Candidates in this June's elections for Contra Costa County district attorney and sheriff-coroner will address questions and share their views with voters at a forum at Diablo Valley College's Pleasant Hill Campus, on May 3 starting at 6 p.m. Register for in-person and for the Zoom link HERE.

The public is invited to submit questions for consideration in advance to gchannell@danvillesanramon.com. Read this event announcement for more details.

Wednesday, May 4, 4:30pm, online via Zoom

Register in advance for this meeting HERE > After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Next Connectors: May 18 4:30pm, Zoom. Register here.

The Lafayette Chamber of Commerce is hosting a free educational event for restaurant owners interested in learning about how to reduce trash associated with their takeout business. Sign up to learn cost-savings tips and tricks to green your restaurant. Experts will also share info about two new state bills that support the use of reusable containers for restaurant takeout and restrict the use of plastic straws and other throwaway items.

𝐑𝐄𝐔𝐒𝐀𝐁𝐋𝐄 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐑𝐒 𝐈𝐍 𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐔𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐒 𝐄𝐃𝐔𝐂𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋 𝐖𝐄𝐁𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐑

Register at https://lafayettechamber.org/takeout.

Event will include brief presentations by several experts in eco-friendly restaurant practices and waste management as well as educate about two new state policies -- AB 619 focused on allowing BYO reusables and AB 1276 restricting restaurants from providing single-use foodware accessories to customers unless specifically requested. Enforcement provisions, including fines of up to $300, begin June 1, 2022.

This is a Zoom Webinar designed to answer restaurant operator's questions, business and community members are welcome to attend. The webinar will be recorded for future viewing.

Questions? Email info@lafayettechamber.org.

Don't miss out on your fellow Lafayette Chamber member's upcoming events! View May events and more in the May edition of our Nonprofit email blast HERE.

And Mother's Day is Sunday, May 8! View our IG story highlights and We are Lafayette, CA Strong Facebook page for inspirational gifts, activities and restaurant options!

Christine Flitter, 415-722-7238

Capital Advantage, Inc., member since 2015

Chicken and the Farm, member since 2019

Dana Green Team - Compass, member since 2011

F & M Bank, member since 2020

Guaranteed Rate Affinity, member since 2021

International Film Showcase, member since 2021

Lamorinda Music, member since 2009

Lamorinda Optometry, member since 1983

Misto Lino, member since 2014

Zahra Boutique Salon, member since 2011

📷 Kelly Attebery and Margot Stanford, F & M Bank

The community is invited to join us in Lafayette Plaza Park for a FREE concert, 5pm-7:30pm on Tuesday, May 17 with the Lonesome Eddie and the Saddle Sores. The concert will be during the Taste of Lafayette event but no ticket (Taste passport) is required for the music or to patronize the Chamber bar.

 🍽 View Dining & Shopping Guide HERE.   

• May 27 REGISTER HERE

Registration is required for each date for that day's Zoom link, register at https://lafayettechamber.org/coffee. Questions can be sent in advance to holly@lafayettechamber.org.

Recordings will be made available shortly after the event on the Lafayette Chamber's YouTube Channel at https://www.youtube.com/user/lafayettechamberca.

The Lafayette Chamber is thrilled to announce John McCormick as our 2022 Business Person of the Year. We will host the award dinner on Friday, June 24, 2022 at the Lafayette Park Hotel & Spa.

Tickets for the dinner can be purchased HERE>

John McCormick, co-owner of Lamorinda Music, took the reigns as President of the Lafayette Chamber in January 2020. Little did he know what kind of year it was going to be. We began the year with President John giving a beginner’s lesson on the Ukulele to the entire board at our annual retreat. We agreed on all kinds of new programs along with debating social and political positions. We had a full agenda and John was ready for the challenge. Shortly after the retreat we found ourselves at the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak. The goals and projects changed and with John’s leadership, the Chamber was able to pivot to a new purpose, saving our local economy.

https://lafayettechamber.org/business-person-of-the-year.

Photo by Craig Isaacs, BlueGoo Photography

Please go to http://lovelafayette.org/ebuildings to learn more, watch the Environmental Task Force’s recorded Building Electrification webinar (22mins), and complete the public survey (due May 5). Questions can be emailed to planning technician Josh Muller (jmuller@lovelafayette.org). 

Thursday, May 5th, noon (virtual meeting)

Learn how to monetize your summer energy use with MCE's Peak/Flex Program. MCE staff will be discussing a first-of-its-kind marketplace program aimed at shifting energy use away from times of extreme demand by offering significant incentives to customers who shift or reduce energy consumption during summer peak hours of 4-9 pm and demand response events.

