Don Tatzin Community Hall

Give Blood. Help Save Lives! The Lafayette Library and Learning Center Foundation and American Red Cross have teamed up to host monthly community blood drives. Donating is a safe process and healthy, eligible individuals are strongly urged to give blood or platelets.

For a limited time, the American Red Cross will test all blood, platelet and plasma donations for COVID-19 antibodies as an additional health service to our donors. To schedule an appointment go to: redcrossblood.org/give or call 1-800-733-2767 and use Sponsor Code: lafayettelibrary.

For more information visit www.LLLCF.org and follow LLLC on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Would you like to include a Lafayette Chamber membership emblem on your website or other marketing materials?

The Lafayette Chamber would be happy to provide you with the appropriate logos. Simply email your request to holly@lafayettechamber.org.