As of April 29, 1,302 people in Contra Costa County have died from COVID-19. Among counties with 1 million or more residents, Contra Costa has one of the lowest per-capita COVID mortality rates in the nation, with 112 recorded deaths due to the virus per 100,000 population. But mortality rates varied greatly within the county, with mortality rates in the census tracts of the county’s healthiest census tracts, as identified by California’s Healthy Places Index, as much as five times lower than rates in neighborhoods with the most challenges to community health. Contra Costa Health Reaches for Zero Preventable COVID-19 Deaths :: Press Releases :: Contra Costa Health Services (cchealth.org)

➡ Lafayette Housing Element - Complete Draft to be Considered by Planning Commission on Monday Night

➡ City Addressing Pedestrian and Cyclist Safety with Safety Improvements Around Schools

➡ Reminder: Take the Building Electrification Survey By May 5

➡ Updated List of Local Businesses Accepting Shop Local Lafayette eCards

➡ 2022 Surface Seal Project Getting Underway

➡ Moving Toward Zero Preventable Covid Deaths

➡ Face Masks Required on BART Through July 18

➡ County Performing Road Work on San Pablo Dam Road

➡ Be Ready for Election Day!

➡ Take the MTC Transportation Needs and Challenges Survey

➡ Lafayette’s Business Assistance Program

Contra Costa Voters! The Primary Election is scheduled for June 7, 2022. Go to coco.vote for information.

The Contra Costa County Elections website has helpful information on Voting Registration and Voting Options. With the June 7th primary just around the corner, be sure you are up-to-date and informed on your choices.

The registration and voting options page has information on voting by mail, how to register to vote, voting rights, official ballot drop boxes, voting before election day and voting on election day, and looking up your personal voting information.

Learn more and watch segment here:

If you haven’t already, please share the GoFundMe link to whomever you think can help to support the renters who were affected by the robbery on 4/27. "From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you."

ISO 4000-5000 sq ft. Space for Storage and Retail

Grateful Gatherings, is a nonprofit 501c3, which provides furniture and household items for people transitioning from homelessness. When a family transitions from homelessness or crisis into a new home in the Bay Area, they rarely have anything but a small box of belongings, we change lives in one day as we collect and deliver all the family would need to make their apartment a home. We believe that families thrive when they have a safe and comfortable home.

Our need: Since 2013 we have helped over 1000 people in the Bay Area without a storage space. We had delivered items only on demand, but now more than ever, we can’t keep up with our growing list of families looking for beds and furniture. We are looking for a 4000-5000 sq ft. space to store extra furniture items to help people immediately and sell items to raise funds for Grateful Gatherings. Areas we are interested in are: Lafayette, Orinda, Moraga, Walnut Creek, Pleasant Hill, Alamo, Concord, Pacheco, or Martinez. These locations would allow our moving sponsors to easily pick up and drop off items at the location. If you may know anyone who has a property that could fit this request, please reach out to Grateful Gathering’s Co-Founder, Chris Flitter, chris@gratefulgatherings.org, 415-722-7238.

If you would like to learn more about Grateful Gatherings please visit the website at gratefulgatherings.org.

Lamorinda CERT, in conjunction with Moraga-Orinda Fire Department Communications Support, is working to expand emergency communications coverage in the Lamorinda area. The intent is to be able to forward information to the public as it becomes available and pass back to the Emergency Operations Center whatever situational information is provided by the residents in the neighborhoods. The capacity to provide emergency communications would be critical for many kinds of situations, not just for wildfire evacuations.

Date/Time: May 4^th, 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm

When participants call in they will be asked to provide name, general location, and evacuation zone. Evacuation zones can be determined by going to: www.community.zonehaven.com and entering the property address.

On Saturday, June 4^th Lafayette is having its first Community Day!

Lafayette Community Foundation, in partnership with the City of Lafayette and Lafayette Chamber of Commerce are creating this special day for ALL of us.

What to expect: a morning rally in Plaza Park, volunteer projects throughout Lafayette, back to the park for lunch, a band (the Traveling Wilburys Revue), a collaborative community-wide art project, a small nonprofit fair, other fun activities, and recognition for all those who helped to make this new annual event a big success!

On May 5^th, LafayetteCommunityDay.org will be LIVE! So, mark your calendar and sign up to attend and to select a volunteer project – spaces are limited for each project.

Email info@LafayetteCommunityDay.org with any questions or to inquire about the remaining sponsorship opportunities.

A big thank you to Republic Services for making this possible!

Do you have hiring needs that you would like to share with our membership and/or the community? You can add your job listing to our online job board! Log in to DIY or send info to holly@lafayettechamber.org.

Sweet Thursday presents Marion Nestle: Unsavory Truth - How Food Companies Skew the Science of What We Eat

Thursday May 12, 2022, 5:00 PM | ZOOM, Click here to register

This program is presented by the Friends of Lafayette Library.

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

Do you have an event or announcement to share with our membership and/or the community? You can add your event to our online calendar, no login required (we simply need to approve it before it will display.) Add your event HERE. Questions? Contact holly@lafayettechamber.org.

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.

Have you enhanced your services, changed your contact information or perhaps even created a TikTok account? Need to add a new rep so they can register for upcoming events? Now is the time to update your Lafayette Chamber Directory Profile!

Check out your profile HERE. Then email your changes to us at info@lafayettechamber.org. Or DIY by logging into your account with these directions (on page 2).

Your online profile is search engine optimized. Include a full business description including key words that your potential customers and clients would use to find you. You can also add up to four social media platforms to the listing.